Best Motorcycle Riding Traffic Safety Tips

He told me to follow him. So I did.

I was looking to buy a motorcycle in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the bike I wanted to see was located in a garage on the other side of the city. The man selling it, named Phung, was riding a customized cafe racer, which looked like maybe it was a Suzuki 125cc from the 1980s. “You can ride this,” he said, pointing to a black Yamaha SR400 with a loosely tufted cafe racer-style seat. I must have overlooked a smirk on his face or subtle body language because at the time, I didn’t realize what an adventure I was about to throttle into.

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It wasn’t until we were in the throes of Hanoi’s insane traffic that I noticed Phung’s Suzuki was lacking side-view mirrors. He was weaving through the dense sea of motorcycles that surrounded us on all sides and never once looked back to see if I was still behind him. It was clear this condensed stream of movement, which flowed thick with a current of scooters, motorcycles, bicycles, and cars, and operated like a school of fish or murmuration of starlings, was second nature to him. These streets were home to him and he wasn’t about to accommodate someone new to it all by slowing down.

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I would have been in a really tough situation if I lost him. This was my second day in Vietnam, I had no spatial knowledge or familiarity of the city, and I didn’t have a working cellphone or map with me. I wouldn’t have been able to find the garage and would have had a very difficult time figuring out how to get back where we started.

My only option was to keep up. We didn’t stop a single time—not even to make left-hand turns into oncoming traffic. Often we would get separated by the pulsing herd of motorbikes and I would have to give it all I had in order not to lose him, aggressively passing others as I muttered apologies under my breath.

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I was fully consumed by the mass of organized mayhem, my first time ever riding in a city like this, chasing a local deep into the belly of a honking, smoggy, congested beast. The ride was exhilarating. I felt like I was in a motorcycle chase scene from an old film, the kind that actually took place before the days of CGI. I didn’t end up buying the bike he showed me, but this remains one of my most memorable days of riding in SE Asia and will forever shape my fond view of the notoriously motorcycle-congested city of Hanoi.

You may be without plans or desire to ride in a city bursting at the curbs (and often spilling up onto them) with this type of traffic, but don’t let that fool you into thinking you can avoid it. It isn’t riding in the cities that draws us in, it’s the vast landscapes beyond them, the remote coastal destinations and mountain roads, that we seek to be swallowed up by. However, unless you’re crossing international borders by road, the city will most likely be your entry and exit point for the trip.

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You might think that motorcycling in a bustling metropolis is the same around the world, but this isn’t so. Riding in a city with extremely perpetual gridlock, full to the brim with motorcycles like Hanoi, Bogotá, Bangkok, São Paulo, and Delhi, just to name a few, is a very different experience than riding in a densely populated city like Los Angeles, for example. Even though lane filtering is also permitted in LA, the sheer volume of motorcycles in combination with extreme traffic congestion and road hazards in these other cities makes riding more like running the gauntlet.

Riding in these cities is a different beast all together, so let’s talk about what to do in order to not only survive and live to tell the tale, but maybe even enjoy the craziness of it all for the character it is sure to bestow upon you, like a frenzied metropolitan right of passage, if you will.

Don’t look behind you. Ride like the person in front of you has no clue what’s behind them, because that’s generally what is happening. Often motorcyclists won’t even have side-view mirrors, such as the gentleman I chased in Hanoi. It seems to be the general rule that if you are ahead, you have the right of way. Anyone else behind you has to navigate around you.

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Don’t stop for anything. In some cities, traffic lights are only for decoration. Traffic may flow slowly, such as to make a left-hand turn through oncoming traffic, but it never stops. People around you are not expecting you to stop, but rather maintain a predictable speed. If there is something ahead in the road, people will filter around it slowly, rather than the “stop and merge” action you might be used to. This also applies to pedestrians; walk at a constant speed to cross the road, never hesitate or you’ll throw everyone off. Certainly makes you wonder what came first; if the traffic was always chaotic (bicycle traffic?), and then the traffic lights were added but no one paid attention, or if there was some time in the less-entropic (more organized) past where vehicles paid attention to traffic lights but then stopped, similar to the way kids play with new toys but eventually ignore them.

Sounding the horn is considerate. People will honk to let you know they exist, to say hi, to make you aware of their position in relation to you (especially to let you know they’re coming so you don’t pull out in front of them; flashing high beams also serves this purpose), to pass you, to archaically express a point (you messed up!), etc. Obviously, the horn can be overused (especially by cars with their windows rolled up and the AC blasting), but it can, indeed, prevent accidents. When riding through the chaos of a city, learn to ride with your thumb hovering over the horn button so that you don’t accidentally flip your brights on or your turn signal in a moment of need. It’s best to not ride in anyone’s blind spot, but if you find yourself there, make sure to let your presence be known.

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Don’t attempt to ride in the city abroad unless you’re already a confident rider, or at least a thrill seeker. It’s going to be extremely stressful for you if you’re an inexperienced rider and scared, which is not a great start to a vacation (unless, as I said, you like thrills). You can probably get by if you can follow someone closely, are spatially aware, know how to breathe through the sketchy moments, and try to relax your death grip.

Get to know the law. It’s ideal to know the police enforcement style of a specific country before you get stopped by any. Talk to locals about the police, how they treat foreigners, whether or not they expect bribes, if they are helpful, and so on. In some countries, like Colombia, if you make an error on the road and it is observed by police, it is often expected that you pay for your mistake right then and there. I once overheard someone saying that there isn’t a traffic violation 50,000 Colombian pesos can’t fix. I don’t know how true that really is, but the reality is that police are paid a very low wage there (and in many other countries), one that would be extremely difficult to support a family on.

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However, further down south in Chile, and speaking from a personal experience when I got a little too excited and overtook a vehicle on a double yellow line (something completely normal to do in Colombia because sometimes there are mule-drawn carts and vehicles of a comparable speed on the road), it’s a very different story. The approaching truck happened to be the Chilean Carabineros, the highway patrol whose aggressive emblem is two rifles crossed. There is no messing around and no visible corruption; the police will take you right to jail if you attempt to offer them money on the side of the road. I’m thankful I was aware of this fact prior to having the very angry Carabinero chase me down (in a very nice, new truck) for two reasons: firstly, I’m not in jail, and secondly, there was no awkward beating around the bush on my part to know if this officer expected me to hand him cash. Police interactions are quite contrasting between these two South American countries.

In Thailand, I noticed that police were often eager to stop foreigners on motorcycles, saying they’re at fault for something in order to demand money. My experience was quite different in Vietnam, where it felt like the police and I were both mutually pretending not to notice one another. The police generally seemed to not bother foreigners and waved me through checkpoints quickly.

Don’t get angry. There are places, especially in rural parts of Asia, where showing strong emotions is not culturally acceptable. If something happens on the road and you find your blood boiling, try to calm down before you engage others. Try to fix your problem with a level tone of voice and maybe even a smile; you just might be surprised how far such a disposition will take you.

Don’t imitate bad driving. There’s some pretty awful driving and riding skills out there in the world, especially in places without much enforcement on the road and where you can manage to purchase your driving license rather than pass any kind of test. Even if you get used to seeing people run red lights in the middle of the day, do not follow suit. However, it is useful to know that In certain places, like São Paolo, Brazil, people run red lights at night when the roads are empty because it can be dangerous to be stopped in the dark with no one else around.

Do lane-split. I often feel surprised that I haven’t witnessed more accidents on the road, but the majority of the near misses I have seen in the cities involve a truck or car almost rear-ending a motorcycle. When you combine traffic congestion and erratic driving—high speeds with quick stops—motorcyclists are far safer between the lanes of larger vehicles. As you move through the center, keep an eye out for any front wheels of cars that are turned toward the center lane, this is a valuable indicator that they’re about to change lanes.

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Don’t ride faster than you can see. The challenge of riding in developing countries depends largely on road quality. Sometimes a mass of vehicles ahead of you will obscure the pavement enough that you can’t see lethal potholes until you’re right over them. Although it’s essentially impossible to stay a safe following distance from anyone (people will just filter into the space between you and whatever you’re distancing yourself from), try to ride in a position where you can see the actual pavement ahead. There are massive road obstacles (including sizable ripples and potholes) even on newly built highways in developed cities like Medellín, Colombia. Take it a bit slower if you don’t know the road and the location of these impediments, as hitting them at speed could be catastrophic.

Lanes are subjective. It’d be really fantastic if they’d simply choose a lane, rather than riding in them both which forces you to judge which side is safer to pass them on. But perhaps they simply can’t decide. Left or right? What is a lane anyway? Maybe our complex universe and reality is all a computer-generated simulation, a hologram, so nothing is “real,” including traffic lanes.

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Don’t keep a bag or technological device somewhere on your person or motorcycle that could be easily yanked off. If you imagine yourself sitting at a red traffic light, packed in tightly by other motorcyclists with cars and 18-wheelers behind you, with motorcycles filtered between them, if someone runs by and yanks your GPS or camera off your bike and keeps running, you’re not exactly going to be able to get off your bike where you are and go after him. At red lights, people often walk between motorcycles and cars selling snacks.

Expect the unexpected. I know, I hate that saying too. But in this case, it’s applicable. You’re likely to see anything and everything making its way across the road, strapped to a motorcycle, or overloading a truck ahead. Whether it’s livestock jetting out in front of you (yes, even in the city), stray dogs, sellers peddling fruits, or the piled-up cargo of bamboo poles falling off the top of the Renault in front of you, you really have to be ready for anything.

Ride a bike with ABS and/or get to know the stopping power of your front brake. When aforementioned unexpected objects appear on the road in front of you, or maybe a car dramatically slams on its brakes for a speed bump up ahead you didn’t see, you’re going to need to know your brakes—very well. This is the first trip abroad that I’ve had ABS on my motorcycle and I may never again go without it. Keep a finger over the brake lever so that you can grab it as quickly as needed.

Watch them wash your bike. The first time I got the bike washed on my South American trip was in Ayacucho, Peru, which has crazy city traffic clogging up the narrow, hilly, winding roads at the foot of a volcano. The washer, let’s call him Rookie, sprayed silicone all over my wheels, and therefore, my brakes. I left there with a shiny bike that was immediately nearly plastered to the back of a vehicle in front of me, thanks to the absence of brakes. Do not let anyone do this to you. To be fair, it’s possible Rookie made this mistake because the establishment was more geared towards washing cars than motorcycles.

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Wear a good lid. They sell horribly cheap helmets in some cities that are complete knock-offs. Don’t buy them, stick with quality brands. As usual, quality gear is worth its value. Also consider that you may be stopped in the hot sun, so usually wearing something long sleeve to cover your skin will be helpful (and maybe even applying sunscreen to that strip of skin between your gloves and your jacket that always seems to be exposed).

Be like water, my friend. The best way to survive insane traffic is to go with the flow. Somehow, there is an organization to the chaos. It mostly works, when people ride together in a collective fashion, albeit at a slightly slower pace. Make your intentions known, like which direction you want to turn, and immerse yourself into the flock.

Herd mentality: Take left turns in groups. Sometimes you have to wait for other people to join you in a collective effort of stopping the oncoming traffic so that you can all turn together. Usually the people in front inch out gradually so that eventually the oncoming traffic has no choice but to stop, and the whole group waiting to turn can do so. Obviously this would be a right turn in places where they drive on the left, like Thailand. If someone throws on their emergency flashing lights it likely means they’re about to stop in the middle of the road.

Insurance. I have to admit that I’ve never actually had traveler’s insurance, which is a little embarrassing based on how much solo motorcycle touring I’ve done, but for responsible adults, it certainly seems like a good idea. Many recommend World Nomads (https://www.worldnomads.com/usa/travel-insurance/whats-covered), and by the looks of what they cover (delayed/lost/stolen bags, assault, overseas dental and medical, repatriation, etc.), I imagine it must be comforting to ride in a crazy place knowing an experienced company has your back.

Sensible people might ask why anyone would want to ride a motorcycle in the chaotic city traffic of, say, Hanoi. Well, I suppose this is why I don’t invite sensible people on trips.

Risk is the landscape that every rider must move through, and part of making it to another day is how well you perceive it. That same risk can also be imagined as a cityscape, one that exists as an absolute madhouse and sea of motorcycles in certain parts of the world. I’ve found that in my own time riding in insane traffic abroad, my maneuvering skills, capacity to anticipate the movement of others, and ability to go with the flow have all improved significantly. I hope that you approach riding in this type of hectic traffic with an openness to learning how to operate within the organized madness, even if that’s just a lesson on how to keep your cool moving through a mass of machines and bodies. All that traffic makes getting out into the countryside feel all the more freeing, anyhow.

By the way, I looked Phung up (phungmotorbike.com); he’s still there in Hanoi, selling and renting motorcycles. If you’re feeling adventurous, perhaps you could make a special request to see if you can chase him across town on your first day riding in Hanoi, you know, just for fun.