Do Motorcycles Brake Faster Than Cars?

Believe it or not, there are people out there with enough time in their hands to test cars and motorcycles to make sure that we all know the answer to this simple question: What brakes faster, a bike or a car?

A motorcycle safety institute in Germany has tested both cars and motorcycles to find out how much distance they need to between their vehicles and vehicles ahead to stop safely. Apparently, a mid-range car needs about 34 meters to go from 100 kilometers per hour to a complete stop. A biker, on the other hand, will need at least 40 meters to stop while going at the same rate.

While researchers found these distances to be ideal, they do not take into consideration reaction time. So in order to ensure that you’re safe while traveling at any rate of speed, make sure you’re also giving your motorcycle enough room ahead to avoid crashing.

While these collisions can be serious to drivers, they can be even more serious to motorcycle riders.

According to motorcycle safety experts, the important thing to do to stay safe is to observe the delay time between their bikes and the vehicle ahead.

Motorcycle riders should choose a point such as a traffic sign, where the vehicle will pass ahead of them. Then, they should count how long it takes for them to pass that point. When city riding, the distance should be long enough that the rider will be able to count one full second before he passes by the chosen spot. Riding at about 50 km per hour puts this distance at three car lengths, but when riding at 100 km per hour, the time should be two seconds.

Whatever you do, do not ignore this reality as riding too closely to other vehicles and at a high rate of speed may put your life in serious danger.