Why You Should Play In Traffic

Beginning riders should start with MSF Beginner Class, then practice in a safe place, such as a parking lot.

As he becomes experienced, both on-street and parking lot practice is the best method. You can learn the boundaries of braking, cornering, or other maneuvers in the parking lot, then take that to the street for further practice — and the occasional real need to perform at the boundary.

On the street, if I can safely do so, I pretend that there is a situation happening that requires an emergency maneuver, execute it, then critique my performance, possibly by looking to see if I left a skid mark, if braking.

Just yesterday, a driver performed a u-turn in front of me, stopping across both lanes (!) of a 2-lane road with sloped grassy berms. I had to stop quickly, as there was no other good choice. I was able to do so, and I could only shake my head at his mistake. Practice had helped.