To crash or not to crash.
 

I have read the preceding posts and what I have found others have already written about so I will emphasis some of what I have seen and experienced myself.

The object is not to crash but once you are down your fate is in the lap of the gods.
I have heard stories about do this or do that when you are crashing but that has not been my experience. The last serious one, the thought flashed through my head ‘it’s a crash’ and then I was down and tumbling. In that case it was diesel on a wet road, or putting it another, I knew a lot of trucks used that road and I was going too fast for the conditions.
All that I have ever been able to do is not try to stand up or stop myself until I had tumbled to a stop on my own accord.

So, practice avoiding a crash (read the above posts) and not rely on what you think you might do as you are crashing because your accident will probably be sudden, devastating and over before your brain catches up with what has happened.

Braking; learn how to brake, on bitumen, in corners, on straights, in all weathers and the same for metal roads (if you ride on them). Even on a Saturday cruise you can practice.

A fine day, a good sealed road, relatively straight line and about 60+ meters of rubber off the back tyre leading up to the, in this case, only light, injury free and embarrassing collision, knowing that he could have stopped in a third of the distance.

And demonstrating braking to a stop in less than a third of the distance with a foot of air under the back tyre to show the point; in this case, appropriate use of the front brake. Learn to brake until it is ingrained in you and you might be able to stop before you T-bone a car.

Going too fast or thinking that you are going too fast into a corner, screwing up the apex and crossing the centreline on exit and into the grill of an oncoming vehicle or into or over the cliff.

Especially on roads that I don’t know, I make my entry to a corner at a speed where I feel that I am actually going too slowly and then accelerate, much more enjoyable than ‘oh god I’m too fast’ and hammering the brakes and/or with one of the above solid object, yawning chasm results.

A bit of friendly competition is okay but save the racing for track days where everyone is going in the same direction and there are no cliffs or power poles etc.
On the open road if I am riding comfortably and someone blasts past me, I bury my ego and continue riding comfortably and after a few moments I remember why I ride; because I enjoy it.

iv never crashed from my own fault or riding but have been hit by a car 4 times in 15 years .
2002 (passed my test in February) now my secret to walking away instead of being carried .
Wear protective clothing jacket .pants boots gloves
Stay completely relaxed and calm while riding as if you come off your bike your body is able to bend instead of tensed which restricts movement and snaps your body