If you anticipate a potential hazard while riding, which practice can help maintain safety?

• A. Maintain the same following distance.
• B. Speed up to clear the hazard.
• C. Increase your following distance to allow more reaction time.
• D. Ignore the hazard and continue.

Answer: (C)

When you anticipate a hazard, you create space to buy yourself time to respond. Increasing the following distance gives you more time to observe the situation, decide whether to slow or maneuver, and brake gradually if needed. This buffer is especially important on a motorcycle, where you rely on both braking and steering to avoid trouble, and where road conditions can require a larger margin. Sticking with the same distance or speeding up reduces your reaction time and can put you closer to the hazard, while ignoring it is unsafe. So, extending the gap to allow more reaction time is the safest approach.