Motorbikes more dangerous, campaigner warns

**Macktheknife** · 6th July 2006, 10:03

Originally Posted by Str8 Jacket

Cause I am an angry person, cause I get pissed of that other road users dont look, cause I get easily stressed, cause I wish that I could carry a gun on my bike.....

A year ago I had never even driven a car on the road (bar once when I was 15). Before then I had never experienced road rage and inconsiderant drivers/riders now having been on the road less than 11 months while teaching myself to ride and learn the road code etc I have developed a major case of Road Rage! I never realised how many idiots (drivers and riders) were really out there, I reckon travelling around town is one of the most stressful things you can do, even more stressful than my job. I would just really love to be able to go out and just ride from A to B just concentrating on what IM doing not what the car up the road, in front of me, reversing out of that carpark or turning vehicle is going to do. Not to mention kids playing cricket in the middle of the road, but thats a whole different story!
Me, I just look forward to the weekends when I can get as far from town as possible and just RIDE!

Hey str8,
I can understand where you are coming from but you need to think about this a bit more IMO. the bit bolded above is the only bit that troubles me, this is exactly the kind of attitude that many cagers have, they dont think about the kids, traffic, other road users thats why they cause so many problems.
You need to accept that cagers are stupid by nature and they do stupid things, then you can stop stressing about it and just deal with it. It is the responsibility of ANY road user to consider the environment in which they travel, including kids, trucks, bikes, idiots of all types, and road conditions, that is what you are supposed to do. The fact that you are doing it is great, just remember not to be pissed off about it, you are doing what you are meant to do.
As for the Dog and Lemon guy, well seriously what can you expect from someone who contradicts themselves in only 3 sentences and drives a 40 year old car because it's safer! Why be upset with someone like this, pity the poor man who has not got the courage to live his life without wrapping himself in steel and airbags because he is so fearful!
Today you took action to protect yourself from idiots and you were very successful...twice. Congratulate yourself on what you have done and recognise that you are becoming a better rider because of it.
Cheers
Mack

**Sparky Bills** · 6th July 2006, 10:15

Its the same old story. Nothing changes, and nothing ever will!

Let people make up their own mind, if they dont want to ride, thats cool.
What ever they do, ill still be on my bike most weekdays and weekends.

Im never going to stop riding!
They can raise the acc levys, tax us more, pick on us on the roads. Its not going to stop me!

**Str8 Jacket** · 6th July 2006, 10:16

Originally Posted by Macktheknife

Today you took action to protect yourself from idiots and you were very successful...twice. Congratulate yourself on what you have done and recognise that you are becoming a better rider because of it.
Cheers
Mack

Mate, I fully agree with everything you, Jim, Motu and Ixion have all said. I usually dont have a problem with avoiding other road users and do accept that most of them just dont see us. Anyone that knows me knows that I have escaped many many many situations purely just by being aware of what is going on around me. Ive watched as a car has pulled into a lane in front of a car in front of me and braked only to have the two cars crash right in front of me and had I not had braked I wouldve crashed right into them... I had an old guy literally walk out of the shadows (dark night) straight into my bike, I stopped in time to save his head while thcar tailgating me managed to avoid me. Just about everyday a car pulls out in front of me or changes lanes on top of me, I manage to avoid an accident at least 2-3 times a week. Last month a taxi driver opened his door right on top of me while a 4WD'er was coming straight toward me on my side of the lane and I managed to stop without doing to much damage to the taxi door. Trust me I know about being aware and usually I just get over these things. However somewhere along the way this morning while riding in the pissing rain with my hayfever persistently letting me know it was there and after those 2 drivers tried killing me then getting to work only to have to fix other numbnuts problems I snapped after reading that article!

The thread was supposed to be purely about that article but obviously went of track by my own doing...

**Macktheknife** · 6th July 2006, 10:32

Well then.... carry on! lol
Hope you get to feel better today hayfaver in this weather isnt much fun. enjoy the rest of the week anyway
Mack

**Str8 Jacket** · 6th July 2006, 10:34

Originally Posted by Macktheknife

Well then.... carry on! lol
Hope you get to feel better today hayfaver in this weather isnt much fun. enjoy the rest of the week anyway
Mack

Cheers mate, I feel heaps better after a vent. Dont know if my workmates liked it though.... I feel crappy and want to go to bed but to be honest im probably alot safer just staying at work!

**Bend-it** · 6th July 2006, 10:42

That's the spirit Sparky!!

Originally Posted by Sparky's Sig

Motorcycing is not a hobby, It is a way of life!

Just gotta keep it a way of life more than a way of death is all...

**Fatjim** · 6th July 2006, 11:26

And that includes motocyclists. We don't often learn untill we're "punished" in some sort of way. That may be a lack of skin on your thighs from an off, your kid drowns because you weren't watching or you get electrocuted when you stuck the keys on the power socket. Hence the saying "you'll only do that once won't you?"

The same goes for cage drivers. I agree they should have a higher standard of training than motorcyclists because they are less likely to learn the hard way when they pull out in front of someone. Whereas a motorcyclist learns the hard way every time they ride. What if the minimum age of a driver is a year older than a motorcyclist, then they would be more likely to start as a motorcyclist.

I also agree in the steal caps. A good kick to the door after the shite that Str8 goes through, (and she's been knocked off more I can remember) not only saves her but the rest of us, from that idiot the next time they start texting/talking/eating/smoking while driving.

I'm a fan of DFWM. Don't Fuck With Motorcyclists.

**Swoop** · 6th July 2006, 11:27

Originally Posted by speights_bud

Lets b h0nest here guys motorbikes are gay no matter what shape or form they come in. im not kidding, look owt ur window, its raining, mmm thats tempting 2 go for a ride. not. whats worse than wearing leather??? wearing wet leather! im just staring 2 realise how much better cars are! i mean a roof!! that genius!! why cant bikes have 1 of them? oh thats rite, bikes are gay.

Poor attempt at a troll, too obvious.
2/10.

See me after class.

**Korea** · 6th July 2006, 12:08

Originally Posted by Fatjim

...I also agree in the steal caps. A good kick to the door after the shite that Str8 goes through, (and she's been knocked off more I can remember) not only saves her but the rest of us, from that idiot the next time they start texting/talking/eating/smoking while driving.

I'm a fan of DFWM. Don't Fuck With Motorcyclists.

Who gave you exclusive rights to damage other people's property?
What if the shoe was on the other foot? Eg/ Bike pulls out on a car, or splits dangerously in moving traffic? Should car drivers take revenge on us???
I can see the car forums now:
"Yeah, bikers need to be punished or they'll never learn. Keep a steel bar with ya and clothesline 'em, or when one splits lanes, knock him off the bike with your car"

Dude, one revenge just begets another revenge. If not against you, then against another poor rider.

Think about it ~ if you were in a car and did something silly, would having a biker smash your door in or smashing your mirror off make you see the error of your ways???
"Oh, thank you for roughing up my property - I've really learnt my lesson now. Sorry Mr. Biker! I'll be more careful next time..."
Yeah, right.

Maybe you don't really ride around with a steel bar, but there's probably plenty of impressionable KBers on here who might take you seriously and get some silly ideas of their own.

Wise up to dealing with car driver's daily moronic episodes; it's part of the riding gig.

Safe riding all...
*rant over*

**SPman** · 6th July 2006, 13:21

Originally Posted by Lou Girardin

This explains a lot. .................
No-one has mentioned an increase in fatals for us though.

She said 19 motorcyclists had been killed this year, compared with 24 at the same time last year.

ON THEIR BIKES

2003: 6772 new motorcycle registrations, 761 injuries and 28 fatalities.

2004: 8869 new registrations, 721 injuries and 34 fatalities.

2005: 12,789 new registrations, 903 injuries and 36 fatalities.

**Rashika** · 6th July 2006, 13:47

interesting stats.
So although the number of bikes has gone up hugely the injuries is only moderate and the fatalities minimal. That seems to fk up their theory of major increase in accidents just a little.
The bit that still gets me though is that they do lump all the 2 wheeled motored vehicles together, even though as said on other threads scooter riders only have to have a *licence*, either car or bike....so a lot of scooter riders prob dont have bike licences. Seems little point in making a bike licence harder to get if they dont need it in the first place.
So I guess out there at the moment, there are probably an awful lot of ex-car drivers just figuring out that there are a lot of wanker car drivers out there too...

ahhh now THAT thought is quite nice.
Unfortunately it probably wont be the *average* driver who does convert over... just all the broke ones, who could never afford a great big hulking killer 4WD anyway!

**hsvboy06** · 6th July 2006, 13:56

Originally Posted by Goblin

It should be MUCH harder to get a car licence

and car drivers should be limited to 250cc for the first 12 months!

**sunhuntin** · 6th July 2006, 14:13

str8...not a dig at you ok. but just my thoughts...

way i see it...there heaps of stuff out there that can seriously injure or kill one of us every day.....whether its white paint in the wet, or a sparrow flies into us, or a car comes out of nowhere and sends us flying, or we come off and go through that cheese grater shit thats everywhere.... we cant get rid of the bird or the cage anymore than we can erase the white paint or up root the cheese cutter.....the last two are a permanent part of our surroundings, we know they are there, so take extra caution.
we dont know what the cager is going to do...so we just assume the worst and take more caution. ive had cagers pull some stupid shit on me as well....underpassing, driving so close i literally cant see much more than the grill in my mirrors, overtaking on the highway and forcing me out of the lane to do so, pulling out of a stop sign and connecting with me, putting me on crutches and then refusing to pay.
the amount of moped riders i get in my job wearing little more than a helmet, i just shake my head and hope darwin goes easy on them. 99% are young [ie, high school] and wouldnt have a clue....they ride in clusters, all over the roads and some even on the footpaths. ive even seen kids on scooters towing kids on skateboards. if a learner car is looking to get out on a scooter, then they should have to apply for something similar to a motorbike license but that would not permit them over 50cc.....like car learners 101 kinda deal...just an extra stamp and some indepth training...maybe as a school course, run by AA or something. i would have done that course if it had been avaliable at school. one class did do car driving lessons...which i refused to do.

**Str8 Jacket** · 6th July 2006, 14:56

Ok, so most have taken my thread completely the wrong way. It did not start out as a dig at other road users or about my anger problem. I was just simply interested in the facts etc of the article and what others thought about it. The fact that I had almost been run over twice this morning prompted me to post it out of general interest. Yes I have bad luck while riding sometimes, but I dont usually get as worked up over it as I did today. This morning it was pissing wth rain and I was feeling like shite only to get to work to find out I had to fix other incompetentness (new word?) so yes I did get worked up in some of my posts but I dont usually get so worked up, I usually laugh about it....