Learn to Break...I mean Learn Brakes!

How many seconds does it take for a collision to happen? How
many seconds does it take for you to stop your bike after
applying your brakes? 

Time is of the essence. In fact, it is so precious that it can
be treated as a controlling factor during a possible collision.
Five seconds delay may mean taking an innocent life. Two seconds
behind and you lose a sister. That's how significant time is. It
can mean serious aftermath like death. So mind you, are you not
going to compromise?

Stepping on the brakes to stop it takes mastery. To do this, we
must first know its fundamentals. The first is - be alert all
the time. How can you stop when you do not have any idea what
the need is for? The second is reflexes. Quick wit and the
ability to react and decide at a certain situation can make a
great difference. Lastly, skill is as important as the two
others. You must have the skill to manuever the brakes. How to
do it is a learned skill. Practice is therefore indispensable to
attain mastery of it.

Rules of thumb have been developed by the Traffic Engineers.
They have found out that the time varies and is dependent on
whether the street surface is dry or wet. When it is dry, a
person can safaly decelerate at the rate of 15 feet per second
per second (fpsps). It means that an averave person can slow
down at this this rate withut any likelihood that they will lose
their control in the process. If the street surface is wet, an
average person can decelerate at 10 fpsps. This is safely
attainable by almost anyone.

The more effective your braking is, the faster the stop and the
lesser the distance traveled can be. Motorcycles are lighter
than other automobile. Thus, a skillful rider can pretty well
adjust to a probable accident compared to a car driver. 

With lots of practice, braking skills can be developed and
mastered up to a point that a driver can already achieve
deceleration rates in excess of 20 fpsps. It means stopping and
avoiding accident on time. No breaking, just braking. Isn't it
amazing?!