Unlicensed motorcyclist tried to 'thread the needle' between trucks before fatal crash: state police

pennlive.com ^ | 23 August A.D. 2018 | David Wenner

[PreciousLiberty]

“But riding a motorcycle is the safest method of personal transportation. There, I said it.”

You are wildly misinformed. I wouldn’t bother responding but someone might be influenced to start riding by your post. The statistics alone are plenty to refute your point, but simple facts will also suffice.

“The bike moves as an extension of your body. Your reactions are precise and fast. If a car “comes into your lane” There is so much space in your lane that it’s not a big deal. It’s like someone “coming into your lane” but your lane is 3 lanes wide. Yeah, it’s rude but it’s easy to deal with.”

And just what do you do when someone unexpectedly comes out of a cross street or a driveway right in front of you? Or makes any of a number of other maneuvers that you simply can’t avoid?

I’ll tell you what you do - you get hit, and very possibly run over. Your ‘safest method of personal transportation’ provides no protection whatsoever, unlike any car, much less a large SUV or truck.

A coworker of mine was a combat engineer in Iraq. He made it through that just fine. Once he returned, he was riding his motorcycle. While waiting for a light in a left turn lane, he was hit from behind by a woman who just wasn’t paying attention (probably texting). His left leg was shattered with a bad compound fracture, and almost had to be amputated at the knee. He has plenty of metal in that leg now, and will walk with a limp the rest of his life. He’s a smart guy, he no longer rides motorcycles.

My mother was an emergency room nurse. She saw plenty of motorcycle accident results. She made sure I heard all about them, and convinced me to never ride. I’m very glad I listened to her.

YMMV. ;-)

[Deaf Smith]

"usually cite dead drivers/riders?"

It is formality...paper work.

[FLT-bird]

My dad who was a doctor, called them “murdercycles” and absolutely forbade any of us kids from ever owning one. He’d seen too many formerly healthy young men mangled and killed on them.

[lightman]

Decades ago there were some scare stories in Reader's Digest:Death rides on 2 wheels and Your boy's last birthday present are a couple that come to mind.

[gigster]

That’s gonna’ leave a mark.

[Celerity]

Challenge accepted.

“And just what do you do when someone unexpectedly comes out of a cross street or a driveway right in front of you? Or makes any of a number of other maneuvers that you simply can’t avoid?”

You’re going too fast. The motorcycle is more capable of handling any of these situations, and with you on it. Just like in any traffic situation if it happens you effed up. Going too fast, not paying attention, thinking it can’t happen to you. Same on 2 wheels as it is on 4.

“A coworker of mine was a combat engineer in Iraq..... hit from behind.....His left leg was shattered with a bad compound fracture, and almost had to be amputated at the knee. “

I was hit from behind too. The car drove through me - didn’t even hit the brakes. I wound up on their hood.

Your friend from Iraq lost track of his 6. It’s a mistake, one that I don’t make too often but it’s happened. When I stop the first place my eye goes to is the rear view mirror. I never allow that box to close. He did. He’s not less of a man for it, I’m just telling you that he wasn’t as attentive as he should have been.

My cousin took his 4 year old VW Jetta out to the store. Wasn’t paying attention / going to fast / whatever. Either way, he careens around a corner hits another car. The brake pedal actually broke under the power of his braking foot. The shard of metal sprung up and gashed his leg wide open like a hotdog in a frying pan. Same injury from a lesser event.

If you’re afraid to ride, that’s your problem. Just like I stated in my first post, I can’t explain what it is to ride to someone who doesn’t ride. And as a non-rider you aren’t welcome at the table when we are talking about riding a bike. You simply have no idea what you’re talking about.

Not an insult, it’s a fact. Your viewpoints are just mumblings from someone who doesn’t know what they are talking about. Like “Journalists” who decide to influence a reader’s opinion on a topic they know nothing about.

You can quote as many studies as you want, and you can appeal to anyone who will listen to not ride a bike but next time you think you can talk down to me about something you know nothing about, holster it tex.

It’s like someone who wasn’t in the military talking about things military. It’s not that people don’t like that person, they just have no business discussing such things. How many veterans here would like me to reason with them about something I know nothing about ?

[DannyTN]

I think they changed the rules on the Darwin awards. It doesn’t matter if you’ve already procreated. It only matters if you remove yourself from future procreation.

[PLMerite]

“I think they changed the rules on the Darwin awards. It doesn’t matter if you’ve already procreated. It only matters if you remove yourself from future procreation.”

Good move, because a lot of these cretins start procreating at puberty.

[going hot]

Been riding since '70.

Still do.

Excellent way to clear the mind, fun as hell, and exhilarating.

Paying attention 360 degrees, all the time and not doing stupid shit, not being in a hurry, or trying to make a statement, goes a long way in keeping the shiny side up.

Dropped once, in the driveway(!), no fender benders as of this date.

[DannyTN]

I know there is way too much truth to the plot premise of the movie Idiocracy.

[Flaming Conservative]

I thought that, too, but he WAS wearing a helmet, so...

[Flaming Conservative]

I was just reading that. Didn’t he die?? So do they usually cite dead drivers/riders?

---

Written by a journalism graduate from one of our finer institutions of higher learning?

[antidemoncrat]

Sorry. I thought this was deleted.It pertains to another perp.

[PreciousLiberty]

"Challenge accepted."

LOL!

"You’re going too fast."

No. There are many situations, like the ones I cited, where human reaction time and physics mean there's no escape. To address another example you mentioned, it's true you can avoid a car merging into your lane if it's done in a leisurely manner. On the other hand, if the driver of the car thinks he's a race driver (or he's drunk, or...), and suddenly whips into your lane without seeing you, you're on the pavement. If it's on the freeway, that's at freeway speeds, and likely with other cars coming right behind. Good luck with that.

"I was hit from behind too. The car drove through me - didn’t even hit the brakes. I wound up on their hood."

So, the same thing happened to you, yet you claim my coworker wasn't "watching his six". Even if he had been watching his six, he had nowhere to go. He was sitting at a red light, remember? Cross traffic, eh?

"My cousin took his 4 year old VW Jetta out to the store. Wasn’t paying attention / going to fast / whatever. Either way, he careens around a corner hits another car. The brake pedal actually broke under the power of his braking foot. The shard of metal sprung up and gashed his leg wide open like a hotdog in a frying pan. Same injury from a lesser event."

That's a freak accident, but even so that is not close to "the same injury". In the other case the bone was shattered, and it was nearly an amputation event. Nor does that anecdote refute the fact that you're much safer inside a car or truck than you are exposed on a motorcycle.

"And as a non-rider you aren’t welcome at the table when we are talking about riding a bike. You simply have no idea what you’re talking about."

That's nonsense, and an appeal to authority (that's a logical fallacy, in case you're not aware). You're entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts.

You know, like "But riding a motorcycle is the safest method of personal transportation."

That is just demonstrably untrue, and I expect 99%+ of motorcycle riders would admit that.

Bear in mind that if your statement had been "I know there's extra risk involved in riding motorcycles, but the freedom, speed and fun are worth it to me" I'd have been fine with that, no comment needed.

I'll close with an updated print version of one of the better PSA TV ads I've ever seen:

(Imagine this in a professional announcer voice)

"Kawasaki Ninja H2: 0-60 in 2.60 seconds"

"Yamaha VMAX: 0-60 in 2.50 seconds"

"Suzuki GSX-R1000: 0-60 in 2.39 seconds"

(The announcer pauses for dramatic effect...)
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"California Red Oak: 60-0 in 0.0 seconds"

Enjoy your weekend! :-)

[equaviator]

Perfect