Dangerous Driving on Motor Bikes

I used to ride motorcycles and they can be very dangerous. i have seen many people ride without helmets and I am guilty of that myself when I lived in Florida. What many people fail to realize is that wearing a helmet doesn't help in a 50 mph high impact. There is a small bit of styrofoam inside the helmet and the rest is plastic, you might as well be wearing a watermelon rind on your head. Not much protection, but I still advocate it because anything is better than nothing. What really kills me is when I see people wearing nothing to protect their bodies. I see women wearing sandals and tank tops and shorts, I see guys wearing flip flops and shorts and sometimes no shirt! The most dangerous thing to a motorcyclist believe it or not is other drivers. They don't pay attention or watch what they are doing and get distracted easily and this leads to disaster. There are bikers out there that give us other bikers a bad name. They don't pay attention, they don't practice safe driving skills and act like idiots on the road. this is why we have a bad reputation and people don't like motorcycles. they get the most attention. I do love motorcycles and will end up getting another one. I can't explain why other bikers do what they do. I just know they seem to get more attention due to their stupidity. I have been on many rides with groups of bikers, we all obey the speed limit and the law, and we watch out for each other. Even doing this other vehicles will but us off, try to run us off the road, slam on their brakes in front of us, you name it, it's been done to me. So, please don't think it is just bikers that take risks, we have risks put on us, even when we obey the law, practice offensive/defensive riding and take our safety and the safety of others very seriously. I hope that helps a little bit.

Motor bikes are ok if the owner rides theirs sensibility, but alas, I agree, many don't, particularly youngsters. Nine times out of ten, they loom up from nowhere and when they cause an accident, it's invariably the other driver who ends up worse off. The motor cyclist is protected to an extent by his helmet, but despite the fact a motorist has to wear a seat belt, cars invariable roll, or "bounce" after impact rendering the safety belt close to useless in protection of heads, necks and limbs. I don't know what else can be done to instill safe driving into motor cyclists skulls. They have proficiency tests and everything but still, there are the few who need to be whiz kids even in a built-up area, and breaking all speed limits. A lot of the older bikers are more steady and sensible... they don't weave in and out of traffic or try to jump the traffic lights first, much less overtake on bends as some of them do. All in all, I agree Gabs. There should be stiffer tests, or something and perhaps a separate track on the side of the road, as with cycle paths, just for motor cyclists.

I like to hear them Reav up as long as they have a Harley they sound so good. but on narrow streets I do see where they need to slow down and drive safe. Fast driving is for racing and the open road where ya can see for miles and miles with nothing else coming!

I've had two motor bikes when I was younger, the first I never had any trouble, the second (was a red one), and 3 times I had a near miss by cars not seeing me. Neither had a big engine, and I always drove responsibly. If the bikes are racing along that road, then you should notify the police who should be able to do something about it, and also the local council who may put in speed bumps to slow them down.

they just like to show off gabs as they are nothing other than teenage idiots trying to look big. it is the same by mine with the motorbikes and if they dont stop it now they are going to get seriously hurt one day

Im with you. Id like to know why they ride so dangerously. But i will say that i know some that are responsible. I dont like bikes that much, i had a cousin killed on one (but this was due to a carspeeding), my brothers girlfriend was badly injured while a pillion passenger and lost a leg, and 12 months ago another person i knew was killed on one. Now iworry that my kids might one day get a bike and that will make me really worry. Some ithink just want to show off, but it is so dangerous, ido nt think they realise. Best wishes toyou, gabs

We were overtaken by 4 that were racing yesterday and made a new lane between us and the oncoming traffic, it was scary! If people have no respect for their oun bodies should they not stop to think that they may hurt a child when they crash or leave an accident behind due to stunts like this. They took the whole row of cars in and out down both sides like it was some sort of game. I don't mind bikers in general as I know most riders are responsible and would quite like a quad myself but they moan about car drivers attitudes to them and then SOME behave really badly, almost as if trying to earn the reputation they dislike. The sad thing is that people in cars get hurt and you've less protection of a bike so you can get more hurt. I think that most bike riders are sensible but as a car person I admit sometins they can be scary.

Hey gabs Im scared of them too. Here in the united states we have alot of accidents with people on the bikes. Sometimes the people in the cars dont see them and hit them. They have to be crazy to take their life in the hands like that.

I suppose it's just over-confidence on the part of the riders who take risks when passing cars and things. A friend who rides told me that he started out with the intention of being careful, but soon realised he was speeding etc and playing a dangerous game. It's usually the case that unless they have accidents, motorcyclists confidance grows a lot faster than their riding skills do. I must also say that a lot of car drivers don't look out for motorbikes, like that awful advert on TV, and cause accidents where bikers come off worst. In response to the nurse/doctor who wrote about helmets and clothing. Those leather suits are ESSENTIAL for riding on the roads. You know how easy it is to rip clothes when you just fall over? When you're skidding down a road at about 50 in jeans and a t-shirt, you lose something like an inch of flesh every 10 feet. It doesn't take long to get down to the bone.

i agree that a lot of people that ride motorcycles are a danger to others and the ones that make them louder with illegal exhausts are a pain even to me (and i love the sound of an engine but not when i'm trying to sleep) but in there place they are usefull no one can use "i didn't hear it coming" as an excuse for walking out in front of it i dont agree that motor cyclists do not realize the dangerous game there playing we do, i have always know that the next time i set off out on my bike could be the last and i except that as the way i have chosen to live my life, but 99% of riders are very skilled in avoiding accidents, people stepping/falling into the road is an everyday event and we learn to act very quick to avoide this, because unlike car drivers if we were to hit someone in the street we would feel the pain too, we have to be constantly on the look out for diesel spills rocks in the road pot holes plus 100s of other obstacles which can all cause us to crash, after spending time looking out for a patch of diesel while doing over 100mph spotting a person/animal/car in the road becomes very easy to see and avoid, when i'm out in my car i'm less likely to spot things so a lot of the dangers of motorcycle users are not as big of a problem as most would think

I remember the day it took you so long to get home sweety! Just need to say one thing - not all motorcyclists are dangerous or reckless - I know many who are very good, very careful drivers, 2 of my brothers and their wives ride motorbikes and are very careful but I also know the type you talk of - they frighten me quite badly with how reckless they can be - but if anything happened to them they would blame the car drivers for it! I have heard the noise from the cars and bike racing outside your house over the phone and cannot believe that the police do nothing about this before someone is killed! xxx

I have never liked motorcycles myself, gabs. I do think they are dangerous in the hands of the wrong people. I have witnessed horrible accidents involving these machines, and one of my daughter's boyfriends was actually killed on one. Those who operate them always maintain that they are very safe, but it does not seem that way to me.

It's not only Motor bikes, gabs...for some reason my street has gotten to be the Indianapolis 500 speedway....you have no idea how fast motorbikes, cars, and even trucks race down it...I keep thinking the same thing heaven forbid, some kid darts onto the street at the wrong time, or a cat or dog...the worse is when every once and awhile you hear a car slam on its breaks to make a sudden stop, and all I can think about is I hope to god there wasn't a cat crossing---there have even been a few crashes....One car crashing into one of the parked cars...and then they always speed away--leaving the "scene of the crime"

I agree gabs, I think they're very dangerous too because they are. They have no protection against the body if in an accident. If I'm around one, I'd much rather they be behind me than in front because if they were to suddenly stop and I don't catch them I could run over top of them and that idea makes me sick to my stomach.

I know what you mean. Some people get on a bike and forget to take their common sense with them! Actually I quite like motorbikes - one of my exes was a biker so I've been a passenger on a few of them in my time. A bit scary but I did enjoy it. However, I agree it's dangerous when they do all that weaving in and out of traffic and also many of them just go way too fast. Sadly I've known three people who were killed in motorbike accidents and the even sadder thing is they were all only in their twenties. Such a shame.

Oh Gabs, I couldn't agree with you more. I hate them too. I admit I was pretty wild in my youth, but one thing I would never do was get on a motor cycle. I remember an ex-boyfriend of mine had one, and no matter how he begged and pleaded, I would always catch the tube rather than ride pillion. Not so long ago, about 10 minutes from my house, a similar incident to the one you describe, happened. The cae driver was critcially injured, but eventually survived. But the cyclist was killed outright - he was 19 years old and he left a girlfriend who was 7 months pregnant with his child. Such a tragic waste of young life. I support your views in this all the way.

its risky to drive uncontrollable motorbike all such habit should be avided many people are loosing the life like that so i dont want you to to in such an risky life better avoid risky driving.

I like bikes but I think many motorcycle drivers take unnecessary chances that risks their lives and others. We've seen two bike accidents - one involved two bikes where the one rider crossed the center line and clipped an oncoming car, wiped out and took the other biker with him and the second was a van that was making a left turn and cut the biker off. He went into the side of the van and it buckled nearly in half...... Now they do wheelies and other tricks; it's absolutely nuts.