Motorcycle blog

Posted on | February 11, 2009 | No Comments

This week I personally know a person who got into an accident while on his motorcycle. And I learned all about it after I have arrived at work – on my motorcycle. The good thing is that my friend and colleague survived the supposedly fatal crash. The bad thing about it though is that it’s one more person added to the statistic of victims of motorcycle-related accident – whether by his own fault or not. Now anti-motorcycle advocates are out once again with their almost unending see-I-told-you’s that seeps even thru the inch-thick helmet padding.

These days, proponents of the motorcycle seem to be losing their case as the incidents involving their favorite two-wheeled vehicle shares the headlines with reports of employees being laid off. Incidentally, these two headline makers are expected to thrive more while the financial crisis continues like an un-curable itch. Nowadays, a lot of people are trying to save and one way of saving is by saving on gas. Of course when gas gets mentioned, the thought of having a motorcycle, specifically what others call mopeds, scooters or underbones enters the picture. These crotch rockets are gas misers and it’s no wonder that almost everyone wants one. And that’s because almost everyone can actually afford one – frighteningly, even the irresponsible ones.

This is when motorcycle safety advocates begin to have nightmares about this uncontrollable or unregulated scenario. There are just so much eager and capable buyers (and sellers) that the aspect of safety is often forgotten. Anyone with a cash or downpayment which is normally just around Php3,000 (approx. $ 60) gets to go home with a decent motorcycle – once again, with or without a “valid” license, training, or worse, even without the common sense.

Now, other motorcycle riders may cry foul about all the stereotyping. Some will instinctively point their fingers to the four-wheeled vehicle drivers for causing all the troubles. Others may even blame the accidents due to poor road lighting, open manholes, wayward pedestrians and I’ve even read complaints about dog poops. All fingers are pointing to other factors but so far, only a few have done some self-reflection and immediate correction. Sadly, these are reasons why live motorcycle crash test dummies continue to exist.

Failing to recognize the risk is often what leads to unnecessary crashes – regardless if it is minor or major. I remember from one defensive driving seminar I once had the four guides of a responsible driver:

Identify (or anticipate) the risk or danger.
Act accordingly. Example, adjust following distance depending on the driving condition.
Control whatever you can as you can’t technically influence others. (This is what I often forget. Hehehe.)
Take or consider a plan B if everything else goes wrong.

Unfortunately, with the fact that not everyone seems to take time to even read (or search thru the internet) about all this driving safety stuffs anymore is what makes the road a far less safe place to drive…especially for motorcycle riders like me. It’s already a given that riding makes one vulnerable to elements – like reckless cage (a term used by riders to distinguish a car) drivers. So I went further to identifying every risk that I possibly can. After more than six months of riding my motorcycle, I have actually listed several of these hazards already.

Stay away from riders without the basic gear or clothing. Since riders are sitting open to almost everything hazardous, the least one can do to protect himself is to wear long sleeved-shirts (thick jerseys or jackets preferred), long pants (jeans if possible), and a closed-toe footwear. These of course should be paired with a decent helmet. If you spot one without such means just one thing: he doesn’t care about himself and most likely he doesn’t care about you. So stay clear.

Stay away from those with confused persona. These people are easy to spot: they have rosaries and crucifixes wrapped around their motorcycles (mounted on the dash if in cars) but when you actually see them, they are either poorly clothed (at times even lewd) or drives like someone who have just escaped from a straight jacket.

Stay away from cars with Japanese or Chinese stickers or decals. Some of these have even extra large ones that almost cover the whole rear window. These stickers scream anything but “I understand what my stickers say”. If these people don’t even know what those stickers meant, most likely they don’t even understand what an amber light is for.

Stay away from skinheads who for a moment are seen driving slowly over an ear-shattering base music. These people (often in their teens) are beat-driven so expect them to speed up anytime the Snoop Dogg rhythm picks up.

Needless to say, also stay away from pony-tailed or dreadlocked drivers especially if the car’s interior appears foggy despite the un-tinted windows.

Stay away from truck drivers especially those concentrating on picking their noses. I’m thinking that this is as distracting (or even more) as using a cellphone while driving.

Stay away from motorcycle-riding policemen without helmets. Period.

Lastly, stay away from someone who is absent-mindedly composing a blog while riding a motorcycle. He’s easy to spot. He made this blog. Ti abi.

Mood: 3/10 Honks!

Comments

No Responses to “Motorcycle blog”

wifey
February 11th, 2009 @ 10:03 pm

see i told you… , just be cool, stay safe at all times.
Les Riles
February 12th, 2009 @ 5:20 am

Crisn ~ First of all, I’m glad your two colleagues made it. I just wish I could add this comment of a good friend of mine to all of your bike posts… oh and by the way, he LOVED riding when he was young, although the bikes didn’t have the horsepower that they do today, but that didn’t matter, you could still go crazy fast. Anyway, when I told him I was about to get a Kawasaki 250 to ride back and forth from work, Oklahoma to Texas and back, 30 miles each way, he said, “Les, the ONLY people that give a CRAP about others on bikes, are bikers themselves.” I thought about that, and I think there’s a grain of truth there. I always see people right up on bikers’ bumpers, trying to push them out of the way as if they were another car. I think, “what if that bike in front of me had a blowout and went straight down.” I for one don’t want to run over somebody! But not everyone thinks the way I do.

Even though my buddy first tried to talk me INTO getting a bike, when he found out I wanted it for highway riding 300 miles a week, he discouraged me. Others say just get a bigger bike, but that doesn’t get the person off your bumper that is texting, smoking a cig and finishing their 20 ounce Coke they bought at McDonalds.

Final comment… if you’re gonna ride, ride like everyone and every thing is out to get you. Even that semi truck in front of you that is just about to blow a retread tire. (Even though you don’t see it about to happen.) Be Safe! ~ Les
crisn
February 12th, 2009 @ 6:57 am

You must be kidding when you mentioned that tailgating a bike (by bikers and other motorists) also happens in America. But then again this must be first-hand account and so let it be. The reason why I said that is because here in our country, there is a perception by the majority of the Filipinos that the Americans really do drive according to the law. It is very common to see comments (in motoring forums) such as, “here in the States…you won’t find it”, “here in the US, the 3-second gap is always observed”, “here in the US, drivers respect each other” and so on and so forth. Your reply just changed all that.

I’m just hoping that time will come when the majority of the motorcycle-riding public will at least be educated about the risks and how it can be controlled or better yet avoided. I’m likewise thinking that I might even join safety advocacy groups to reach out to those who don’t have the fees to pay for the seminars but are very willing to learn how to ride safely.

CrisN.

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Marcus Can Blog

If you don't like it, blame daddy. If you like it, well, that's by me – Marcus.

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