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As a former rider, let me assure all of you that the biggest dangers motorcyclists face come from the clueless automobile drivers who are oblivious to anything smaller than a canary yellow 18 wheeler.
As a former rider, let me assure all of you that the biggest dangers motorcyclists face come from the clueless automobile drivers who are oblivious to anything smaller than a canary yellow 18 wheeler.
That's why you're a former rider?
Sometimes you'll see a 20 yr. old crotch rocketeer in flip-flops, shorts & a guinea tee doing wheelies down the parkway in broad daylight or weaving in & out like the cops are chasing him. And you know you might see a horrible wreck coming in the next few miles as you'll slowly pass by in your metal & glass protected vehicle and wonder why any idiot would drive like that on NJ's crowded roads.
I've been riding motorcycles for almost thirty years, logged well over 200,000 miles, rode to just about every state in the country. Are they dangerous? Yes. But there are just some people that should not ride them. They buy motorcycles for the wrong reasons and think they are toys. They are not, and they should be ridden with respect.
Here's some advice for anyone considering taking up motorcycling: a) enroll in a motorcycle safety riding class; b) always, always, always, ride like you are invisible, because many times, you are invisible to other drivers; c) don't ride like an idiot, stay within your limits.
I love riding motorcycles simply because they are much more enjoyable then being in a car, has nothing to do with me thinking I'm a bad ass, or have lost youth issues. Motorcycles are simply more fun. It's the difference from being a spectator or a participant. Driving a car is a mindless exercise where you don't experience anything about your journey. Motorcycles are completely different, you are part of your environment. You smell every odor, you experience the temperature change when you ride into a valley, you are aware of every bump or obstacle in the road, you feel very insignificant when you approach an impending storm on the horizon, you are actively part of every aspect of your ride.
I can honestly say, not much has given me more pleasure over the years than riding. So for me, that overrides the danger factor. I try to minimize my risk, like I said, I ride like I'm invisible, for example, I never take for granted that when my light turns green that someone won't blow through their red light, I always check to see that everyone is stopped before I proceed. I also spent a few years on the race track honing my riding skills. Nothing will make you a better rider than getting on a track and pushing yourself to the limit. I've learned how to maneuver out of trouble at very high speeds, which has helped me in situations on the highway.
Motorcycling is not for everyone, it takes skill and focus 100% of the time you are in that seat. These days I fear two things, deer is one of them. They are just too unpredictable. The other is people texting. I've noticed over the past couple years that more and more people are crossing the center line while drivin with their heads facing down in their laps.
If I was a cop, I'd spend my entire day looking for these people and getting them off the road. And penalties for killing someone in an accident should be more severe. If you can't drive a car without taking someone's life, you should never be able to drive again, permanent license suspension. Accidents aren't just random occurrences, they happen because people suck at driving.
What's amazing to me is that whenever a motorcycle MVA is announced on a public forum, enthusiasts always point the finger elsewhere - that the rider can never ever be at fault.
Yet in at least of the three MVAs that involved fatalities in the last month or so, there was a degree of rider error.
I'm not saying that riders are always at fault - but it seems that there's a groupthink that if the other drivers are safe, then the motorcycle will be safe as well.
Findings based on two-vehicle motorcycle crash trend (2001-2005) data:
•Among fatal motorcycle crashes, nearly 55 percent of the crashes were multi-vehicle crashes -- crashes involving a motorcycle and another vehicle (one or more).
•Of the motorcycle rider fatalities from multi-vehicle crashes about 90 percent were from two-vehicle crashes, involving a motorcycle and another vehicle.
•An overwhelming majority (more than 85%) of the motorcycle riders killed in two vehicle crashes were crashes involving passenger vehicles.
•Among the fatalities in two-vehicle crashes involving motorcycles and passenger vehicles, 90 percent were operators of motorcycles, 8 percent were the passengers of motorcycles and the remaining 2 percent were occupants of passenger vehicles.
Findings based on two-vehicle motorcycle crash trend (2001-2005) data:
•Among fatal motorcycle crashes, nearly 55 percent of the crashes were multi-vehicle crashes -- crashes involving a motorcycle and another vehicle (one or more).
•Of the motorcycle rider fatalities from multi-vehicle crashes about 90 percent were from two-vehicle crashes, involving a motorcycle and another vehicle.
•An overwhelming majority (more than 85%) of the motorcycle riders killed in two vehicle crashes were crashes involving passenger vehicles.
•Among the fatalities in two-vehicle crashes involving motorcycles and passenger vehicles, 90 percent were operators of motorcycles, 8 percent were the passengers of motorcycles and the remaining 2 percent were occupants of passenger vehicles.
Findings based on two-vehicle motorcycle crash trend (2001-2005) data:
•Among fatal motorcycle crashes, nearly 55 percent of the crashes were multi-vehicle crashes -- crashes involving a motorcycle and another vehicle (one or more).
•Of the motorcycle rider fatalities from multi-vehicle crashes about 90 percent were from two-vehicle crashes, involving a motorcycle and another vehicle.
•An overwhelming majority (more than 85%) of the motorcycle riders killed in two vehicle crashes were crashes involving passenger vehicles.
•Among the fatalities in two-vehicle crashes involving motorcycles and passenger vehicles, 90 percent were operators of motorcycles, 8 percent were the passengers of motorcycles and the remaining 2 percent were occupants of passenger vehicles.
None of this should be surprising, right? Nothing about who is at fault... but simple physics at work says that a car and a motorcycle colliding is very very bad for the motorcycle.
Accidents can be either one's fault, but a biker who is weaving in and out of traffic or tailgating a car, or riding up between cars in their very own imaginary lane--we see this way too often, if they are going to ride like idiots and do those things, an accident isn't likely to be the fault of the driver of a car.
And when the REALLY LOUD BIKES come up out of nowhere...I truly WANT them to be crushed like bugs. There's no reason for that sort of racket with today's technology other than to annoy and garner negative attention. Grow up, for god's sake. Just so you don't think I'm picking on bikers, I feel the same way about people who play their car radios at excessive volumes.
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