Dozen Deadly Motorcycle Safety Myths

Motorcycle cruiser published this list of a Dozen Deadly Motorcycle Safety Myths.

1. Other Drivers Don't Care About Motorcyclists
2. Loud Pipes Save Lives
3. Motorcycle Helmets Break Necks
4. Helmets Block Your Ability to See or Hear Danger
5. A Helmet Won't Help in Most Crashes
6. A Helmet Will Leave You Brain Damaged in an Crash When You Would Have Simply Died
7. A Skilled Rider Should Be Able to Handle Almost Any Situation
8. If You Are Going to Crash, Lay It Down
9. One Beer Won't Hurt
10. It's Better to Stay in Your Lane than Split Lanes
11. I'm Safer on the Street than on an Interstate
12. A Skilled Rider Can Stop Better with Conventional Brakes than with Anti-Lock Brakes

 

I can attest to this. I was in an accident at about 40 mph, where a lady pulled her bis-ass truck right out of a driveway into my lane, about 100 feet ahead of me. I did lay it down to avoid hitting her ( me and my bike slid under the front of her truck ) but amazingly, neither me or my bike actually hit her truck. If it weren't for my helmet, when my head hit the pavement, I would have been in the hospital. Instead I got up and walked away.

Insurance payout was nice though. And it inspired me to get my dumbass some proper gear. ( Yes I was in shorts and a t-shirt ) Quite the scare!

 

All too true

but I don't care.

Because I love my loud pipe! :wink:

 

Agreed. I've been down a couple of times, and both times my helmet came away with some damage. The first time, I'd have been killed. As it was, my muscles were a mess. I couldn't lift my head for two days afterwards. The second time probably would have just pissed me off, but I'll take a scrape on the brain bucket over a bloody face any day.

A helmet kept my wife from knocking herself out cold as well. She was only on the Ninja once... for about 30 seconds. Fell over sideways and off the bike. Head bounced off the driveway. W/o the helmet... who knows? It certainly would have HURT.

I think loud pipes do get other drivers' attention, but there's opening your pipes a bit and there's unnecessarily blasting the whole world. I like my Yoshi pipe. Has a nice resonance to it, but doesn't piss off my neighbors.

--J

 

This is a MYTH? On whose freeway? 8O

 

On a freeway? I doubt it. At an intersection? Until you have a "blocker" behind you, it's probably safer next to the car in front of you. Lots of stories of people getting rear-ended at lights.

Probably written by someone from calley-forn-eye-ay...

 

Being a being living in CA, I can give testimony to the idiocy of the multitudes splitting lanes out here. I would assume that it goes without saying that splitting lanes at 70+ in bumper-to-bumper is insane, it is. There is a time and a place. I'll agree that I'd rather be to the side of any vehicle in front of or behind me (Motorcycle sandwich is NOT pleasant!). But, when traffic is stopped (emphasis on stopped), there is a very reasonable opportunity to ease through traffic. The likelihood of a stopped car hitting you is pretty slim. This, of course, is not the time to rip along at neck-break speed, you annoy the cagers unnecessarily (been startled a few times myself) and put yourself and others at unnecessary risk. Easy does it, watching mirrors and window all the while to ensure safe passage. Employ the brains God gave you and you'll live a lot longer. Throw caution to the wind and some knucklehead will doubtlessly point out your folly, sometimes with tragic results.

 

I see room for argument on a few of those and room for personal interpretation, I believe I can see peripherals better with a half shell, I also believe a FF is a better safety choice, "loud pipes save lives" shouldnt be an excuse to piss everyone off with straight drags but ive already experienced not being seen/heard on my XJ when I know they would of felt/heard my harley and my HD pipes are not majorly loud. lane splitting is an interesting thing since its only legal in one US state (CA) and in other countries its just SOP. I can see how some would make it a dangerous situation but it just makes sense to let us use that space and move along.

 

Aren't the lanes wider in California?

I can't imagine fitting in between traffic here in Nebraska!

 

Yes, they are. We have the same thing in MO as you do. The lanes are narrow enough that I can't imagine trying it in most cases.

The Revised Missouri Statutes are all online, which is kind of cool. I search the traffic laws high and low for anything related to lane-splitting. It isn't specifically addressed anywhere.

However, there are several piece of general law that make it pretty much illegal except in one particular case.

You may NOT pass on the right, ever, UNLESS the person in front of you is signalling left AND there is sufficient room to do so.

That pretty much rules out splitting the lane anywhere EXCEPT to the LEFT of the LEFT-MOST, NON-TURNING lane. Then the only people to your left should be signalling left.

Under no circumstances may you pass on either side unless there is sufficient room to do so (explicit in the law), so it's back to what gremlin484 said. The narrower lanes in MO make it practically impossible in most cases.

I've been tempted to do it a few times at lights, but just when I'm about to scoot up, the light always changes. ;p

 

the way splitting or lane sharing is addressed in FL is "no two vehicles should share a lane", of course when your sitting at a light and mr escalademoreimportantthanyou crowds you to make a right on red the copper wont ever see it, and by FL law cycles should not ride side by side "CHP" style....I don't do that anyway but some do. and "myth" #1? I know the self centered cell phone talkin' cagers around here dont give 2 spits about us.

 

Here in Cali, I split lanes, but I am crazy. I am not stupid about it though, I stick to about 25-30 mph faster than traffic is going on anything under 55-60, and I pay mind numbing attention to the traffic around me when I do. One of the perks to riding a bike, expecially handy for use w/ tailgaiters.

As for the myth about Drivers dont care about motorcycles, a lot of them dont, like the cell phone comment above. I have had plenty of people tailgate me going 80 down the car pool lane, cut me off, try to block me from passing when traffic is stopped, pull some stupid reckless crap that almost gets me killed (me driving normal and safely) just to pass me or whoever is in front of them.
A lot of people have misconceptions that motorcycles are more manuverable than cars, can stop faster, we can get out of their way, basically all the things that just arent true. I can take a curve in my car much faster than on my bike (not sure about crotch rockets yet...).

Then I have had the people that keep their distance, move over in stopped traffic, drive safely and act respectful of other motorists on the road, including motorcyclists.
That top one is both right and wrong, there are those who dont care, and those who do, but you never know what to expect. I drive like I am invisible to the cars around me, because for the most part we are.

Dont know how it is a deadly misconception, thinking like that makes you drive more defensively, i.e. safely...

 

I don't even do that. 25-30 max when splitting lanes, preferably when traffic is moving as slowly as possible (preferably at a standstill). If the surrounding traffic is moving any faster than that, I drop back into a lane.

 

chilidog--i heard this past summer lane splitting is now legal in FL,
and side-by-side at lower speeds, as in Bikeweek. It would take forever
to roll a line of bikes from a light one at a time.
about once a month I "squish" thru when 2 cars stay locked together.
#9 Honestly, who drinks 1 beer?
This guy in a Mercedes merged into my lane, and he was looking at me,
and he kept coming over! makes me want a "cop" looking bike.

 

What you really need to do in that situation is drop back and get his license plate number, and follow him to wherever he's going. Don't talk to the guy, confront him, or anything. Just park nearby and call the police.

At one end of the scale, it's a traffic violation. At the other end - since he was looking straight at you - it's assault with a deadly weapon. Putting other people in danger is illegal. You can make it stick.

I've noticed the same thing as Jack, and I'd add that the people who are especially courteous to bikers are either bikers themselves or have biker relatives/friends. I'm a LOT more aware of motorcycles in my car than I used to be before I had my own. I suddenly see them everywhere. I've even been known to cut in between a bike and some tailgater and force the $^!& back 30 feet or so. They don't like it much, but I don't get paid to make them happy.

 

Not on the motorcycle, but riding a bicycle in the city here I get lots of drivers that will try to run me off the road or squeeze me out of a lane because they don't feel like bicycles deserve to use the road...

It usually ends with their door getting kicked in or a rock getting hurled at their car.

Nobody's ever tried to 'confront' me after that as I'm sure it wouldn't end in their favor if the cops ended up there. "Well, I was trying to run him off the road and he got pissed about it" wouldn't really get you out of a bad situation.

I'm tempted to split lanes here on the XJ occasionally, but only when traffic is stopped because of a wreck or something on the interstate. I'm always paranoid about getting a ticket for it though, as it's not legal here. Plus, in most situations where traffic is stopped on the interstate long enough to make me want to split lanes, it's usually because of a wreck or some serious construction, and a pretty solid guarantee there are going to be cops around right at the front of the lanes I'd be splitting, so not such a great idea.