I have long felt that motorcycles are foolish. Reason being: the safest, most careful motorcycle driver in the world is at the mercy of people driving heavier vehicles; namely: everyone else.
Last week, a man who was parked at a stoplight on his motorcycle who was killed when a car ran into him. I met another man who was standing on a sidewalk when an elderly woman lost control of her car and hit him and a family member. He broke over a dozen bones and lost the ability to work for more than two years. His story reminded me of Stephen King's near-death experience in 1999 when he was struck by a driver whose dog was loose in his van.
I used to live and work on a university campus, and was amazed at the number of otherwise intelligent young people (it was a top-25 school that required high GPA and college boards for admission) who would cross (or even walk up the middle of) a street with earbuds in, looking at their phone, without the slightest notion there might be a driver doing the same thing. I'm seriously amazed there have not been any pedestrian deaths on that campus.
Particularly today, when most phone-addled drivers are distracted in a way that would make Mr. Bean ashamed, it's only prudent to drive a relatively heavy car, to remain constantly aware of your surroundings whether driving, walking, or biking, and to realize that the world is full of stupid, clueless people who can kill you without trying.
So while I'm sure driving a motorcycle is an awesome feeling, like autoerotic asphyxiation, I've never tried either, and for the same reason: the downside risk is too great.
Last week, a man who was parked at a stoplight on his motorcycle who was killed when a car ran into him. I met another man who was standing on a sidewalk when an elderly woman lost control of her car and hit him and a family member. He broke over a dozen bones and lost the ability to work for more than two years. His story reminded me of Stephen King's near-death experience in 1999 when he was struck by a driver whose dog was loose in his van.
I used to live and work on a university campus, and was amazed at the number of otherwise intelligent young people (it was a top-25 school that required high GPA and college boards for admission) who would cross (or even walk up the middle of) a street with earbuds in, looking at their phone, without the slightest notion there might be a driver doing the same thing. I'm seriously amazed there have not been any pedestrian deaths on that campus.
Particularly today, when most phone-addled drivers are distracted in a way that would make Mr. Bean ashamed, it's only prudent to drive a relatively heavy car, to remain constantly aware of your surroundings whether driving, walking, or biking, and to realize that the world is full of stupid, clueless people who can kill you without trying.
So while I'm sure driving a motorcycle is an awesome feeling, like autoerotic asphyxiation, I've never tried either, and for the same reason: the downside risk is too great.
