Safe and responsible riding technique
Safe and responsible riding technique
This domain examines the riding choices the examiner expects on Maltese roads: road position, observation, braking, cornering and carrying a passenger or load. Answers reward smoothness and planning, not speed.
Road position
Malta drives on the left. Normally ride in the left third of your lane so you are visible in mirrors and have an escape route to the verge. Move towards the centre only to improve your view on a left-hand bend, and never cross the centre line. At junctions, avoid the oily strip in the middle of the lane and the painted arrows, which are slippery when wet.
The riding plan
Use the IPSGA sequence: Information (mirrors, signs, surface), Position, Speed, Gear, then Accelerate only when the hazard is cleared. Brake before the hazard, not in it.
Braking and corners
Apply both brakes progressively, with the front providing most of the stopping force; on wet or gravelly surfaces use the rear more and squeeze the front gently. Brake upright, then release before turning. Cornering is slow in, look through the bend to the exit, constant throttle through, drive out.
Passenger and load
With a pillion, increase tyre pressure and rear preload, tell the passenger to lean with you and keep feet on the footrests, and allow a longer braking distance. Secure luggage low and evenly; never let it obstruct lights or the horn.
Worked example
You approach a wet roundabout with painted give-way markings on the entry. The safe sequence is: check mirrors, reduce speed well before the line, select the correct gear, avoid braking on the painted surface, look right for circulating traffic and enter only when clear - braking on the paint is what causes the front wheel to slide.
Traps that cost marks
- Braking mid-corner instead of setting speed beforehand.
- Following too closely, especially with a passenger.
- Riding in a vehicle's blind spot rather than alongside the driver's mirror.
- Assuming ABS removes the need to brake progressively.