Applying risk assessment to scooter riding

They say that hindsight is 6/6 (or 20/20, depending on where you are from). Having been in the military for many years, and applying risk assessment in operations day in and day out, I reflected on my first day of scooter riding after taking delivery of the Honda Giorno yesterday.

In terms of probability, given the following conditions:

- New rider (zero experience)

- Unfamiliar equipment (I had no idea how the Giorno would react to throttle and brakes)

- Unfamiliar location (I had not explored that part of the neighbourhood where I was going to practise)

- At night with very poor lighting

the probability of something happening was likely, if not certain.

In terms of severity, given that I could have been killed if ran over by a car, the severity is catastrophic.

So the risk of practising riding at night in an unfamiliar place with a new scooter by a new rider is VERY HIGH. Which should have made me rethink the entire idea, but I chose to ignore the risk, and the result was this.

Lesson: Take risk assessment seriously. And having practised risk assessment for so many years when I was in the military, it is a good idea to continue to put that skill to use in my daily life now too.

Next, to practise during the day in the same place. This should lower the risk a bit, since I am now more familiar with the place and the equipment.

Update: There is also what we call risk control measures. This helps to lower risk. I did what I could. I walked around the neighbourhood to explore the places that I want to practise riding my scooter, so that I am familiar with the roads, the likely traffic, and mentally visualise the routes. At the same time, I intend to practise in daylight for the time being. I will also practise in the quiet neighbourhood for a while to familiarise with the scooter's handling characteristics before venturing out onto roads with more traffic. This should lower the probability to unlikely, and eventually rare, which will result in slightly less risk (although the risk will still be medium to high, because of the potential for catastrophic result in the event of an accident).