Indeed, good weather brings out bikers from far and wide, and in certain areas in can feel as though there are more motorbikes on the road than cars!
Whether you enjoy motorcycling as a leisure activity, use your motorbike for practical purposes only (i.e. for getting from A to B) or have discovered the delights of a sport such as moto-cross or off-road motorcycling, the first and foremost issue in the mind of any serious biker must be safety. It is a sad fact that motorbikes have a higher fatality rate than cars, per unit of distance travelled. There are various reasons for this but the most obvious is that a motorcycle itself provides very little in the way of protection in the event of a traffic accident. Whilst modern cars have various safety measures, including "crumple zones" that take the brunt of the impact in a crash, motorcycles provide no real protection for the rider. However, all road users, whether motorcyclist, car-driver, cyclist or pedestrian, can do their bit towards making the roads a safer place for everyone.
The most obvious route to better motorcycle safety is better road awareness. This includes awareness of other road users, potential hazards, weather conditions, road layout and of course the rules of the road in whatever country you happen to be travelling. Car drivers can be notoriously oblivious of motorcyclists (and indeed cyclists and pedestrians!) so it is often down to motorcyclists to ensure that car-drivers are aware of them. However frustrating this may be, it is essential to try to see the road through the eyes of other users - has the car in front of you realized that you are there, or are you hidden in his or her blind spot? Has that pedestrian at the junction seen you about to emerge from a side road? Is the cyclist with the earphones in front of you at the traffic lights aware of your presence if he or she can't hear you?
The other most practical and simple way to increase your awareness of motorcycling safety is to increase your awareness of your own vehicle. Getting to know your bike, its quirks and complications is the quickest route to better motorcycle safety. A responsible motorcyclist will be therefore be able to diagnose problems with his or her bike quickly and easily, enabling swift rectification of any issues. For example, a biker who knows his or her bike inside out and is accustomed to its various noises will instantly be able to identify a problem if the sound that his or her bike makes changes suddenly. He or she will not have to wait until the motorcycle's annual service to find out that there is a costly and complicated problem that needs sorting as soon as possible.