EMS arrives on scene

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Superflyer

Yes but why should I pay more attention to someone one a bike then to someone in a car. You never hear an ad for watch out for that person taling on a cell phone, while drinking a coffee and trying to put on makeup.

Maybe because you should value human life. A motorcyclist can get out of the way better than a car but they are still extremely vulnerable. I'm not condoning stupid riders and drivers but I go out of my way to not hit anyone. Too many times drivers make left turns or change lanes etc. right into a motorcycle and everybody jumps on the motorcyclist. The newspaper reporting is so one sided it just appeals to common predjudices.

Those ads in the spring are a good heads up just like the ads telling everyone schoolzones are back. The riders are rusty after the winter and drivers are not use to seeing motorcycles. Motorcyclists have just as much right to the road as the biggest SUV.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

Basically becasue it bugs me whenever someone automatically blames the motorcyclist when in fact the vast majority of motorcycle accidents are caused by careless people behind the wheel of a car.

I would argue this. Besides this mustang accident, In which the bike hit the side of the mustang, in my unproffessional opinion at a pretty high rate of speed (I drove by this right after it happened and saw the wreckage), every bike mortality I've heard about this summer has been some jackass stunting, racing or speeding.

Its ****ty for the responsible bike drivers out there, but I don't blame people for generalizing. I can see Crowchild Trail from my front window and its a weekly occurance that someone flies by at 150-200km/h. The reason you don't see people in cars doing this is the same kid that spent his $15,000 on a Honda Civic instead of a Hayabusa doesn't have the power to do dumbass things to the same degree.

I know BBS bought a relatively small displacement bike for his first one to learn on, and I wish more kids would do that. How many of these guys lay their bike down testing the limits the first week they ride? The ones that do it with passengers are the lowest of the low. And now we have an innocent dead girl.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

Those ads in the spring are a good heads up just like the ads telling everyone schoolzones are back. The riders are rusty after the winter and drivers are not use to seeing motorcycles. Motorcyclists have just as much right to the road as the biggest SUV.

I agree, the ads do serve a good purpose. The way I have the mirrors adjusted in my car I'm able to see any vehicle either straight out my front drivers or passenger side windows, or in my mirrors. With bikes though, they can hide in the small blind spot that a car wouldn't fit in, so extra shoulder checking is necessary to make sure nobody is there, and after a long winter you can get lazy.

[FireFly]

Motorcycles are dangerous whether it's because the driver of them is being a jackass, other drivers are jackasses, or road conditions suck. Proportionately speaking, there should be just as many idiots driving bikes as drive cars. However, accidents on a motorcycle tend to be more fatal than accidents in cars. If you rear-end a car, the effect is not the same as rear-ending a bike. It's much more dangerous to do it to a bike. If a car hits a patch of gravel, it's likely going to be okay as it has other wheels to keep it steady. A motorcycle... well, that's how my cousin died. He wasn't driving like a jackass (according to his brother who was riding behind him on his own bike,) he just hit a patch of gravel and lost control. This was a seasoned rider of at least 5 years. Does that happen in a car?

Family from Sundre was taking a bike tour. Dad had his kids in a sidecar and mom was riding behind on her own bike. Somebody sideswiped the sidecar and guess what mom drives up to? Her entire family dead. You sideswipe a car, does that happen?

Both the motorcyclists and other drivers on the road are responsible for everyone's safety on the road. (And don't forget about us lowly pedestrians!) You should pay more attention to motorcyclists and pedestrians because we have a lot less protection than your big hunk of fibreglass and if you hit us, you will likely kill us.