Even the most advanced riders consider they learn something every time they ride. With practice you'll continually improve, but knowing where to begin can be difficult. Motorcyclists run a much greater risk of suffering serious injury than car drivers, for obvious reasons. Without the protective metal shell, air bags, seat belts and crumple zones that a car provides, there is no such thing as a minor accident. Knowing you were legally in the right is largely irrelevant, as any contact may be serious. However, if you take advantage of the observation, positioning and power available you can balance the risks. These tips are not aimed at getting you through your test, but should help you gain confidence and become a better rider once you’ve passed.

Motorcycle Clothing
When considering the type of clothing to wear on your motorcycle, you need to think about:

Protection From Injury
When people think about how clothing protects them from injury, they tend to think in two areas: impact resistance and abrasion resistance. These can both be classed as secondary safety (i.e. an accident is unavoidable, so how can I minimise injury). However, you should also think about primary safety (i.e. what can I do to avoid an accident). Clothing can play an important part in both primary and secondary safety.
30% (50% at night) of drivers involved in accidents with motorcycles claim they didn't see the bike.
90% of urban motorcycle accidents involving other vehicles are not caused by the motorcyclist.
You are far more likely to be seen if you are wearing bright pink with fluorescent or reflective yellow spots than all black. Perhaps a bit extreme, but if another road user sees you and thus avoids knocking you off (damaging you and your bike), it'll be worth it. Bright colours work best and some have reflective and fluorescent properties which make them easier to see at night. Avoid black and white if possible. If you must wear all black, a high vis reflective vest or Sam Brown (belt and brace), may improve your primary safety, as will riding with your headlights on.

Impact Resistance
If you really must fall off your bike you need some way to minimise injury from the impact which will occur during the time it takes you to hit the road the first time, until the time you stop and get out of the road. Impact resistance normally comes in the form of armour or padding, which is designed to absorb the impact and spread the load. You should consider impact protection on all the main contact points on your body, e.g. knees, elbows, shoulders, hips back etc. Some motorcycle clothing comes with impact protection built in and usually takes the form of hard protection (reduces fractures) and soft protection (reduces bruising) or the two combined, (e.g. Knox Armour about £20 - £50 depending on the set). If your budget won't stretch to armour, then high density foam is better than nothing.

Abrasion Resistance
Once you've finished bouncing, you need to consider what separates you from the road which will be moving underneath you as you skid along. Abrasion resistance is often measured by how long something lasts before wearing through or disintegrating. You can generally conclude that the longer it last the more protection it will give you. Nature protects your body from the everyday knocks and abrasions, by covering it in a protective flexible layer, a few mm thick - called skin. Believe it or not it's actually pretty abrasion resistant. If you took a piece of sand paper and rubbed it on a piece of cloth (e.g. denim or cotton) and timed how long it lasted and compared this with the skin on your finger, you'd find that your finger lasted longer. Hence cow skin (or leather) is about the best abrasion resistant material for motorcycle clothing. Motorcycle leathers will normally be thicker than fashion leather, but in any case it should last about 10 times longer than denim or cotton. It's also pretty good at insulating you against the heat that is generated by friction between you and the road.
If the idea of leather doesn't appeal, there are other materials Cordura or Kevlar which also have pretty good abrasion resistance, but these can't generally match that of leather.

Construction & Fit
Typically a one piece suit (cost £200 - £2000) will give you better protection than the equivalent jacket and jeans, as it is less likely to separate or roll up. However, a one piece can be very impractical (try going to the loo), but it's worth noting that if you intend using a race track, it's normally mandated that you wear a one piece or zip together two piece. Whether you go for a bike jacket & jeans, suit or zip together, you need to check the following:
Is it reinforced in the high risk areas? - Its common for good bike gear to be double skinned and armoured in the elbows, seat, thighs, knees etc.
Will the stitching hold out? - On the high end range of gear you will find double and sometimes triple stitching which helps hold the cloth together and reduce the risk of tearing. As a minimum make sure the joins are not exposed in the abrasion risk areas. The best leather in the world won't help if it came off 50yds back.
Snug fit - Make sure it fits snugly, but is still comfortable allowing your blood to circulate. If you can push the sleeves or legs up to expose the skin, then this will likely occur if you take a tumble. Zips in the arms and legs help prevent this.
Ventilation - Even in the cold, you will sweat, so ensure there is adequate ventilation, it's particularly important in the backs of you knees and elbows. These are relatively low risk areas, so it's common to find ventilation points.
Protection from the Elements - Yes it does occasionally rain in the UK and there is nothing worse than riding a bike in the wet particularly as the rain seems to channel into your boots and underpants (don't ask me how). Leather will survive a light shower, but most suits are not waterproof, so it may be worth investing in a waterproof over suit (Costs approx. £20 - PVC, £50 something tailored, fitted breathable etc.) An over suit is also an extra layer and will reduce wind chill for cold weather riding. If it comes with a bum bag or has one built in, you are less likely to leave it at home and get caught out.

Clothing Standards
Motorcycle equipment which claims to offer protection to the rider must comply with the European Commission's Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) legislation (Directive 89/686/EEC). All protective armour must be tested and approved to the European Standard EN1621-1/1997. To gain the CE mark products have to be tested and approved by an independent, Government approved test house. While the CE mark can't guarantee to prevent all injuries in an accident, it may significantly reduce the severity of your injuries.
Checking the conformity can be pretty tricky, as some clothing will carry the CE mark, but not conform. For example a set of leathers may be fitted with CE compliant armour, but not be constructed to meet the standard. Look for the tell tale notice in the label, which normally reads "This garment is not considered to be personal protective equipment as defined in the EC directive etc.". Generally speaking clothing which meets the standard will offer better protection, but usually at a higher cost.

At the top end of the market some manufacturers have used the Cambridge University Protective Clothing Research Facility. From this the Cambridge Standard has been developed and has established itself as the leading benchmark for motorcycle clothing protection standards. Only and handful of clothing manufacturers meet this standard.

Boots & Gloves
It's important not to forget your hands and feet when buying your gear. You'll need to choose clothing that provides good safety protection and still lets you operate your bike comfortably. Protection from the elements should also be a consideration. Again, leather seems to offer the best all-round properties.

Gloves
Look for extra protection on the exposed areas, (e.g. palms, knuckles etc.) The more money you spend, the better the protection, some gloves will have built in armour and Kevlar stitching, which will help protect against impact and abrasion, but some armour can make the glove uncomfortable. It's most important, that the gloves fit properly as well as providing protection. Gloves tend to be categorised as summer or winter and will be lined/insulated accordingly. Gloves prices range from about £20 to £200, but if you can't afford that any leather gloves will offer better protection than your bare hand.

Boots
Motorcycle boots can seem expensive, but you can get a reasonable pair for about £50 - £60. It's important that they fit and feel comfortable on the bike. You'll need to be able to easily operate the gears and brakes, so if you get the chance to sit on a bike with them, check how they feel on the pegs. Proper bike boots will give protection on the exposed areas and may have armour to protect the shins, ankles and toes. If you can't spare the cash for bike boots, then cargo, army or walking boots are a good alternative, but wont give you the control you'd get from a proper bike boot. If your boots have laces ensure they are tucked in when riding.