Motorcycle lessons made me realise “I’ve become reliant on car-tech”

Learning to ride a motorcycle reminded me how modern car technology has made us dangerously reliant on driver aids and has destroyed our basic road safety instincts.

Learning how to ride a motorcycle took me back to what it’s all about, pure enjoyment, just you and the road. Picture: Peter Cain, Stay Upright Motorcycle Training

COMMENT: Modern cars are making drivers complacent.

After driving on the road for more than a decade, it took just one day with Harley-Davidson on a motorcycle training course to expose how dangerous our driving habits have become.

Now, I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before.

Sure, I grew up riding around quad bikes and falling off horses but balancing on a motorcycle?

MORE: Is new car tech making roads more dangerous?

Stay Upright Rider Training instructor Ryland and reporter Danielle Collis discussing the importance of correct motorcycle attire. Picture: Peter Cain, Stay Upright Rider Training

I wasn’t convinced I’d even stay upright.

Training led by the incredibly patient Ryland at Stay Upright Rider Training, covered the absolute basics – how to mount and dismount a motorcycle, proper riding posture, balancing a non-powered bike, the art of slow weaving, braking drills, and discussion on crash avoidance space.

By day one, I was riding on my own!

But I kept making one crucial mistake – forgetting to check mirrors and look over my shoulder.

Why was I struggling so much with a basic safety habit?

Later, as I drove home in my very modern, very safe, tech-loaded car, it hit me: I’ve become reliant on my car’s technology to do it for me.

Blind-spot sensors, rear cross traffic alerts, beeping this, flashing that – it’s like having a back seat driver but one that’s my best friend.

Take blind-sport monitoring as an example, it’s a great feature, but it should be used as a backup, but for many drivers (including me) it’s become the primary check.

Lane-keeping assist, it nudges your wheel when you drift, buzzes your buttocks, great, until drivers start trusting the system to do the correcting for them, or what about if you don’t indicate when moving into another lane, the car may jolt the wheel and give you a shock.

Even auto emergency braking isn’t perfect, systems can fail to react in certain conditions or brake too late, but people rely on it.

US studies have shown that people in cars with modern safety features may be twice as likely to become distracted while driving.

Motorcycle training forced me back to the raw fundamentals of staying safe on the road.

On a bike, you’re using every part of your body to control the bike, left foot controls gears, right foot ready for the back brake, right hand on standby for the front brake and the left hand is required for the clutch.

Let’s not forget about your fingers … left thumb for indicators, horn and high beams, right thumb for ignition and kill switch.

Obviously, each bike varies.

Despite the bright high-visibility vests, vehicles seemed to come very close to us when on the roads. Picture: John Cain, Stay Upright Motorcycle Training

Every part of your body matters – where you look, how you balance, how you shift your weight, it all affects the bike’s movement.

There’s no autopilot here.

No beeping mirror or gentle vibration buzzing you.

Just you, your instincts and the (slightly terrifying) reality that if you make one wrong move or become distracted, you’re not staying upright.

This really hit home on day two when we hit the road.

Imagine a bunch of nervous riders in high-vis (a legal requirement for learners in Victoria) moving cautiously together like a family of awkward fluoro ducklings.

Yet, I noticed, despite our vests practically glowing in the daylight, several drivers didn’t notice us.

One even merged so close it made me realise the importance of lane positioning.

The instructor explained how often motorcycles get cut off, they teach you to always plan 12 seconds ahead, that you can’t control the actions of a car but you can control what you do.

Motorcycle training forced me to remember the basics of safe driving and question whether technology was making us better or worse drivers? Picture: Peter Cain, Stay Upright Rider Training

Just last week, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) revealed that some car sensors still fail to detect high-visibility gear.

IIHS said it’s “not clear why” the cars systems struggled with the reflective strips or how many other vehicle systems might have the same problem.

But it’s a serious problem, because it’s not just learner motorcyclists who wear hi-visibility clothing but road workers and emergency personnel.

Harley-Davidson motorcycle training. Picture: Supplied

Seems ironic, the technology designed to prevent accidents may in fact be doing the complete opposite.

This is when it really sank in, modern cars have become hi-tech gadgets on four wheels.

Gone are the days when you were excited about two cup holders or an aux cord.

Learning how to ride a motorcycle took me back to what it’s all about.

The pure enjoyment and thrill that keeps you, the driver, engaged.

There’s no shortcuts, no nagging reminders, just you and the road.

Honestly, maybe we all need a little more of that focus behind the wheel?

Originally published as Motorcycle lessons made me realise “I’ve become reliant on car-tech”