For the umpteenth time, in a discussion about motorcycles (I’m planning on buying a Honda CB next summer) I hear someone talk about how riding a motorcycle is dangerous - specifically, how it’s like “asking to have your brains splattered all over the pavement.” Not even bothering to let him know that I plan to ride with a helmet and gear and to take the safety course, not do jack-ass stunts like wheelies when I pass sorority girls, etc etc etc…I just came back at him with this:
“You know what else can do that? Bicycles. But you never hear anyone whine about what death-traps bicycles are! People ride them all over the roads here, and there are no bike paths, and nobody ever says what you did about them!”
Predictably, he retorted:
“But bicycles can’t go 60 miles an hour!”
First of all, if I’m going to be exposing my body to the flow of traffic sitting on a little metal frame with two wheels, I’d rather be able to go upwards of 60 mph than not.
Second of all, don’t most motorcycle accidents happen when a car doesn’t see the cyclist and crashes into him? (Barring those caused by drunken riding and jackass stunts, I’ve heard that’s the most common cause.)
This is what I told him. Was I right?
Here’s my reasoning:
If the motorcycle is a deathtrap, the motorcycle industry would not be booming here and abroad. People would not be buying and selling thousands of the damn things every year.
I know plenty of people with motorcycles, and none of them are dead or disfigured. I know more people who have been in serious car accidents than serious motorcycle accidents. Three people I knew in high school were killed in car crashes over the past four years; nobody I knew who rode a motorcycle was killed or even hurt.
Anyone else care to opine? Particularly motorcyclists or bicyclists?
I’ve been riding since I was five years old; first on mini-bikes, and, starting at ten, motorcycles. My current ride is a Yamaha YZF-R1.
Motorcycles do have some safety issues. In a crash, you’re much less protected than in a car. Slippery roads (water, ice, gravel, sand, a flattened aluminum can…) can put you down. Motorcyclists must “ride smart”.
In collisions, the car driver often says “I didn’t see the motorcycle.” That’s because A) they weren’t looking for a motorcycle, or B) they weren’t paying attention to their driving at all.
But motorcycles tend to have very good power-to-weight ratios. They can accellerate out of trouble if the rider is paying attention. Motorcyclists tend to pay attention. We position ourselves so that we have an “out”. In my “Left Seat Zombies” thread, I got caught in a squeeze play when I was setting up for a maneuver and was nearly creamed when the guy in the Jeep next to me wasn’t paying attention to the car in front of him. Planning and paying attention are not foolproof, but they help.
But your friend’s fears are irrational. Motorcycles are generally very safe. I think much of the safety comes from the riders. Motorcyclists tend to know more about the capabilities of their machines than do car drivers. They have to pay attention to traffic. Situational awareness is a lifesaver. While there may be issues with slippery roads, motorcycles tend not to crash for no reason. I’ve lost a chain at 80 mph, and came through unscathed. The swingarm deformed and the wheel started spinning again. This expensive (and attention-getting) incident would not even have happened, had I not been trying to make the chain last just a little bit longer. As for speed, riding faster than the cars is safer than going slow because it puts the motorcyclist in control of his situation. So “yeah, but bicycles don’t go 60 mph” doesn’t wash.
Just sayin. But yes, most of the MC fatalities I see are a combination of the cyclist not being seen and not wearing a helmet. Point being, no helmet is not a problem as long as you’re not having a wreck. That’s why I don’t wear one when I drive my 83 corolla–I’m arguably nearly as vulnerable against a Suburban in that as I am on a bike.
Ultimately, you’ll be OK as long as you realize every accident you have on a MC is YOUR fault–for failing to remember that you’re invisible.
Here’s what never made sense to me: if I’m hurtling down the highway at 60mph, why the hell would I want my soft, fleshy body on the OUTSIDE of the metal vehicle? It’s like being bungee-corded to the grill of a semi! Sure, the semi isn’t likely to crash, but if it does, oh well. Listen, the crunchy parts are supposed to go on the outside, and the chewy parts are supposed to go on the inside. What part of that don’t you understand?
Few years ago, a friend of mine was walking down Clark Street, in Chicago. As she approached the light at Fullerton, it changed from yellow to red. The car going south accelerated to make it through the intersection. The motorcycle coming from the west accelerated too; his light had just turned green. The driver of the car walked away, mostly unhurt. My friend was drenched with biker parts. New white dress. She had blood in her mouth, for godsakes.
PF:First of all, if I’m going to be exposing my body to the flow of traffic sitting on a little metal frame with two wheels, I’d rather be able to go upwards of 60 mph than not.
But bicycles don’t ride on highways where the traffic is going at those speeds. Also, they don’t negotiate the traffic flow along with cars most of the time; they’re supposed to be staying on the right shoulder, out of traffic lanes.
PF:Second of all, don’t most motorcycle accidents happen when a car doesn’t see the cyclist and crashes into him? (Barring those caused by drunken riding and jackass stunts, I’ve heard that’s the most common cause.)
Try googling “motorcycle accident statistics”, and you’ll find sites like these:
There’s an NHTSA report from 2001 I found in PDF format. The statistical tables indicate that in 2001, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was:
1.73 for cars
2.13 for light trucks
2.31 for large trucks
34.10 for motorcycles.
Injury crashes by the same metric numbered 144 or less for cars and trucks, but 594 for motorcycles.
Bicycling fatalities per vehicle mile, on the other hand, though difficult to estimate because of uncertainty in the total-miles-traveled data, appear to be at most 11 times greater than the rate for automobiles (and that number may be quite inflated). The motorcycle fatality rate, on the other hand, is over 17 times greater than that for automobiles.
PF:I know plenty of people with motorcycles, and none of them are dead or disfigured.
Well, if we’re going by anecdotal evidence, my cousin’s ex-husband had a motorcycle accident and his passenger was killed.
Your own personal experience is not a reliable guide when it comes to assessing risk factors. Nor is it wise to assume that if lots of people are doing it, it must be safe. If you check out the statistics, it’s quite clear that motorcycles are in fact much more dangerous than cars and significantly more dangerous than bicycles.
That doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to get hurt or killed if you ride one, and as Johnny says, the skill and experience of the rider count for a lot. (Although my cousin’s ex was a very skilled and experienced biker, but it didn’t save his passenger.) But don’t kid yourself that the statistical risks must be mythical just because you don’t happen to know anyone who got hurt or killed.
I used to ride dirt bikes all the time, its a blast. Sure you wipe out, but thats part of the fun. Road bikes Ive only ridden occasionally; I have yet to meet a person whos ridden a road bike for any length of time that didnt eventually at the least lay it down around a corner. I dont mind wiping out at the relatively lower speeds in the dirt, but add into the mix cars and the idiots that drive them, and its less a matter of your own ability and more a matter of random chance as to the intelligence/ability of the people in the cars around you.
Having said that, Im a cyclist who rides an average of 20 miles a day, so maybe that doesnt make sense. But I can throw myself off my bike, or throw my bike around, a lot easier than I can a motorcycle. I havent wiped out on my bike in 23 years, though I have to flip off/cuss drivers out on a weekly basis and once a month or so I have to kick a fender or windshield. And no, I refuse to wear a helmet cycling though I did when I used to ride dirt bikes (motorcycles).
Does that mean that most of the fatalities happen when the rider isn’t riding on the road? Or does “roadway” mean something else that I don’t know about?
Those statistics are pretty interesting. It seems like lack of responsibility is a very high contributing factor to accidents, particularly fatal ones. The fact that 1/3 of riders aren’t licensed speaks volumes (I’m assuming that to get a license you’d have to pass a skills course.)
Seems like riding responsibly and with gear makes things safer. I’m not planning to ride on the highway, just around town. (It’s possible to traverse this town from one end to the other without ever having to be on a dangerous street.)
What I want to know is why the fatality rate for large trucks is greater than for cars.
I used to love to ride. I had a Norton and then a Triumph. I know this is statically insignificant, but I quit riding when a friend of mine was splattered by a car that ran a stop sign. There was nothing he could have done to prevent it. But if he had been in a car, any car, he would have almost certainly lived.
There are times when I see someone on an old British bike and I hear the distinctive engine noise, and I think how much I loved them. But I can’t do it.
Not a slam at anyone who rides. I know why you do.
My brother rode a motorcycle. Until one day a car pulled out in front of him. The funeral was very nice, thank you. My cousin, a passenger on the back, was thrown clear.
They were both wearing their helmets, and by all reports were within the speed limit (45 mph, I think) and riding safely. The car backed out of a driveway lined with tall bushes. He had no chance.
I used to ride a bicycle (without a helmet). The summer before my freshman (high school) year, I was riding down a hill and a pedestrian (walking in the same direction, in the road) ran toward the curb right as I was passing on the right (my fault). I did a face plant on handle bars.
I collapsed my skull on my forehead - the only bone I have ever broke on my body… After a week in hospital and the care of a brain surgeon, I was released with 47 staples and one stitch outlining my face. Obviously, I eventually recovered.
As I mentioned, these are anecdotes. But anyone arguing that motorcycles are reasonably safe if driven safely are fooling themselves. It is the idiot (car) drivers that you have to worry about.
Have you ever been in a car accident that wasn’t your fault (or the fault of the driver of your car)? If so, consider the outcome had you been on a motorcycle instead. 'Nuff said.
I’ve been in three rather serious car accidents (none my fault or the driver of the car I was in). I walked away from all three. If I were on a motorcycle, I doubt any of them would have been survivable.
And although bicycles provide no more physical protection than motorcycles (less, if anything), they do have a couple of significant safety advantages:
They tend to be more physically removed from cars, especially cars going fast. On bike paths, quiet back roads, and wide shoulders, it’s just less likely that you’re going to intersect the path of a car that can’t stop or avoid you in time.
Their slower speed gives the rider more reaction time and shorter stopping distances. When a car suddenly pulls out of a driveway ten feet away, the motorcyclist going 45 mph is much more likely to get hit, or to get seriously injured or killed in wiping out trying to avoid the collision, than the bicyclist going 10 mph.
I don’t hate motorcycles: as a bicyclist, I’d generally much rather have motorcycles on the road than cars (if many of them weren’t so loud!), because they take up less room and are usually more aware of other vehicles. But it’s only honest to admit that they do involve statistically significant increased risk.
If I could be bothered with the PHP to make this big, flashing, red text, I would.
You need to ride like you accept a higher level of liability because in a sense, you do. I never approach a green light and expect the croossroad drivers won’t run the red. Same with a stop sign. At closing time, you need to look for drunks staggering out into the road at the most unexpected time. If you’re going under a paedestrian overpass, check for kids gathered in the middle. They might just be ogling flash cars, they might be dropping crap on them. If I saw someone approaching from a distance and driving erratically, I would feel it was my fault if they hit me on my side of the road by the time we drew even. I shouldn’t have given them a second chance because I had my first one when I first noticed they were swerving as much as they were. When lanesplitting, pay attention to passengers through the rear windows of cars. If you see two young people arguing, there’s a good chance the passenger will just open their door with the car at a stop and storm off. Be careful anyway if the car is moving as the driver might do something particularly dumb for a cager.
Maintaining this level of concentration is exhausting but eventually becomes second nature and doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of riding when you get used to it. In fact, it adds to it as you become more attuned to your surroundings in general.
This has kept me alive for the two years I was a bicycle courier through school holidays and the three years as a motorcycle courier through university. It’s also held me in good stead since then and in areas around the world where a foreigner involved in an accident faces serious third world prison or hospital conditions no matter who was at fault.
If you feel this attitude is not for you, then I would actually prefer you rode a bike because I sure as fuck don’t want you behind the wheel of a Hummer and a don’t-give-a-fuck attitude.
There are some safety benefits to motorcycling. You have a helmet and no blind spots and, as I’ve just been preaching, your general attitude (should) improve whether on a bike or in a cage.
Besides typical force majeure clauses, a motorcycle is about as safe as the person riding it. I ride assuming that every car driver (cager) is trying to kill me and it’s saved my life a number of times. Take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. It’s a must. You can’t learn how to ride a bike properly just by doing it. Correct riding is often counterintuitive. Get a reasonable displacement bike for starters. Don’t get anything over an Suzuki SV650 because you’ll be riding too much power and you won’t learn good throttle control. Wear a full face helmet.
I used to ride, until one day I decided all my luck was being used up. Many wrecks are because the car driver didn’t see the bike. But, other wrecks are because drivers seem to leave their brains at home. We’ve all seen them, They eat and read and yak on cell phones when they should be driving. They run stop signs. They deliberately cut you off, for no reason. They stay on your tail and keep pushing you to go faster, then they finally pass you and slow down to a crawl. They slam on the breaks for no reason. They look right at you, and then pull into your lane despite seeing you. So, it isn’t so much that bikes are inherently dangerous (though they can be), my theory is that the people you have to share the road with are dangerous.
Per mile travelled motorcyclists are between 20 to 30 times as likely to die as other motorists. The death rate for registered motorcycles is between 4 and 5 times that of other road vehicles.
I gave up riding after almost being killed twice through no fault of my own in incidents that would have been ho-hum in a car. I figured that having someone say at my funeral “what incredible bad luck that he was killed” wouldn’t be good enough.
But I can throw myself off my bike, or throw my bike around, a lot easier than I can a motorcycle. I havent wiped out on my bike in 23 years, though I have to flip off/cuss drivers out on a weekly basis and once a month or so I have to kick a fender or windshield. And no, I refuse to wear a helmet cycling though I did when I used to ride dirt bikes (motorcycles).