rideapart:" 10 things I've learned from motorcycle crashes"

[Stevewfl]

http://rideapart.com/articles/10-things-ive-learned-10-motorcycle-crashes

 

[Classvino]

Very good article...

I especially liked this one (but it's something you hear all the time...)  My initial knee-jerk response said "No Way - I was in the right..." but there's more to it than the strictly legalistic approach.

5. It’s Always Your Fault, No Matter What
Here’s the thing about riding a bike: you’re taking your life into your own hands. There’s no steel safety cage, no airbags, no crumple zone, its just you and your wits against the world. If you ask me, that’s what makes riding so great, but it also means you need to make a fundamental shift in your thinking. It doesn’t matter what it says on the police report or the insurance papers or that the teenage chick was texting her boyfriend when she hit you; all that matters is she hit you. And you could have prevented it, you needed to, it’s your life, not hers.

So go out there and actively take your own life into your own hands. No excuses. Someone hit you from behind at a stop light? Why weren’t you flashing your brake lights? Why didn’t you slow down early to bring them to a controlled stop? Why were you stopped in the lane and not on the margin?

Car turn left in front of you? Why didn’t you see it coming? Why couldn’t you brake harder? Why weren’t you more visible?

You have the tools to ride safely, it’s up to you to use them. No one else is going to do it for you.

Jamie

 

[seagiant]

Hi,
      Well... great article!

I did a LOT of research and have said this here before, though most people don't like it, and that is 90% of riding gear is a rip off in money AND protection! :-X

This means that the stylish (don't I look COOL) $300 jacket (from China) is not going to really protect you when the chips are down! :-[

As far as "it is always your fault" I cover this with" trust no one" (this includes your best friend riding along with you) ;D

 

[Stasch]

Good article.  Sobering reminder of the reality we all facer each day.  Thanks for posting the link.

 

[Ranger Jim]

Always remember, "Right-of-way" is something THEY give you. If THEY don't give it, You ain't got it; no matter what the law says.

 

[Stevewfl]

Always remember, "Right-of-way" is something THEY give you. If THEY don't give it, You ain't got it; no matter what the law says.

 

[jdegraffenreid]

The first thing that struck me after a serious accident was... You have no control.. Seems obvious enough but... I always thought "If I get in an accident I will do this... or that..." What I found out was once I lost the bike (high side) I was along for the ride. There was no "I will slide like this" or I will "tumble like that". Don't fool yourself. Physics will dictate what you do and you will likely look like a rag doll. You can't hold your head up to escape injury or slide on the one protected part of your body. Once control of the bike is lost you are screwed to one extent or another.

 

[UncleRob]

Very good article...

I especially liked this one (but it's something you hear all the time...)  My initial knee-jerk response said "No Way - I was in the right..." but there's more to it than the strictly legalistic approach.

5. It’s Always Your Fault, No Matter What
Here’s the thing about riding a bike: you’re taking your life into your own hands. There’s no steel safety cage, no airbags, no crumple zone, its just you and your wits against the world. If you ask me, that’s what makes riding so great, but it also means you need to make a fundamental shift in your thinking. It doesn’t matter what it says on the police report or the insurance papers or that the teenage chick was texting her boyfriend when she hit you; all that matters is she hit you. And you could have prevented it, you needed to, it’s your life, not hers.

So go out there and actively take your own life into your own hands. No excuses. Someone hit you from behind at a stop light? Why weren’t you flashing your brake lights? Why didn’t you slow down early to bring them to a controlled stop? Why were you stopped in the lane and not on the margin?

Car turn left in front of you? Why didn’t you see it coming? Why couldn’t you brake harder? Why weren’t you more visible?

You have the tools to ride safely, it’s up to you to use them. No one else is going to do it for you.

Jamie

A lot of truth in that one.  "If you share the path with an elephant, and anyone stumbles, you lose."

 

[Flat-spot]

"If you share the path with an elephant, and anyone stumbles, you lose."

That's a new one on me Uncle Rob.  I like it. 

My favorites,      Don't bring a bike to a car fight.      Train fight?  Doesn't matter what you're driving,  you lose bad.  ???

 

[UncleRob]

"If you share the path with an elephant, and anyone stumbles, you lose."

That's a new one on me Uncle Rob.  I like it. 

My favorites,      Don't bring a bike to a car fight.      Train fight?  Doesn't matter what you're driving,  you lose bad.  ???

It's from a book called Heavy Lifters by Dean Ing.

 

[ppenrose]

Not a bad article, but there seems to be a fundamental disconnect in his logic. In one place he more or less states that all crashes can be avoided ("no excuses"), which would imply that you can basically reduce the risk of crashes to zero. This is patently impossible. Take the rear-end example. I don't care how much you flash your brakes lights or how visible you are, if they aren't looking it won't matter. My wife used to be a school bus driver. She was rear ended once in perfect weather while stopped with the red lights flashing and the big STOP arm extended. The other driver claimed that she "didn't see it [the bus]". I have been in situations on single lane roads with no safe shoulder, stuck behind a cage waiting to make a left across traffic. If someone isn't looking there isn't really anything you can do to avoid a crash.

Then at the end of the article he claims that riding motorcycles is dangerous and risky. OK, this is correct in my mind, but it conflicts with is previous stance. Maybe he's trying to say that only if you don't ride "correctly" all the times, there is risk. But nobody is perfect, so there's that risk again.

You may think I'm just being pedantic, but I'm not. How you mentally and emotionally approach things makes a difference. There is danger all around us every day, all the time. Just living is risky, and there is no way to reduce that risk to zero. We all have to decide the level of risk that we are comfortable with and then accept it as a part of life. Yes, do what you can to reduce or mitigate that risk, but ultimately you have to accept the fact that the risk is there. For anybody that operates a motor vehicle that means accepting the possibility that a crash could happen, and probably will at least once in your life. Specifically for us who ride motorcycles that includes a greater risk of bodily injury or death. So either stop riding or face up to this additional risk and accept it as the reality. There's a healthy balance between willful ignorance (I can avoid all crashes), and recklessness (why try to avoid crashes since they are inevitable) that all riders should strive to achieve.

As a final thought, considering that this guy has crashed 10 times so far in his life, maybe the best lessons we can learn from his experiences is what not to do.

 

[jdegraffenreid]

Not a bad article, but there seems to be a fundamental disconnect in his logic. In one place he more or less states that all crashes can be avoided ("no excuses"), which would imply that you can basically reduce the risk of crashes to zero. This is patently impossible. Take the rear-end example. I don't care how much you flash your brakes lights or how visible you are, if they aren't looking it won't matter. My wife used to be a school bus driver. She was rear ended once in perfect weather while stopped with the red lights flashing and the big STOP arm extended. The other driver claimed that she "didn't see it [the bus]". I have been in situations on single lane roads with no safe shoulder, stuck behind a cage waiting to make a left across traffic. If someone isn't looking there isn't really anything you can do to avoid a crash.

Then at the end of the article he claims that riding motorcycles is dangerous and risky. OK, this is correct in my mind, but it conflicts with is previous stance. Maybe he's trying to say that only if you don't ride "correctly" all the times, there is risk. But nobody is perfect, so there's that risk again.

You may think I'm just being pedantic, but I'm not. How you mentally and emotionally approach things makes a difference. There is danger all around us every day, all the time. Just living is risky, and there is no way to reduce that risk to zero. We all have to decide the level of risk that we are comfortable with and then accept it as a part of life. Yes, do what you can to reduce or mitigate that risk, but ultimately you have to accept the fact that the risk is there. For anybody that operates a motor vehicle that means accepting the possibility that a crash could happen, and probably will at least once in your life. Specifically for us who ride motorcycles that includes a greater risk of bodily injury or death. So either stop riding or face up to this additional risk and accept it as the reality. There's a healthy balance between willful ignorance (I can avoid all crashes), and recklessness (why try to avoid crashes since they are inevitable) that all riders should strive to achieve.

As a final thought, considering that this guy has crashed 10 times so far in his life, maybe the best lessons we can learn from his experiences is what not to do.

I agree with your statements but I think what he was trying to say was there is no need to always push it too the edge. Back off a little and avoid the obvious outcome of always riding at the peak of your ability. His crashing 10 times doesn't make him a bad rider, IMO it makes him a thrill seeker. There are plenty out there who have never crashed and suck at riding. They are careful and don't push it. The other thing I came away thinking is he is getting older and quickly realizing old bones don't heal fast. It has certainly slowed me down. I didn't take his statements as literal.