In the 1990 movie Hard to Kill, Steven Segal plays Mason Storm, a police officer who secretly endures a coma for seven years after an assassination attempt on him and his family. Following his amazing recovery and in spite of the grueling effort required to rebuild his atrophied body, Mason dedicates himself to finding the criminals that killed his wife and left him for dead.

Operating in typical Steven Segal fashion as a one man army because he doesn’t know who he can trust, Mason seeks a determined enemy that he can’t always identify. Nearing the end of his relentless pursuit he tells his lifelong friend, “We’re gonna win. I’ll tell you why. Superior attitude. Superior state of mind.”

Having a superior attitude and a superior state of mind can go a long way in helping us confront our enemy on the road as well. Well they’re really not our enemy, but some of the things they do can cause us just as much harm as Storm’s enemy could cause him. No one on the road deliberately has the mindset to hurt anyone else on the road. Most of them are in too big of a hurry to have the time to deal with the post crash activities.

Whether inadvertently or unintentionally, the fact remains that drivers do things on the highways and byways we share with them that have the potential to cause us serious problems. And much like Storm’s situation, we can’t control what they do, but we can control how we respond to their actions. A superior attitude and a superior state of mind will help us prepare for their seemingly erratic actions in traffic.

This does not mean that we have a feeling of superiority over other drivers. It simply means that we have an attitude that keeps us more focused on our riding than most drivers are on their driving. Our state of mind ensures we are continuously searching for the little signs that often precede a driver’s capricious behavior on the road. By keeping our mind in the game, we can more readily counter the whimsical maneuvers that could do us in.

By recognizing environments that pose the greatest threat to our safety, like intersections and curves, we can adjust our behavior appropriately to mitigate our risk. Looking to see if the steering wheel moves or the tires begin to roll can help us avoid a serious problem at an intersection. Scanning every corner to choose the proper entry speed and selecting a path of travel that keeps some traction in reserve while avoiding any problems with the road surface or oncoming traffic can help ensure we make it around the bend in spite of any unforeseen hazards that might pop up.

This type of riding behavior requires that we have a superior attitude toward our personal safety while riding. With a superior state of mind that keeps us focused on our riding at all times and on what everyone else on the road is doing, we have the advantage of being better prepared to deal with the situations those other roadway users might throw our way. And for us, winning is an enjoyable ride that lets us get safely to our destination so we can ride again tomorrow.

Ride Smart! Ride Safe!