Experienced riders are always aware of what is going on around them. The 2024 Motorcycle Operator Handbook from the Utah Driver License Division (USA) presents the three-step SEE strategy from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF): Search, Evaluate and Execute. This guide sums up that strategy and how to apply it on a scooter or a semi-automatic bike in mixed traffic.
Quick answer: what is the SEE strategy?
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- Search: scan ahead, to the sides and behind to spot hazards before they develop.
- Evaluate: think about how hazards can interact and plan how to reduce the risk.
- Execute: act smoothly and precisely with your lights, horn, speed and position.
- Look about 12 seconds ahead, keep at least a 2-second following distance and watch the 4-second path in front of you.
- Never count on eye contact: if a vehicle can enter your path, assume that it will.
Why you need a strategy for looking
According to the Utah handbook, good riders reduce their risk by always knowing what is going on around them. SEE helps you assess traffic so you can plan and carry out the safest course of action as situations change. How assertively you search, and how much time and space you have, can eliminate or reduce risk.
SEE does not replace control skills; it organises your attention. Following distance is covered in motorcycle following distance, and choosing a position in the lane so others can see you is covered in motorcycle lane position.
Step 1 – Search: where to look and how far ahead
The Utah handbook calls actively scanning ahead, to the sides and behind your rider radar. It describes three lead times:
| Lead time | What it means in the handbook |
|---|---|
| 2 seconds | Minimum following distance to the vehicle ahead |
| 4 seconds | Urgent path: anything within 4 seconds of your path is immediate, because 4 seconds can give enough time and space to swerve or brake |
| 12 seconds | Further out: look ahead to an area it would take about 12 seconds to reach, so you can prepare before a situation becomes urgent |
As you search, focus on finding escape paths, especially in and around intersections, shopping areas, and school and construction zones.
What to search for on the road
- Oncoming traffic that may turn left in front of you.
- Traffic coming from the left and from the right.
- Traffic approaching from behind.
- Hazardous road conditions, especially where visibility is limited.
- Visually busy surroundings that could hide you and your bike from others.
Damaged road surfaces need their own technique; see riding over potholes. Around trucks and buses, see also truck blind spots for motorcyclists.
Step 2 – Evaluate: how hazards interact
Evaluating means thinking about how hazards can combine to create risk, anticipating problems and having a plan to reduce them:
- Road and surface features such as potholes, guardrails, bridges, telephone poles and trees can influence how you ride.
- Traffic control devices such as signals, warning signs and road markings require you to evaluate the situation ahead carefully.
- Vehicles and other traffic may move into your path: think about the time and space you need to keep a margin of safety and to react.
- Escape paths need to be available, in front of you or to the sides.
Step 3 – Execute: act decisively, one hazard at a time
Finally, execute your decision smoothly and precisely. To create more space and reduce harm, the Utah handbook lists three kinds of action:
- Communicate your presence with your lights and horn.
- Adjust your speed by accelerating, stopping or slowing.
- Adjust your position or direction by swerving, changing lanes or moving to another position within your lane.
With two or more hazards, deal with them one at a time: adjust your speed so the hazards separate, then handle each one as a single hazard. With three or more, decisions become more complex; evaluate the consequences of each and give equal distance to the hazards. In high-risk areas such as intersections, shopping areas, schools and construction zones, the handbook recommends covering the clutch and both brakes to cut your reaction time; on a scooter with no clutch, cover both brake levers. For the techniques, see how to swerve on a motorcycle and motorcycle braking technique.
Intersections: where SEE matters most
The Utah handbook says the greatest potential for conflict between a motorcyclist and other traffic is at intersections: a crossroads in town or a driveway on a residential street, anywhere traffic may cross your path. It notes that over half of motorcycle and car crashes are caused by drivers violating the rider’s right of way (US data).
- The biggest dangers: vehicles turning left in front of you, including those turning left from the lane to your right, and vehicles from side streets pulling into your lane.
- Never count on eye contact: a driver can look straight at a rider and still fail to see them.
- The only eyes you can count on are your own. If a vehicle can enter your path, assume that it will.
If you rent from Mr Tú – Old Quarter Motorbike Rental, practise SEE on quiet roads before riding into busy streets, and check the lights, horn and brakes at pickup with the motorbike pickup checklist.
FAQ: the SEE strategy
What does SEE stand for?
SEE is the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s three-step strategy: Search, Evaluate and Execute, as presented in the Utah motorcycle operator handbook.
How far ahead should I look when riding?
The Utah handbook recommends looking ahead to an area it would take about 12 seconds to reach, while watching the 4-second path in front of you and keeping at least a 2-second following distance.
Am I safe if a driver has looked at me?
Do not assume so. The Utah handbook warns that a driver can look right at a motorcyclist and still not see them. If a vehicle can enter your path, assume that it will.
How do I deal with two hazards at once?
Adjust your speed so the hazards separate, then deal with them one at a time. With three or more, evaluate the consequences of each and give equal distance to the hazards.
Sources: Utah Department of Public Safety, Driver License Division – Motorcycle Operator Handbook 2024 (SEE: Search, Evaluate, Execute; Intersections). Checked on 13/11/2026.
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