“I speak, therefore I’m right” — Part 1: Why Riders Need Critical Thinking

Back in 2024, Matt Hancock appeared before the COVID inquiry to explain why certain decisions were made — and others weren’t. At one point, the barrister Hugo Keith asked him:

“Weren’t you meant to be following the science?”

Hancock replied:

“No, I was meant to be guided by the science. But if I thought it wouldn’t work, I’d take another decision.”

Commenting on BlueSky, Professor Alice Roberts posed the obvious question:

“Based on what evidence? Some kind of personal hunch?”

Her point was simple: science is the best tool we have for understanding the world. It’s better than crystal balls, animal entrails, and gut feelings — and it’s certainly better than hunch‑based decision‑making.

So what is science? And why does it matter to you and me when we’re riding a motorcycle?

Science = Critical Thinking

Science is built on critical thinking — a systematic, objective way of understanding the world. The scientific method:

• • identifies a puzzle
  • forms hypotheses
  • gathers information
  • tests ideas
  • analyses results
  • draws conclusions

It’s not mystical. It’s not abstract. And it’s not reserved for laboratories.

In fact, we apply the same process every single day on a motorcycle.

Everyday Riding Is Full of Mini‑Experiments

Sometimes the puzzles are trivial — though the consequences of getting them wrong may not be.

Choosing a helmet? You compare features, test the fit, check the finish, weigh up the pros and cons, and make an informed decision.

Approaching a traffic light? You estimate distance, speed, and timing. You predict whether the light will change. You decide whether to brake or continue.

These are small experiments. You gather data, evaluate it, and act.

And sometimes the puzzles are far more complex — like trying to understand why the “Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You” (SMIDSY) crash keeps happening to riders. That requires deeper thinking, better evidence, and a willingness to challenge assumptions.

Why Intuition Isn’t Enough

This is where Hancock’s “I’ll decide based on what I think” approach falls apart. Relying on intuition alone leads to:

• • inaccurate assumptions
  • faulty decisions
  • poor outcomes

In riding, that can mean misjudging a corner, overestimating grip, underestimating risk, or failing to see a hazard developing.

“Common sense” is not a reliable guide. Intuition is not a safety system. Critical thinking is.

The Power of Critical Thinking for Riders

Critical thinking gives us something intuition never can: a structured way to understand what’s really happening.

It helps us:

• • question our assumptions
  • recognise our cognitive limits
  • understand why errors occur
  • make better decisions under pressure
  • adapt when new information appears

And crucially, it gives us conclusions we can be reasonably confident in…

…at least until new evidence makes us rethink the puzzle.

That’s the scientific mindset — and it’s the foundation of MotoScience.

 

In Part 2, we’ll look at why riders — and humans in general — often reject critical thinking altogether, and how Groupthink and influencers shape our beliefs.

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MotoScience exists to bring critical thinking into mainstream motorcycling — to explore the human factors, cognitive processes, and perceptual limits that shape how we ride. If we want to reduce errors and improve safety, we need more than intuition. We need understanding.

FOCUS ON FRIDAY is a semi‑regular series exploring deeper issues in riding: road safety, learning, and the way our brains work on two wheels. You can find more in the archive at www.ko-fi.com/survivalskills. (ko-fi.com in Bing)