MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS

Posted 12/31/2007

EDITOR'S NOTE

"The following article was written by Mike Greenwald who publishes a blog entitled Goldiron blog. The article deals, in part, with right of way violations. Mike Hupy worked with ABATE on legislation that increased penalties for right of way violations against motorcyclists. He sent information about this legislation to over 800 law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin. In addition, Hupy and Abraham, S.C. paid for PSA's in the Green Bay Press Gazette, Madison Capitol Times and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, encouraging motorcycle awareness by other highway users."

The cost of crashes (accidents as some people refer to them) is astronomical.  The insurance for a motorcycle in the USA is limited by the industry.  They do not allow proper limits of coverage to cover the costs and yet in many states this insufficient coverage is not only mandatory but also insufficient. 1% of bikers such as the Hell’s Angels, Outlaws, Bandidos (and the list goes on) mostly operate and celebrate in stealth. However, the emulator of the patch on the back of the vest promoting the bad boy image is Harley Davidson with their owners group called HOG. 

I think we, as motorcyclists, have finally convinced the general population we are no longer anything to be afraid of. On the contrary, we are to be used/fleeced and then ignored, on the roads and in the legislatures. Our fault.

Harleys are now a fashion accessory. That desire for complacency is shared by motorcycle riders and vehicle drivers of all sorts. Motorcyclists enjoy some of the convenience of the "Lazy-Boy" attitude and lifestyle while driving in a manner that exacerbates vulnerabilities of motorcycling. Many of motorcycling worst practices have evolved from style and imagery promoted by Harley-Davidson. Riding position and posture, ineffective mirrors, poor cornering angles and poor handling.  It is no wonder that these motorcyclists die more often than predictable or acceptable regularity.

My gut feeling is that it’s a combination of simple things that are responsible for the death rate.  The increase in the number of riders, the increase in the number of drivers (especially SUV drivers), more and more driver distractions like phones, GPS, and the like, much more powerful bikes being ridden by newbies, and also deteriorating roads just to name the obvious. I think the general public just doesn’t take driving seriously.  How many times have you been at a 4-way stop and realized that at least one or more of the drivers didn’t know who had the right of way. They didn’t know the rules of the road?  How many times have you been behind a driver that enters the freeway at 40 mph causing everyone behind him to hit the brakes and slow down before our hero finally gets around to accelerating up to the speed at which traffic is flowing?

I believe the accident rate could be cut in half if American drivers had a better attitude about driving.  But that would mean that people would have to be educated and willing to assume more personal responsibility and that isn’t very popular these days.  It’s easier to just let the government pass more laws to protect us from ourselves" Mike Greenwald. Goldiron Blog.

back to top