The safest place for moped riders
For mopeds and drivers of speed pedelecs who use the carriageway, the position on the road is a very important factor for safety. Do not ride too far to the right in your lane, but rather in the middle or slightly left of the middle. The reasons for this are:
- There is often more dirt on the right side of the lane.
- You are better visible to other traffic.
- This way, you have more space around your vehicle for potential evasive manoeuvres.
A different important reason is that drivers of motor vehicles may often drive faster than you. If you drive too far to the right, you will notice that they will maintain a shorter following distance and will sooner overtake you with little distance. If you ride more to the middle or even a little left of the middle, usually more distance is kept and overtaking is done with more space.
During your practical course you will go into much more detail on handling the correct position. Outside the standard position in the middle of, or a little left of, the middle of the lane, there are also reasons to deviate from this.
Position B is the best position. With position A, you keep too little distance to oncoming traffic. With position C, you are riding too close to the verge and you run the risk of other drivers overtaking you too closely or driving too close to you.
Slippery road sections
As a driver of a two-wheeled vehicle, you must pay extra attention to slippery road sections such as manhole covers, cobblestones, white road markings and black tar snakes. Also keep in mind loose sand or gravel, which can lie in the middle of an intersection especially on T-junctions in rural areas. In the big cities, tramrails can also be a risk, so try and avoid riding over them longitudinally as much as possible. Slippery road sections, especially when it is raining, can cause you to skid and, in the worst case, to fall.
Adjust your positions as smoothly as possible on these road sections, by recognising them in time. Also consider other circumstances such as oncoming traffic and traffic on adjacent road sections.
Space cushion
Because you are vulnerable on a two-wheeled vehicle, your space cushion, or the free space around your vehicle, is extremely important. When choosing your position, always try and disperse this space as much as possible.