Hazard Perception and Risk Management
Scanning and the riding horizon
Hazard perception is the skill of finding trouble before it finds you. Ride with your eyes well ahead - roughly to the distance you will travel in twelve seconds - and sweep near, middle and far zones continuously. Look for the causes of hazards rather than the hazards themselves: a ball rolling into the road predicts a child, brake lights three cars ahead predict a sudden stop, and a gap in parked cars predicts a door or a pedestrian.
The specific dangers riders face
Drivers frequently fail to see motorcycles, particularly at intersections. Assume you are invisible: position yourself where a driver's mirrors and windows will show you, avoid lingering in blind spots, and make eye contact before trusting a vehicle that appears to be waiting. Watch for vehicles turning across your path, cars emerging from driveways, and oncoming traffic overtaking into your lane. Road surface hazards - gravel on corners, tram or train rails, painted lines, steel plates, oil at intersections, and loose sand on coastal roads - reduce grip sharply, especially when wet. Animals, particularly kangaroos at dawn and dusk in rural WA, are a genuine and frequent hazard.
Managing risk proactively
Maintain a following distance of at least three seconds, more in rain or at night. Create escape space: avoid riding directly beside a vehicle, and stay out of the situation where a sudden stop leaves you with nowhere to go. Slow before a hazard, not in it - braking while leaned over a corner is far riskier than braking before entry. Ride within the limit point of the corner so you can always stop in the distance you can see to be clear.
Worked example
Approaching a crest on a rural road, you see a shadow across your lane. The rule of thumb: if you cannot stop within the distance you can see to be clear, you are riding too fast for the conditions - reduce speed before the crest, not after the hazard appears.