What two skills are critical for avoiding a crash?

The correct response highlights two essential skills for avoiding a crash: stopping and swerving. Both of these maneuvers are fundamental to maintaining control of a motorcycle in unexpected situations.

Stopping is crucial because it allows a rider to quickly reduce speed or come to a complete halt when faced with an obstacle, a sudden traffic change, or in emergency situations. Effective braking can significantly decrease the likelihood of a collision and gives the rider time to reassess the situation.

Swerving, on the other hand, is an essential evasive maneuver that enables a rider to change their path swiftly to avoid an imminent crash. In many cases, you may need to steer away from obstacles or other vehicles, and a quick, controlled swerve can create necessary space and time to prevent a collision.

Manual skills like turning and shifting, or braking and accelerating, are important for overall riding performance but do not directly address immediate crash avoidance like stopping and swerving do. Looking and signaling, while vital for communication with other road users, do not provide the physical actions needed to avoid a crash. Instead, using both stopping and swerving effectively equips riders with the ability to navigate hazards and unexpected scenarios safely.