Highway riding and monotony
After a long straight stretch, high speed stops feeling fast. An unchanging road gradually dulls your attention and that of the drivers around you.
You get used to the speed
After riding fast for a long time, even 150 km/h may no longer feel fast. The road looks similar for so long that your sense of speed fades. That does not reduce your braking distance or kinetic energy.
Check your sense of speed against the speedometer
Check your speed on the speedometer periodically, especially before an exit, a built-up area, or the first significant corner after a long straight. After a long highway stretch, your sense of speed can easily mislead you.
Particular hazards after a long straight
- a corner after a long straight
- traffic braking suddenly
- an exit or interchange
- a car slowly starting to change lanes
Why highway speed can feel lower
On an open highway, trees, poles, and buildings are often far away and move slowly across your field of view. That can make even a high speed seem low.
An unchanging road makes concentration harder
When nothing changes for a long time, your gaze settles on one area, mirror checks become less frequent, and you notice new situations ahead later.
Other drivers get tired too
A driver beside you may also become distracted or start falling asleep. Do not linger side by side on a highway or count on a neighboring car holding a steady course.
Keep your eyes moving
- look beyond the nearest car
- check your mirrors
- notice when several cars ahead brake
- move your gaze between distant reference points
When to take a break
If you keep staring at one point, forget your mirrors, or notice braking and lane changes late, slow down and find somewhere to stop. At highway speed, even a brief delay means tens of meters traveled.
Keep a larger following distance on the highway
Leave a noticeably larger gap to the car ahead than you would in city traffic. A motorcycle travels tens of meters in one second, so a distance that seems sufficient in a city leaves too little time at highway speed.
Do not ride alongside for long
If your speeds are almost equal, complete the pass or fall back. At highway speed, another driver's lane change leaves too little time.
Check your speed before a corner
After a long straight, it is easy to enter a corner faster than you realize. Check the speedometer and assess whether your speed suits the visible part of the corner.
Measure the gap in seconds
Choose a fixed reference point beside the road. Start counting when the car ahead passes it, and stop when you reach it. That gives you the gap in seconds, which is easier to compare at different speeds than a distance in meters.
You can fall asleep on a motorcycle too
Heavy eyelids, head nodding, gaps in your memory of the last few kilometers, or suddenly feeling as though you have just woken up are signs to look for a place to stop straight away.
Feeling sleepy? Stop
If you start feeling sleepy, do not keep riding. Music, cold air, and coffee may wake you up briefly, but they do not replace sleep.
Sleeping is the better option
Half an hour or an hour of sleep is better than another hour of fighting sleepiness. Assess how you feel again after sleeping before deciding whether to continue.
Include rest in your schedule
Allow for sleep and breaks when planning a long ride. If a stop takes longer than expected, recalculate your arrival time rather than trying to keep to the old schedule.