Motorcycling is dangerous, but as with anything else, you can do a lot to mitigate your risks and make riding much safer.
+1. Motorcyclists can decrease the chances of an accident significantly by just being smart about how/when they ride.
I crunched some numbers on motorcycle accidents a few years ago using NHTSA data because I was curious. Of all motorcycle accidents, about 50% are single-vehicle accidents. That means no other vehicles were involved but the motorcycle. Maybe that means the motorcyclist went off the road accidentally. Maybe that means swerving to avoid a non-vehicle obstacle. Maybe that means riding in poor weather. Maybe that means taking a corner too fast and the rear end washing out. Maybe that means doing something stupid. Regardless, if you ride, you can reduce your chances of accident by about half by simply riding smart.
The remaining ~50% were multi-vehicle. So another motorcycle, car, truck, etc was involved. In about half of multi-vehicle accidents, the motorcyclist was at fault. They either violated another vehicle's right of way, crashed into another vehicle, or something else. The remaining half, the other vehicle was at fault.
If you're doing the math, half of all accidents involved only the motorcycle (50%). For half of the other half (25%), even though more than one vehicle was involved, the crash was the motorcyclist's fault. That means motorcyclists have at least some manner of control over about 3 out of every 4 accidents.
AGATT is another good one. You're not dressing so you can be comfortable while you ride. You're dressing so your head doesn't slam the pavement and your skin doesn't scrape off if you crash. If it's too hot to ride comfortably with the gear, leave the bike at home.
Another tip not mentioned, riding at night is significantly more dangerous than riding during the day. Between motorcycle headlights not illuminating as much and as far as car head lights, and animals being more active at night, chances of accidents skyrocket after the sun sets. If you can't finish your ride in daylight, consider driving.
Also, if there's any chance you're going to use substances at all, don't ride. Though the same legal limits of intoxication apply to riding as driving, you need a lot more fine motor control when riding as opposed to driving. And the crash data show it. Accidents go up significantly when any alcohol use is involved.
Final tip (sorry, this got longer than I thought), find a Motorcycle Safety Program class near you. The MSP offers courses to new or experienced riders that teach them how to ride. There's a classroom session and practical session where they actually give you a motorcycle to ride. Some states will offer it for free, or accept it as the exam portion of obtaining a motorcycle license. All the perks aside, it's a great learning experience.
