\First rule of motorcycling: Wear your damn helmet \\Second rule of motorcycling: All cagers are trying to kill you
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Now we just sit and wait for the haters to complain that it's our own fault.
A girl was killed on her bike in my town just last week. In a WalMart parking lot. Some soccer mom in an SUV was cutting through the lot & ran her down. Said she never saw her.
My husband drives a cab in town & when he heard on the radio that a female biker had been killed, he freaked out, esp. when I didn't hear my cell phone ring. Thank God I was home when he raced in the door, otherwise he'd have truly been a wreck.
/There aren't a lot of female bikers around here. I've only ever seen one other. //Haven't seen her lately...
Complex issue, but I think a lot of it is that people try to drive automobiles with as little attnetion as possible. Just look at a modern car - cupholders and space for eating while you drive, a mirror in every sun visor so you can apply makeup, cellular phone integration into the car stereo for talking AND music , these new ones coming out with cruise control that speeds you up and slows you down with radar sensors and shiat so you can just turn on cruise control and forget about it, heck some cars can even park themselves now - these features don't exactly say " driving is the most important thing going on here"
Now how do you expect those poor cagers to be diligently looking for people outside their car when they are so busy eating, listening to some music while chatting on their phone and applying make-up? It's just unreasonable to expect them to, you know, pay attention to the farking road with their multi-ton death machines.
Bike season is over (at least for me) here, so I have a few months of simply worrying that somebody in a truck/SUV is going to run over my reasonably-sized car, instead.
I know it would mean giving up my motorcycle, but honestly - isn't about time we started seriously considering taking vehicle control away from humans? We have a fairly solid, decades long history confirming the sad truth that people can't handle the task of day to day transportation. All over the first world, if you ask the question "why did this young man/woman die prematurely?", the safe money says your answer is "because they wanted to get from point A to point B".
And no matter how clever our advertisements, admonishments, training, or coercing seem to be, people continue to make the same mistakes they have for years. They don't know when to stop driving (sick, tired, distracted, drunk). They can't maintain their focus while driving. They can't judge the road conditions correctly. They simply panic.
Motorcyclists aren't even above it. Analysis (I think it was from the Hurt report, unsure) indicates that in many accidents motorcyclists make no effort to swerve or brake in the face of an oncoming collision. They fatalistically think "There it is, the car that kills me!" (or maybe they can't even think that much, trapped in a blind terror) and just drive right on in.
Just ranting on my part. Despite the money we'd save (imagine what would happen to your insurance), lives we'd save (stats speak for themselves) and time we'd save (has anyone every properly studied what the cost of road congestion through accidents is?), nobody will ever go for the idea. We love car culture - the notions of freedom and control associated with having your own vehicle, and being able to go anywhere at any time. That romantic ideal, coupled with our inability to look at an accident on the road and say "that could be me", make it a no go.
What I got from the video is that people who ride motorcycles like to expose themselves to children on school buses. Sick perverts should be ashamed of themselves!
A few weeks ago I watched a guy on a bike pull up right behind a large truck with a quad in the back, then almost get backed over when the truck tried to make space in front of him (what we call rush hour, and some guy needed to cross traffic to get to Tim Horton's). I would say that one wasn't the truck driver's fault.
However, I agree that most drivers suck, and I don't know if I would be brave enough to put myself on a bike. I have a hard enough time driving a small car and being scared of F350s.
brigid_fitch:Now we just sit and wait for the haters to complain that it's our own fault
It is, but not in the way you'd think...
Whenever a motorcyclist/bicyclist/pedestrian gets hit by a car on the road, I always place at least some of blame on the victim, for not realizing how vulnerable they are and for not recognizing that there are a lot of stupid people out there driving cars.
When I'm on foot or bicycle, I never EVER enter an intersection without making sure everyone on the cross-street is properly stopped, because I know that all it takes is one guy to miss a red light and BOOM, I'm dead. Same thing goes for when I'm driving - we've all seen those dramatic videos on YouTube where a light turns green, people start to go, and one guy in the cross-street doesn't see the red light and t-bones one of the green-lighters. If the green-lighters were always watching for people blowing red-lights, the accident wouldn't happen.
When I'm driving a car or bicycle in traffic, I never hang out in someone's blind spot, and am always waiting/ready for the next jerk to cut me off. I'm always ready to get hit, and dontcha know, I don't get hit even though they try. For me, the primary rule of driving any vehicle is "Some other jackass is going to hit you unless you see it coming and get out of the way".
Like my mom used to say, it doesn't matter who's right or wrong when you're dead.
woogs:isn't about time we started seriously considering taking vehicle control away from humans?
Sign me up. As long as I still have my own car I don't mind at all typing in the destination and leaving the rest to the car. The cars could communicate with each other and do a hell of a lot better job avoiding gridlock than we could. Replace our windshields and windows with lcd screens too.
The guys who taught me to ride told me "No one else on the road sees you, and the ones who do are actively trying to kill you." It's a good philosophy, and has kept me safe so far. I know that I have a small silhouette on the bike, and I'm hard to see, so I try to compensate by being more aware. I honestly believe that riding a motorcycle has made me a better driver in my car too.
/signing up for an intermediate bike skills class in January. //whee!
How about not speeding along, hitting 90 in a 30, passing in a no passing zone, and running into me head-on?
Sorry, but motorcycle drivers who respect the road and the danger cars represent will last a helluva lot longer than those who feel it's the duty of the car driver to see them, instead.
bucket_chemist:The guys who taught me to ride told me "No one else on the road sees you, and the ones who do are actively trying to kill you." It's a good philosophy, and has kept me safe so far. I know that I have a small silhouette on the bike, and I'm hard to see, so I try to compensate by being more aware. I honestly believe that riding a motorcycle has made me a better driver in my car too.
I take the same approach with bicycling. I just assume they don't see me and given the number of things that have been thrown at me, I know they are trying to kill me. And it has indeed given me a new perspective on safety when driving the car.
/signing up for an intermediate bike skills class in January.
Good deal. We had a real problem locally with young guys coming back from Iraq and using their combat pay to buy motorcycles - and then going out and killing/maiming themselves. So the commanders at Cherry Point, Lejeune, and Bragg passed an ordinance that anyone registering a bike on base had to take a safety and skills course. It almost eliminated the problem. We still have the occasional accident of a returning vet getting hurt, but some guys will just never learn.
/like the guy whose Yamaha ended up in the ditch in front of my house last night. //when it's raining buckets, slow down on curves
jims4x4toy
2009-10-29 05:23:10 PM
shanrick
2009-10-29 06:09:17 PM
Marcus Aurelius
2009-10-29 06:13:42 PM
The Icelander
2009-10-29 06:25:04 PM
\First rule of motorcycling: Wear your damn helmet
\\Second rule of motorcycling: All cagers are trying to kill you
Recoil Therapy
2009-10-29 06:32:24 PM
/minus the screaming fit
//more the choice of storage locations
brigid_fitch
2009-10-29 09:47:01 PM
\First rule of motorcycling: Wear your damn helmet
\\Second rule of motorcycling: All cagers are trying to kill you
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Now we just sit and wait for the haters to complain that it's our own fault.
A girl was killed on her bike in my town just last week. In a WalMart parking lot. Some soccer mom in an SUV was cutting through the lot & ran her down. Said she never saw her.
My husband drives a cab in town & when he heard on the radio that a female biker had been killed, he freaked out, esp. when I didn't hear my cell phone ring. Thank God I was home when he raced in the door, otherwise he'd have truly been a wreck.
/There aren't a lot of female bikers around here. I've only ever seen one other.
//Haven't seen her lately...
PadreScout
2009-10-29 09:52:10 PM
Now how do you expect those poor cagers to be diligently looking for people outside their car when they are so busy eating, listening to some music while chatting on their phone and applying make-up? It's just unreasonable to expect them to, you know, pay attention to the farking road with their multi-ton death machines.
woogs
2009-10-29 11:04:23 PM
I know it would mean giving up my motorcycle, but honestly - isn't about time we started seriously considering taking vehicle control away from humans? We have a fairly solid, decades long history confirming the sad truth that people can't handle the task of day to day transportation. All over the first world, if you ask the question "why did this young man/woman die prematurely?", the safe money says your answer is "because they wanted to get from point A to point B".
And no matter how clever our advertisements, admonishments, training, or coercing seem to be, people continue to make the same mistakes they have for years. They don't know when to stop driving (sick, tired, distracted, drunk). They can't maintain their focus while driving. They can't judge the road conditions correctly. They simply panic.
Motorcyclists aren't even above it. Analysis (I think it was from the Hurt report, unsure) indicates that in many accidents motorcyclists make no effort to swerve or brake in the face of an oncoming collision. They fatalistically think "There it is, the car that kills me!" (or maybe they can't even think that much, trapped in a blind terror) and just drive right on in.
Just ranting on my part. Despite the money we'd save (imagine what would happen to your insurance), lives we'd save (stats speak for themselves) and time we'd save (has anyone every properly studied what the cost of road congestion through accidents is?), nobody will ever go for the idea. We love car culture - the notions of freedom and control associated with having your own vehicle, and being able to go anywhere at any time. That romantic ideal, coupled with our inability to look at an accident on the road and say "that could be me", make it a no go.
HenryFnord
2009-10-29 11:15:56 PM
A] Humans, when they choose to exercise it, have better assessment/response capabilities than ED-209.
B] You make an excellent argument for telecommuting.
Digitus Impudicus
2009-10-29 11:21:39 PM
vudukungfu
2009-10-30 12:18:45 AM
\First rule of motorcycling: Wear your damn helmet
\\Second rule of motorcycling: All cagers are trying to kill you
this
Don Piano
2009-10-30 12:19:53 AM
There is no sunny weather in the UK!
LeroyB
2009-10-30 12:25:00 AM
There is no sunny weather in the UK!
It was actually New South Wales in Australia, you know, Sydney.
Moonbarker Osbourne the Rainbow Wolf not gay
2009-10-30 01:04:03 AM
This
/also rides
Mobkey
2009-10-30 01:30:09 AM
However, I agree that most drivers suck, and I don't know if I would be brave enough to put myself on a bike. I have a hard enough time driving a small car and being scared of F350s.
Hand Banana
2009-10-30 02:06:22 AM
leftymcrighty
2009-10-30 02:28:04 AM
It is, but not in the way you'd think...
Whenever a motorcyclist/bicyclist/pedestrian gets hit by a car on the road, I always place at least some of blame on the victim, for not realizing how vulnerable they are and for not recognizing that there are a lot of stupid people out there driving cars.
When I'm on foot or bicycle, I never EVER enter an intersection without making sure everyone on the cross-street is properly stopped, because I know that all it takes is one guy to miss a red light and BOOM, I'm dead. Same thing goes for when I'm driving - we've all seen those dramatic videos on YouTube where a light turns green, people start to go, and one guy in the cross-street doesn't see the red light and t-bones one of the green-lighters. If the green-lighters were always watching for people blowing red-lights, the accident wouldn't happen.
When I'm driving a car or bicycle in traffic, I never hang out in someone's blind spot, and am always waiting/ready for the next jerk to cut me off. I'm always ready to get hit, and dontcha know, I don't get hit even though they try. For me, the primary rule of driving any vehicle is "Some other jackass is going to hit you unless you see it coming and get out of the way".
Like my mom used to say, it doesn't matter who's right or wrong when you're dead.
Speedbts alt
2009-10-30 03:11:04 AM
Sign me up. As long as I still have my own car I don't mind at all typing in the destination and leaving the rest to the car. The cars could communicate with each other and do a hell of a lot better job avoiding gridlock than we could. Replace our windshields and windows with lcd screens too.
bucket_chemist
2009-10-30 03:22:10 AM
/signing up for an intermediate bike skills class in January.
//whee!
Naman
2009-10-30 04:00:33 AM
Heh. Someone caught you pitching a tent? Sucks for you.
ThePuceGuardian
2009-10-30 04:08:43 AM
Also pasty. And pixelated.
big-simon
2009-10-30 05:10:41 AM
How about not speeding along, hitting 90 in a 30, passing in a no passing zone, and running into me head-on?
Sorry, but motorcycle drivers who respect the road and the danger cars represent will last a helluva lot longer than those who feel it's the duty of the car driver to see them, instead.
OldManDownDRoad
2009-10-30 08:13:34 AM
I take the same approach with bicycling. I just assume they don't see me and given the number of things that have been thrown at me, I know they are trying to kill me. And it has indeed given me a new perspective on safety when driving the car.
/signing up for an intermediate bike skills class in January.
Good deal. We had a real problem locally with young guys coming back from Iraq and using their combat pay to buy motorcycles - and then going out and killing/maiming themselves. So the commanders at Cherry Point, Lejeune, and Bragg passed an ordinance that anyone registering a bike on base had to take a safety and skills course. It almost eliminated the problem. We still have the occasional accident of a returning vet getting hurt, but some guys will just never learn.
/like the guy whose Yamaha ended up in the ditch in front of my house last night.
//when it's raining buckets, slow down on curves
MDGeist
2009-10-30 08:34:07 AM
Take your toy off the streets and get a real vehicle, I think that would help.
LindLTaylor
2009-10-30 08:57:01 AM