Protective equipment and rider safety
Protective equipment and rider safety
This domain tests what you wear, how you carry a passenger and how you protect children from cold and impact.
Helmet and vision
A helmet is compulsory for driver and passenger and must be approved and correctly fastened. A loose helmet is little better than none. Use goggles or a visor; sunglasses alone fog and shatter. Carry a spare lens or goggles for flat light.
Clothing
Dress in layers: base layer that wicks, insulating mid-layer, windproof shell. Avoid cotton, which holds moisture. Gloves, boots and a balaclava protect extremities; loose scarves and drawstrings are entanglement hazards.
Passengers
Only carry a passenger on the approved seat, with feet on the running boards and hands on the grips. The passenger must reach the footrests and handholds; if not, the machine is not suitable. Children need a properly fitting helmet and constant monitoring for cold.
Worked example
A 10-year-old cannot reach the footrests on the rear seat. The correct decision is not to carry them on that machine, even for a short ride, because they cannot brace or hold on.
Traps
Riding with an unfastened helmet; dressing a child in cotton; letting a passenger sit in front of the driver; and ignoring early signs of cold in a passenger.