It's been a wet and cold month, raining almost daily, roads are almost always wet. Riding down the road, one has to be twice as alert but travelling at half the speed. This brings about a thought, riding slow = riding safe? Though there's a certain amount of truth in that statement, I believe that it is not entirely so. Here's a few reasons why:
- Riding slowly brings about a more relaxed state of mind. Though it is essential for making clear decisions, this is often coupled with slower reflexes and reaction times. When opposed to riding at the peak of your "fight or flight" response, reactions are much faster and more acute.
- Riding slowly distracts you from the task at hand -ie. riding. When you ride below a certain threshold of speed, you will have a tendency to feel that everything is right under control and your mind starts to drift to something else. When the focus is not there, a hazard could be staring at your face but by the time you react, it may be too late already.
- Other road users may not be as forgiving and relaxed as you. There always exists road users who and chronically in a rush, and these people would expect the rest of the road users to be in the same rush or they'll feel extremely frustrated when being held up by a much "slower" road user. These are potential hazards. Do not be surprised that by minding your own business travelling at the road speed limit you are safe. Come one such buggers, they could take you out from your arse or side swipe you of the road, simply because they were expecting you to be travelling as fast as them.
