There is an often repeated mantra on this site...."all cagers are out to kill you!"......
I think this is more of a perception than a reality that is passed on from biker to biker like a juicy piece of gossip. I might well be leading a charmed life but the statement does not fit my experience. While I have had the odd "experience" or two with car drivers, given the number I encounter on any ride I have been pleasantly surprised at how many will pull to the left to let me pass without having to cross the centre line and occaisionally, in the twisties, almost come to a stop to let myself and others carry on through. I always acknowledge their actions and am constantly surprised at how many bikers do not. Like I said, maybe I am lucky. Either that or the sight of a leather clad blimp on a canary yellow bike is too much for some drivers to have in their rear view mirrors, or maybe they just need a good laugh.......("hey kids, take a look at this!!....)
Just a few points from the article mentioned in my last post in this thread;(please bear in mind this is a discussion Titled "Are Car Drivers The Problem?" and is in reference to the involvement of cagers in biker deaths i.e they are all out to kill you).
"Sussex Police Inspector Simon Labbett spent many years trying to understand why bikers die........His research tracked down what kinds of bike were involved in all 55 fatal accidents in Sussex between 2000 and 2003.....of the 55 fatalities, 37 occurred on sportbikes, 11 on sports tourers, two on commuters, one on a tourer and one on a retro.....and in more than 9 out of 10 of these deaths, rider error - usually excessive speed - was the main cause of the crash.............The reasons why car drivers take the rap are easy enough to understand even if they are flawed....most bike collisions happen in built up areas and those are indeed someone else's fault - a driver emerging from a side road and the familiar "Sorry mate, I didn't see you" story. However most fatal accidents happen in 60mph limits on open roads. Failure to see the bike (as a reason for the accident) goes down dramatically and rider error becomes much more significant....."
Food for thought for all of us, methinks.
"Twilight's like soccer. They run around for two hours, nobody scores, and a billion fans insist you just don't understand"
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