Did you realize what mistakes you've done today? (Part 1)

The first step to becoming a better rider is to recognise the mistakes. This is 15 of the most common ones and how you can avoid them.

MISTAKE: ASSUMING DRIVERS CAN'T/WON'T ATTEMPT THE SAME OVERTAKE AS YOU

HOW many times have you gone to overtake a slow-moving vehicle only to have a car pull out from the queue behind it to attempt the same thing? That's frustrating if you see him swerving out in time, downright dangerous if you don't.

Always assume the driver won't have seen you, let alone given you a second thought. And bear in mind that the higher performance the car, the more likely the driver is to attempt the manoeuvre. One thing the Porsche driver has in common with a Ford driver is he is less likely to look behind before making his move than you are. His chances for overtakes are fewer than your own, so his frustration is greater. If he sees a gap he'll go and it's hard luck if you are alongside at the time. So if you are going to go past him, go as far to the other side of the road as you can in case he swerves out, and go past at a speed at which you can abort if the need arises.
While you are waiting to overtake, don't get too close to his rear. Act as if you are on a long piece of elastic strung out behind the vehicle you want to overtake. When your view of the road ahead is blocked, drop back (stretching the elastic). As you scan ahead, try to predict when the view might open up (on the exit of a corner, for example) and start accelerating with the intention of being in the right position to overtake when you first see the road ahead is clear. You'll actually find the exits of corners are often the best and safest places to whip by.