Statistically, it is more risk than a car. But like any risk, you can mitigate parts of it. As mentioned, accidents have patterns. Learn how to navigate intersections, how to identify and prepare for potential right-of-way violations, and how to reduce your speed during a corner. Take at least a basic rider course. Understand your limits. Over confidence is extremely dangerous, particularly for new riders. Never mix bikes and intoxicants.

This sounds like a lot, but its really a few hours of work and taking it easy while you learn.

I rode for forty years in US, UK, EU. Sport bikes and tourers. But I quit because too many car and truck drivers are paying too much attention to their phones while driving.

Humans are wired to notice/recall the rare and the lurid. It’s how we survived way-back-when. So we give disproportionate attention to crashes. For each crash-and every one of them is a terrible thing-you’ve got to figure close to a billion rides completed safely just that day. Motos are everywhere, and the most common individual transport in a lot of places. We don’t have an organ in our brains for statistical understanding, this is why we just naturally come to believe motorcycling is more dangerous than it is.

Having said all that, it IS dangerous. Dress for the slide, not the ride. Because “debridement” (DO NOT look at the pictures) is just about the most painful procedure a human can endure AND it’s success isn’t great because of post-procedure infection. Am I sweating in my suit, helmet, boots, and gloves? Oh yeah. Because road rash SUCKS.

Riders get hurt on chill bikes too. I have a lot of experience and been down a couple of times. You can control a lot of risk by making good go/no-go decisions. Alcohol in me or drinking holidays, bad weather or at night, unfamiliar area, unfamiliar bike, passenger on the back, fatigue, known problem area, emotional state. There are a few more and past one or two should stack up to an automatic “no go”.

So I’ve been riding on the street for 12 years now and racing heavily for 2 and in my biased opinion it’s a fantastic way to experience the world.

However if you get on a motorcycke you must accept that at some point you will become very intimate with the asphalt. Now the damage that comes from that is something to be mitigated, as many have said all the gear all the time. And it’s important that you get GOOD gear, cheaping out on a helmet is not smart. If I didn’t have the helmets I’ve had I guarantee I would still be here.

I personally never go without a helmet (living is cool) Gloves (hand injuries are the worst)

Riding shoes (the stats on foot Injuries are out there and proper equipment has an insane effect on outcome)

Spine protector (because walking is cool)

Now if I’m being honest I occasionally slip out on a bike in helmet + gloves. This is dumb and I’ve seen my own bones more than once so do as I say not as I do I suppose.

Some important tips are

Stay away from cars in general, if you have to speed up a bit or slow down a bit it doesn’t matter. You’re not gonna win against a car.

Get a bike you are comfortable on and is safe to start learning on. 1000cc sports bikes are obviously not the best first choice, but neither are large heavy cruisers with a ton of rake that get out braked by city busses.

Absolutely no alcohol, a huge percentage of motorcycle fatalities involve some level of intoxication.

Now to put it more in perspective, in my 12 years most of my bad wrecks have been on the street. Most involved little gear beyond a helmet and gloves. Several resulted in broken bits

However I still own a motocycle and I still ride as often as I can. I have probably 8-10 friends who still ride consistently, and I by far have the highest rate of accidents. (I am dumb don’t be like me).

It’s honestly one of the most enjoyable things I do

It’s visceral

It’s freeing

It’s liberating