Many drugs, including prescription and over-the-counter medications, can impair your ability to ride safely. Some medications become even more dangerous when combined with alcohol.

When riding, you should be seated in a posture that allows you to use your arms to steer rather than to hold yourself up. You should not have to stretch to reach the handgrips and your arms should be slightly bent when holding them. You should keep your knees against the gas tank to maintain your balance.

When riding over a rough surface, hold onto the handgrips firmly to ensure that you will maintain directional control over your motorcycle.

When making a turn, you should look through the turn to where you want to go. Turn just your head, not your shoulders, and keep your eyes level with the horizon.

The brake light of a motorcycle is usually not as noticeable as the brake lights of a car. Flashing your brake light before slowing or stopping can help other drivers notice that you are about to brake.

A sidecar is essentially an unpowered mass attached to the side of your motorcycle. Due to its inertia, it will feel like it is lagging behind when you accelerate.

Any time a driver may be tempted to try to squeeze into your lane next to you, ride in the center portion of the lane to discourage them from doing so.

The only method that effectively reduces your BAC is not drinking alcohol for a period of time. Coffee, exercise, fresh air, and cold showers cannot reduce your BAC or change the effects of alcohol. They can help you remain awake, but they cannot change your BAC or make you sober.

Hand signals are an important part of communication when riding in groups. A lead rider raising their left arm and extending their index finger means that the group of riders should move into a single-file formation.

Because a small technical fault can have more serious consequences on a motorcycle than on a car, motorcycles need to be checked more frequently. Complete a thorough check before every ride.

To increase your chances of being seen at an intersection, use your headlight and ride in a lane position that creates the best view of oncoming traffic. Maintain a space cushion around your motorcycle that allows you to take evasive action.

Without a helmet, a rider is five times more likely to sustain a critical head injury in a crash.

Before riding with a heavy load, you should make sure your tire pressure, spring pre-load, air shocks, and dampers are at the settings recommended for the relevant weight.

In the event of a fall, a motorcyclist can receive protection from a leather jacket, long pants made of heavy denim, and full-fingered gloves. It is best for a motorcyclist to wear lace-up boots, high-top boots, or heavy shoes that support their ankles.

The single most effective action you can take to improve your chances of surviving a crash is to wear a high-quality helmet that is securely fastened.

The surest way to avoid the risks of riding under the influence of alcohol is to not ride after you have been drinking. Any amount of alcohol can impair your abilities.

A properly chosen lane position should provide a number of benefits, including an increased ability to see others and to be seen. It should help you avoid wind blasts, other drivers' blind spots, and surface hazards. Your lane position should discourage other drivers from trying to share your lane and provide you with an escape route, should a hazard arise.

If you are not riding slowly enough when shifting into a lower gear, the motorcycle will lurch and the rear wheel may skid.

To help keep the operator focused on riding, passengers should avoid unnecessary conversation or movement. Passengers should get on a motorcycle only after the engine has been started. They should sit as far forward as they can without crowding the operator and hold firmly onto the operator's waist, hips, or belt.

An integrated braking system is a variant of a linked braking system. Partial front braking is applied whenever the rear brake is activated. Check your owner's manual for a detailed explanation of the braking system on your motorcycle.

To ride safely at night, you should reduce your speed, use your high beam headlight when you are not riding near other vehicles, and increase your following distance. Take advantage of vehicles ahead of you to provide clues about the upcoming road. Their headlights may help to illuminate the road ahead and their taillights will bounce up and down if the vehicle is being driven over bumps on the road.

Instead of mechanical turn signals, operators may use hand signals to indicate turns or stops. If an operator's left arm is bent at the elbow and pointing upward, it means the operator plans to turn right or change lanes to the right.

When turning, look through the turn to where you want to go. Turn just your head, not your shoulders, and keep your eyes level with the horizon.

Riding alongside another vehicle is dangerous because you could be riding in the vehicle's blind spot. The driver may enter your lane without warning if they can't see you. The vehicle will also block your route of escape if a hazard arises.

In a group of motorcyclists, riders with less experience should be positioned toward the front of the group, just behind the leader. This will allow more experienced riders behind them to keep an eye on them.