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Hi. I am planning to tour around South India for a month with my girlfriend, starting as soon as we can find a bike. I'm currently in Chennai. We've spent at least 6 months living in and traveling around different parts of India, so while we are not new to India or her traffic and road conditions, this will be the first time we're driving ourselves in it.
Needless to say, safety is a huge priority as we plan our trip. Part of that is asking the big question: Is riding a motorcycle too much of a risk here? We can always rent a car.
Of course we prefer to tour via motorcycle. I don't have to explain to this group why it's the best way to travel. However we are concerned that the risk might be a little above our threshold. We don't think we're being paranoid, we're just very careful and thorough when it comes to personal injury. We are already going to take all major precautions, such as:
Even with all these precautions, there is obviously still a risk to consider. A car may not be much safer but it is a metal box surrounding you, which helps to some degree. On a bike I can be as safe as possible and still be knocked over by an idiot rider. Don't get me wrong, accidents happen all over the world, but the stats we've been reading here (and the riding behavior we've seen firsthand) are not encouraging, so we are just trying to be as fully informed as possible. Touring South India in a car will be awesome too, just not the same as on a bike.
So, can anyone speak to the risks of riding a motorcycle vs in a car in South India, or to the topic of how to avoid accidents caused by others (e.g. when is it safest to ride, how else can you avoid being the victim in an accident)? If you have any stats or articles I'd love to read them.
Thanks,
Matt
Needless to say, safety is a huge priority as we plan our trip. Part of that is asking the big question: Is riding a motorcycle too much of a risk here? We can always rent a car.
Of course we prefer to tour via motorcycle. I don't have to explain to this group why it's the best way to travel. However we are concerned that the risk might be a little above our threshold. We don't think we're being paranoid, we're just very careful and thorough when it comes to personal injury. We are already going to take all major precautions, such as:
- Proper gear: helmet, jacket, gloves, pads, etc.
- Ride only in the morning (before the heat and traffic kick in). No night driving.
- No rain / wet driving.
- No aggressive driving / overtaking, etc.
- Follow all the usual safety measures, such as those in this excellent forum.
Even with all these precautions, there is obviously still a risk to consider. A car may not be much safer but it is a metal box surrounding you, which helps to some degree. On a bike I can be as safe as possible and still be knocked over by an idiot rider. Don't get me wrong, accidents happen all over the world, but the stats we've been reading here (and the riding behavior we've seen firsthand) are not encouraging, so we are just trying to be as fully informed as possible. Touring South India in a car will be awesome too, just not the same as on a bike.
So, can anyone speak to the risks of riding a motorcycle vs in a car in South India, or to the topic of how to avoid accidents caused by others (e.g. when is it safest to ride, how else can you avoid being the victim in an accident)? If you have any stats or articles I'd love to read them.
Thanks,
Matt
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