Sitting here dealing with the lingering pain in my reconstructed ankle, I want to be seen when I get the bike back together. Saw a metric outfitted with the modulating headlight and will be installing one on my chopper. If they don't see that, they wouldn't see a bull elephant charging down on them. Every little bit helps!

 

I didn't put words in your mouth. You typed a long list of things you do while driving, including talking on the phone and typing on a computer. All I asked you is if you think you are as good a driver when doing that as you are when you aren't. It's a simple question really.

 

I just figure if you want to read the info, you cold google cell phone usage and driving, and pull the articles up yourself. If you can't, I'll post the links when I get back home and have the time. Going riding now.

[code]

http://bicycleuniverse.info/cars/cellphones.html
This article provides findings from the New England Journal of Medicine.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...12/137294.html
This one is from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Both articles state that the chance of being involved in a collsion is 4 times greater while on the phone, the same as the legal limit of DUI. If you want more articles, look them up yourself.

 

What bothers me is the idiots that drive that shouldn't be on the road. The guy that ran us over had a prior record as long as your arm and was driving still. So when does He get taken off the street ?

We were on a trip to Smyrna Tenn. We were riding around town looking for a Tom Thumb when this mexican just ran right out in front of us. He never stopped at all. We were in my Duromax diesel.

Now when we go on a trip, rather than look at the beauty and country, we count the people that didn't stop at stop signs and break the law. In most cases we don't make it fifty miles without counting up to at least 4 . Im totally astonished at some of what I've seen on the road lately. I can't believe people would even do such stupid shot. I saw a lady pull into oncoming traffic that was going 55 mph with kids in the back just to hurry and get across the street. Five cars slammed on breaks and she almost got plastered. I see it all the time now. We've got a lot of idiots on the road. So, They kill someone. What do you think there worry is ? Am I going to be sued ? What about ME ? MY life will suck. Wonder how long they worried about the people they hit ?

One things for sure. Something has to be done. It can start with us. But until we join in together, it wont happen and bikers will keep getting killed .

 

STANDING OVATION!

 

Thirty years ago there was a lot less traffic. It's crazy now. And of course a lot more of us are riding motorcycles in horrible traffic without improved transportation venues!

I'm not scared to death every time I ride, but I'm aware of what a gauntlet it is to stay alive! Not too many days go by that I don't have someone pull in front of me. And I come home a lot and say "guess what tried to kill me TODAY?"

I work on a military base. With ZERO tolerance concerning traffic! If you go 3 miles over the speed limit, your azz is grazz. And if you have not taken a safety course and don't wear ALL motorcycle safety gear, your not getting on this base. I don't like wearing all the gear, but I feel safer here than off base! Just sayin!

I know people that have ridden bikes all their lives and never even dropped their bikes. And I know people that started riding 2 years ago and have died.

It's a crap shoot out there for sure...and ESPECIALLY if you are driving amongst teens(biggest threat on the road) and older people(at least they go slow!).

I am looking at every cross road I come to. I'm alert at every stop light, and always looking for a way out, etc. It's exhausting staying alive out there!!!

 

You see, I've occasionally used cell phones while driving. And have been trice as cautious when I used them. But I don't pretend I was right just because it all went well.

Your attention span is a finite resource. What you use for tasks other than driving is subtracted from the main task at hand: the one that can cost lives.

I cocnede that there's a lot of people out there that can't talk and walk at the same time 'cause their brain can't provide sufficient electric power for driving both legs and mouth. But there are also lots of people who doesn't know their limits and think that just because they've always been lucky, they are better. Like you.

Confidence is knowledge of your skill.
Arrogance is ignorance of your limits.

A post like this just shows your arrogance better than any reply could possibily do.

 

Well apparently banning cellphones isn't the answer. Theone study conducted in Australia was donein a townwheretalking on cellphones had already been banned for 4 years.

Now I'm sorry to hear, Harleyforeverflhx, that your friend haslost his leg.I feel sorryeverytime I hear about a motorcyclist getting either hurt or killed.I have found the replies to this thread quite interesting. Many people seem to wantlaws to be made that provide stifferpenalties for car versus motorcycleaccidents, and the reason that is being used is "for our own safety". However if you look at someof the recent threads such asanything about helmet laws and the bills being proposed totake motorcycles away from people going a certain mph over the speed limit and it's taking away or rights and freedoms.So ifthey're goingto make stiffer laws against motorist to protect us shouldn't we also accept stiffer laws against motorcyclists to protect us as well?

 

Joel, we're riled becausethis"accident" could have been avoided.When the girlstruck the motorcyclist,she wasdistracted by a fight witha passengerover a cell phone. She didn't deliberately hit the motorcyclist, but she was negligent.Her punishment warrants more than just amoving violation.

 

Lucky? Arrogance? The letters "FU" come to mind. There is nothing lucky about going 25 years in a driving career without being involved in an accident. There is nothing arrogant about knowing what you can do, what you can't do, and knowing the people around you are oblivious to everything except themselves.
I have a supreme knowledge of my ability behind the wheel and what my equipment will do in every situation. The problem seems to arise with people that lack the skills neccessary trying to place themselves in another person's position. Recognizing they lack the ability of others, they try to impugn a person with greater ability and write it off as arrogance when the reailty is they (that would be you) simply lack the skill, training, and God-gifted talent that the other person (i.e., me) has.

Both you and sldavis have made assumptions that lack the substance to rail against me. Yes, I multitask while driving. Yes, my attention level to driving is lower if I have to take my eyes off the road but, I don't take my eyes off the road without a proper scan of the situation at hand including where I will be when my eyes are back on the road. It isn't a trick to look and note the speed of traffic flowing ahead, beside, and behind you before doing anything that will require your attention. A side street, not going to risk it. Heavy traffic, not going to risk it. Open highway with ten or more seconds of cushion between me and the nearest vehicle, sure I'll take my eyes off the road for three to five seconds to read a weather update or respond to a querry about my ETA or whatever else I need to do.

You don't make it out here with dumb luck. It takes skill, training, purpose, and a constant lookout for the idiots that infest our society that ignore the rules of the road and put all of us in danger. That is why my first comments in this thread are demanding that mandatory training and testing be implemented at the state level for all drivers on a continuing basis. No one has the "right" to drive, it is the State that gives that right and it is the State that should be held accountable when those they grant permission to operate a vehicle prove they are unworthy of that privilege.