My neighbors kid was in a very bad motorcyle acccident last night. (driver, SUV)
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. As such, I disagree that less than 50% of my safety is in my hands. Closer to 90%, in my opinion. Riding a motorcyle requires laser sharp focus, leaving your emotions/ego at home, and being ultra-defensive.
I know someone who is 77 and still rides extensively throughout the Northeast. Highways and back roads. He's talked about how intense your concentration has to be when you are riding at high speed. He used to race when he was younger. He's always lecturing the younger riders on proper safety precautions, and he also never get on a vike without wearing full safety gear.
I'm retired. When I was a trucker I put in over 750,000 miles, and in my other careers probably have driven over 2,000,000 miles.
I have never seen a car 'suddenly slam on his brakes' on the freeway. There was a reason he was braking. As a trucker I could see over the top of the cars, and oftentimes hit the brakes long before they did. 19 year old people don't know this. They just watch the car in front of them.
Y'all be careful out there. Stay away from other traffic. Just stay away. Go slower or go faster but stay away.
And never - ever - drive alongside an 18 wheeler. Or anyone else.
According to what Im being told, he was not at fault.
Riding a motorcycle on the expressway is just way too dangerous imo, I dont care how experienced a rider you are, its just not a safe place at those speeds for bikes, cars and trucks are always going to outnumber bikes.
Its kind of strange, but when I looked into getting a bike not long ago, when I inquired about insurance coverage, I was surprised how cheap full coverage was, considering how dangerous they are and ANY accident on a motorcycle is likely going to be bad (even with a helmet), seems like the coverage should be astronomical.
It really doesnt matter whether he was at fault or not. Riding a motorcycle is horribly dangerous, you are on a rocket with absolutely no cover. If you arent hitting someone in front of you, then someone is hitting you from behind, or you hit debris on the road. If you are going to ride a motorcycle, you not only have to ride your bike, you have to ride every vehicle on the road around you. Which means being EXTREMELY cautious, dont speed, stay out of situations where you can get in heavy traffic. I know all the excuses motorcycle riders use, they were right, they had the right of way, a person pulled out in front of them, blah blah blah. Would you rather be right or would you rather be alive? Your choice.
Yes, if you maintain nearly superhuman perception and reflexes every moment you're mounted, you will be very safe on a bike.
No, most humans can't do that - can't read the mind of a crappy or distracted driver, can't necessarily see every gouge and pothole in a road, can't see around a corner, etc.
That some manage to ride a long time with no serious accidents is no more meaningful than that some people live to be 105. The risks of riding are overwhelmingly outside the bike and rider, and saying that "a good rider" is always going to be able to avoid those risks is pious nonsense. Many of the same risks apply to driving a car, but at least a moderate-speed collision between cars usually results in walkaways, not body bags.
There's probably a couple of reasons coverage is so reasonable:
1) Relative to cars, motorcycles are very inexpensive.
2) A motorcycle is not likely to cause massive amounts of damage to other vehicles
3) This is going to sound bad, but a deceased rider is a much, much smaller liability than someone with serious injuries - and a motorcyclist is much more likely to die in the event of an accident.
They will likely have up in to the hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills BEFORE they die though - measures will be taken with a young cyclist especially.
According to what Im being told, he was not at fault.
The 'facts', as you have related them, indicate otherwise.
A motorcycle with only two wheels is inherently unstable when the wheels are not turning. A motorcycle's tires have only a minuscule contact patch with the roadway, compared to the wider, flatter tires of automobiles, and locking the brake(s) will not provide the same amount of stopping ability. A rider needs to be extremely aware of his proximity to other vehicles and adjust it to account for this discrepancy.
In addition, 'slamming on' the brake(s) in an emergency situation is exactly the wrong move, most of the stability is lost and maneuverability is completely eliminated. In an emergency situation at speed (when an inattentive rider has failed to maintain himself in a reasonably safe position), the most effective strategies are rapid deceleration achieved by judicious use of brakes combined with rapid downshifting to use the compression/resistance of the motor to aid in the reduction of speed while maintaining control and stability, and evasive action.
A rider should always maintain 'situational awareness' (like a fighter pilot) and be constantly evaluating 'escape routes' for use when an emergency situation is forced upon him by a 'cager'. In some cases, braking is not the correct answer to an emergency situation- the best evasive action may be acceleration and a quick maneuver out of the danger zone.
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Riding a motorcycle on the expressway is just way too dangerous imo, I dont care how experienced a rider you are, its just not a safe place at those speeds for bikes, cars and trucks are always going to outnumber bikes.
I have nearly 50 years on two wheels and a motor, and more than 100,000 miles of highway riding throughout most of the country east of the Rockies. I pay attention to vehicles, not just ahead and behind (been rear-ended once) and to the sides in my immediate vicinity, but also *far* ahead- the appearance of brake lights on a highway, even a great distance ahead, signals that a dangerous situation may be about to occur because the incremental delays in reaction times of the other drivers are likely to lead to even greater problems further back.
Most emergency situations can be avoided by anticipating the danger(s) and taking corrective/evasive action *before* it is *forced* upon the rider. If you find yourself in a situation where you [think you] need to 'slam on' the brakes, you have already made a boatload of mistakes.
Wow I'm very sorry to hear this. I've witnessed some horrific motorcycle accidents, and my wife and son witnessed a man being killed in one. As my son gets older I worry about how I can discourage him from riding a motorcycle in a way that won't backfire on me if he turns rebellious. Perhaps seeing that man die is all the discouragement he'll need.
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Originally Posted by carnivalday
It really doesnt matter whether he was at fault or not. Riding a motorcycle is horribly dangerous, you are on a rocket with absolutely no cover. If you arent hitting someone in front of you, then someone is hitting you from behind, or you hit debris on the road. If you are going to ride a motorcycle, you not only have to ride your bike, you have to ride every vehicle on the road around you. Which means being EXTREMELY cautious, dont speed, stay out of situations where you can get in heavy traffic. I know all the excuses motorcycle riders use, they were right, they had the right of way, a person pulled out in front of them, blah blah blah. Would you rather be right or would you rather be alive? Your choice.
I always tried to go a little faster than the prevailing traffic, that way I only needed to worry about those in front of me instead both in front of and behind me although never the less the mirrors remained in my scan.
Around here motorcycles or I should say Harley drivers & drinking go hand in hand. It's pretty common on a Saturday &/or Sunday to meet up with some buddies. Drive to a small town bar, have a drink or 2. Take hilly and curvy back roads to the next small town, have another drink & continue into the late night.
Sadly, in Wisconsin having a drink or 2 in your system when driving is common but I couldn't imagine being on a motorcycle on back roads trying to keep up with your buddies at night.
Also, at least put a helmet on people if you're going to drink & ride. It's not a law here so most don't wear one.
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