Posted on 09/29/2017 7:44:29 AM PDT by mandaladon
I became a member of the Broken Angels Motorcycle Club after a crash caused by a speed wobble. I still love to look at them but haven’t touched one since that incident.
That stat is a bit deceiving. Like the rest of the vehicle population, motorcycle deaths had been on a slow decline per person-miles traveled. Then motorcycling got a huge influx of older riders (Boomer retirees) who either got into the sport for the first time or returned after decades away. This alone would lead to elevated fatalities due to, well, elderly people on motorcycles. However, there have been two factors that exacerbate this.
One: The Boomers re-entering the activity see no reason to get modern (non-retro-styled) bikes, which is reasonably okay - but they also see no reason to get any form of modern safety gear, which isn’t. They tool around in a half-helmet and a leather vest thinking they’re cool like Easy Rider and that they’re wearing “enough” protection. They’re not. I ride daily (conditions permitting) and wear full gear - helmet, armored gloves, armored jacket and pants (leather or mesh/textile), armored boots. I have been picked off my bike by a speeding car on a highway, hard enough to knock me out and send me flying over 100 feet from the point of impact - and walked out of the hospital hours later with minimal injury because of my safety gear. Not my first time in a major crash either - and modern gear has made the difference in each, to the point where I was discharged from the hospital the same day in each case. Modern riding gear is incredibly protective; there are even airbag-equipped garments coming onto the market and the bigger modern touring bikes are starting to come with airbags of their own, to mention a couple of just recent improvements. Certainly there is luck involved, but a lot less luck is required if you are wearing modern gear.
Second, the Boomer retirees returning to motorcycling often don’t bother to go retrain. Motorcycle control is far more of a science these days than it was when they were last riding and many new techniques have been invented. There are many street survival strategies (again, developed later than the 1970s) that will help greatly in keeping you alive... but the Boomer retirees don’t seem to understand why they should retrain - even if only to blow the rust off what skills they may have had.
The fatalities among riders wearing full modern gear have actually plummeted over the years.
There have actually been two fatalities among motor cops escorting Hillary. In neither case did she pause her itinerary.
I am going to stick with my decision that I've rolled the dice enough, however. Going through another bilateral orthoplasty would really suck.
“school librarian”
This *kid* gets it - more than that librarian probably ever will (from a few years ago, but relevant now more than ever).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI54_tHOZM8
Actually, if you ask most police officers, you’ll notice they answer he’s blue. Part of the thin blue line.
Greetings, fellow Oregon Freeper. Agree on the motorcycles, but did not know it was so high...
ESPN would support Jiemele Hill that the POLICE OFFICER is an UNCLE TOM.
Nice
The wind had just blown the military man's cap off. The picture speaks volumes about each man.
Thanks for posting.
Leni
“Doesn’t the plane have the capability for him to call while in flight?”
Of course. But if it was me, and I felt somewhat responsible for the injuries (if the guy was protecting me), I would want to know how bad they were before I left. If it was real serious - or life threatening - I would delay the entire trip and go visit, etc. I suppose that is almost impossible for the president - but heck - what good is being president if you can’t do what you want to do!?
As did Hillary, several times while campaigning for 2016...
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