What do you say to the people who tell you: "Motorcycles are Dangerous"
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Re: What do you say to the people who tell you: "Motorcycles are Dangerous"
i correct them, tell them thats its not the motorcycle thats dangerous its the other vehicals on the road that dont pay attention... besides, its my middle name too!
i correct them, tell them thats its not the motorcycle thats dangerous its the other vehicals on the road that dont pay attention... besides, its my middle name too!
Re: What do you say to the people who tell you: "Motorcycles are Dangerous"
I ask them if the only car they're willing to drive is a Volvo, since they're the 'safest'?
If I was overly concerned with being safe above all else, I would never leave the house.
I ask them if the only car they're willing to drive is a Volvo, since they're the 'safest'?
If I was overly concerned with being safe above all else, I would never leave the house.
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48 Posts
Re: What do you say to the people who tell you: "Motorcycles are Dangerous"
Motorcycles are more dangerous, both because of the other vehicles AND because of the inherent danger of the mechanics of riding. Motorcycles are less tolerant of imperfections in the road surface and the consequences of any sort of incident (single vehicle or otherwise) are more severe than in a car (i.e. no protective shell). There are more single vehicle acidents involving motorcycles than their are cars, but the vast majority of those accidents have a root cause of rider error and, in a number of cases, blatant stupidity.
All that aside, people bring this up to me all the time. My response is pretty simple - it is a calculated risk. I take all safety precautions I can with the limit being to forego riding all together. I have adequate life insurance to support my family in the event of a worst case scenario, I subscribe to ATGATT, I assume all vehicles are going to turn left in front of me, and I practice restraint when adrenaline tries to take over.
I kind of liken it to parents letting kids play contact sports. Football and hockey have risks you can't eliminate. The gear is designed to reduce the risk. Most kids love sports and exercise is healthy, so parents choose to acknowledge that benefits outweigh risks.
P.S. My other hobby is rock climbing and I believe that to be a relatively safe activity as well so long as you use your brain. But, perhaps my threshold of perceived safety is different than that of the masses.
Motorcycles are more dangerous, both because of the other vehicles AND because of the inherent danger of the mechanics of riding. Motorcycles are less tolerant of imperfections in the road surface and the consequences of any sort of incident (single vehicle or otherwise) are more severe than in a car (i.e. no protective shell). There are more single vehicle acidents involving motorcycles than their are cars, but the vast majority of those accidents have a root cause of rider error and, in a number of cases, blatant stupidity.
All that aside, people bring this up to me all the time. My response is pretty simple - it is a calculated risk. I take all safety precautions I can with the limit being to forego riding all together. I have adequate life insurance to support my family in the event of a worst case scenario, I subscribe to ATGATT, I assume all vehicles are going to turn left in front of me, and I practice restraint when adrenaline tries to take over.
I kind of liken it to parents letting kids play contact sports. Football and hockey have risks you can't eliminate. The gear is designed to reduce the risk. Most kids love sports and exercise is healthy, so parents choose to acknowledge that benefits outweigh risks.
P.S. My other hobby is rock climbing and I believe that to be a relatively safe activity as well so long as you use your brain. But, perhaps my threshold of perceived safety is different than that of the masses.
Re: What do you say to the people who tell you: "Motorcycles are Dangerous"
Word Up!!! I think people ryding have a beter sence and good reflex than cagers..... Most ryders i should say lol..... their are some that dont giva **** and get hurt or killed but i would say that i have some skill and always think of worst case scenarios and always think ahead and look ahead when i ryde which help me be a better ryder??
Word Up!!! I think people ryding have a beter sence and good reflex than cagers..... Most ryders i should say lol..... their are some that dont giva **** and get hurt or killed but i would say that i have some skill and always think of worst case scenarios and always think ahead and look ahead when i ryde which help me be a better ryder??
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Re: What do you say to the people who tell you: "Motorcycles are Dangerous"
It doesn't help with so many riders claiming that everyone is going to go down at some point. I hate hearing that. It's like they are planning to get jacked up, I' know I'm not!
It doesn't help with so many riders claiming that everyone is going to go down at some point. I hate hearing that. It's like they are planning to get jacked up, I' know I'm not!
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1,876 Posts
Re: What do you say to the people who tell you: "Motorcycles are Dangerous"
I'm not worried about how I die.......if I die on one then I'll die happy.
I'm not worried about how I die.......if I die on one then I'll die happy.
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48 Posts
Re: What do you say to the people who tell you: "Motorcycles are Dangerous"
My take on "planning to get jacked up" is that I wear my gear for the crash, not for the ride.
That stats speak for themselves here though. Most riders have had, to some degree or another, an uplanned get off experience. Off road bikes don't count, in my opinion - they are made to be crashed. But on pavement, my experience happened when I was 17 and riding my old Honda F3 home from my girlfriends house at night. I took a corner too fast and hit a patch of gravel resulting in a lowside. I had no jacket on and was going maybe 25 mph....I lost quite a bit of hide that evening.WarMachine said:
My take on "planning to get jacked up" is that I wear my gear for the crash, not for the ride.
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1,980 Posts
Re: What do you say to the people who tell you: "Motorcycles are Dangerous"
I know it is always possible you are going to crash , but I agree that I don't plan on crashing. To me that's like people getting married, and planning on getting divorced. Statistics speak for themselves..
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I know it is always possible you are going to crash , but I agree that I don't plan on crashing. To me that's like people getting married, and planning on getting divorced. Statistics speak for themselves..
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2
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1,428 Posts
Re: What do you say to the people who tell you: "Motorcycles are Dangerous"
If its someone im casual with I usually look surprised as tell them "I had absolutely no idea!" They usually get the hint that their remark is an obvious yet redundant statement who's risks are already understood.
If its someone im casual with I usually look surprised as tell them "I had absolutely no idea!" They usually get the hint that their remark is an obvious yet redundant statement who's risks are already understood.
Re: What do you say to the people who tell you: "Motorcycles are Dangerous"
I've asked many of my friends and coworkers why they don't ride. Mostly the ones that I think are the type of people that would like it. The answer is usually either it's too dangerous, too uncomfortable when the weather isn't nice, or "I'll get myself in trouble." Seems to me these are legit reasons, even if I don't worry about them.
Very rarely does anyone bug me about the safety of riding, despite the fact that I ride in extreme wind, rain and snow, year around no matter what the temp is outside. And with as little gear as weather allows.
When somebody does get uppity and tell me I shouldn't ride because motorcycles are dangerous, I usually say "If you think motorcycles are dangerous, then don't ride one. Don't worry about what I do."
I've asked many of my friends and coworkers why they don't ride. Mostly the ones that I think are the type of people that would like it. The answer is usually either it's too dangerous, too uncomfortable when the weather isn't nice, or "I'll get myself in trouble." Seems to me these are legit reasons, even if I don't worry about them.
Very rarely does anyone bug me about the safety of riding, despite the fact that I ride in extreme wind, rain and snow, year around no matter what the temp is outside. And with as little gear as weather allows.
When somebody does get uppity and tell me I shouldn't ride because motorcycles are dangerous, I usually say "If you think motorcycles are dangerous, then don't ride one. Don't worry about what I do."
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