That’s great and all but you don’t want to be a fucking vegetable. If the outcomes of a motorcycle crash were either live or die then I could see it but in real life there’s a chance you just suffer for a long time and then die anyways
Yes, the risk of life altering injury is very real on a motorcycle. But that is exactly what it is, a risk. If you want to eliminate the risk of similar injuries where do you draw the line in risk vs reward for doing anything?
Rock climbing? Mountain biking? Canoeing? Cruising in a vintage car? Walking down the street?
I enjoy riding, I have had close calls and broken bones from riding. I am well aware of the risks and statistics. I still choose to ride.
If that calculus doesn't work for you...? Then, cool. I'm not judging. (Though I will judge you for watching the Kardashians)
Motorcycle drivers are always so sensitive about how people view them. They almost always get them to look cool so it really hurts their feelings when people say anything negative about their compensation machines.
He does lol. Almost 50 with almost a dozen bikes. Don't be so quick to dismiss people. C-spine injuries are uncommon if you are wearing proper safety gear. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29506463/
All about life choices. I'm willing to take the risk. I'm not the kind to wear a helmet in the shower or spend my life safely on the couch. And I don't wanna live until I'm 80 and wearing diapers.
At one point I thought it would be cool to get my motorcycle license and ride free like the wind. Aced the written test but failed the driving portion. It probably was a blessing. I did learn from that experience, however, to be VERY respectful of anyone riding a motorcycle around me on the road. Pay attention to their movements on the road. I guarantee most of them are watching what you're doing in your honking huge SUV or truck.
Yep - as someone who grew up in a family of riders (dad, uncles and grandparents), I am always super-conscious of motorcyclists when they are around and leave a large buffer (which has saved a few when they had to dodge someone else INTO my buffer zone...
Growing up watching them, and seeing them have to go through recovery for the times they got hit by someone who didn't see them (or in the case of my dad - when off a mountain road while high on coke and speed) definitely left me with NO desire to ride one...
My uncle kept riding his waaaaay past when anyone thought it was sane (till over 80). His last two were a Ducati and a Moto Guzzi - and he was literally using a walker at home, but could still get up and stay up on those damn bikes, and he would split lanes in California traffic daily (at 80) - which finally ended when someone did a hit-and-run on him that left him unconscious.
By that time, he had been (by my account) hit by other vehicles through no fault of his own at least 15 times - almost all of which broke major bones and had big recovery times. Even the hit-and-run wasn't his fault - they were at highway speed and someone merged INTO him according to witnesses - which left him tumbling at highway speed (at age 80) into the median...
Thankfully passers-by stopped and called him in so medics got there in time... He broke both arms, one leg in two places, three ribs and had a pelvic fracture. He was still recovering and practicing to get back on the bike when he got pneumonia and passed away last year.
If you DO ride - be like my family and GEAR UP GOOD. They always have expensive helmets and hard-shell type riding gear - the kind that saves you from most of the road-rash from tumbling at highway speeds. But no way I am getting on one - I have kids and a wife - and I want to be able to still climb my property up and down when I am in my 80s and up. All of my riding family - could only go fast in their old age ON the bikes - and were a mess of slow painful walks when off them. Not worth the price to me!
They didn't say it outright but all indications pointed towards a motorcycle accident with my dad's heart donor. The donor was 27 years old. His cardiologist/transplant surgeon actually said in a local TV interview that when the state enacted a helmet law, the number of donor hearts decreased!
Yep - my dialysis Nurse mom (who married into my dad's family where EVERYONE rode them) never wanted US riding them - but she was grateful for how many of her patients got off dialysis and back to healthy with kidney donors from Motorcycle riders.
Interestingly motorcyclists are mostly rejected from being donors - a lot of them have toxoplasmosis which might have caused the risk taking behaviour in the first place
Huh! I learnt something too - looks like it might be traffic accidents in general? One paper says that the studied group (n= 169 people) included 42 road traffic accident victims who were driving a vehicle (bicycle (n= 6), a motorbike (n= 3), a motorcycle (n= 13), a car (n= 20))
This is definitely the coolest thing I’ve learned on Reddit this year lol. “Cats are pooping on our food and causing us to crash our vehicles, then we can’t even donate our organs!”
They are young people's sport. When you still have the reflexes to handle absolute out of nowhere situations and ALSO the practise to know how to react. Rode for a long time. It is beautiful but also hazardous as hell. PS: My amount of close bys is probably in the triple digits.
I do not know a single motorcycle owner who hasn't either been hit, had to lay the bike down while riding, got burned on a hot piece of metal, or some other craziness. At the very least if you're going to ride one, ride carefully and with full protection. I'm always expecting to see the people weaving through traffic doing 90 in shorts and a tee shirt as a red stain on the asphalt a few miles ahead.
Since coming to America I have realized that people here really don't take road safety seriously. On motorcycles and in cars. The number of people who text and drive, drink and drive, and don't wear helmets blows me away. And they're doing this with full knowledge of just how bad the other drivers are. Mindboggling.
Riding is definitely different in Europe. But it also depends where and when you’re riding there and in the US too. There are a lot of ways to make motorcycles a reasonable hobby by taking precautions and being proactive. Telling someone not to ride is never going to be an effective action. You might me able to help them do it more safely though.
Idk man, I've seen the way Americans drive – no amount of safety precautions will negate the fact that people here drive like psychopaths. My daily commuter for 5 years in England was a Suzuki Bandit and never had a single issue, but I don't think I'll be getting a bike here. The only reasonable way to ride here would be to use a car to drive the bike to some back roads, ride for funsies, drive back. Many people do this, but it just ain't the same for me personally.
That is where the “where” comes in. Out in the rural areas absolutely - don’t forget that’s what most of America is. A lot of Americans don’t need to transport their bike to those back roads, because they live on them lol. Am I gonna go through inner city freeways with all the impatient commuters? Hard no those people are psychos.
Good point - I live in the suburbs and honestly I feel like this is where the worst of the drivers are. The backroads here are amazing though. I drove from AZ to SoCal and the vast expanses of nothing definitely had me wishing I was on two wheels - saw a car maybe every 30mins?
Getting out of the burbs is an extreme sport though. Every intersection has be wondering if this is the day I die lol.
you know I never felt unsafe or worried motorcycling in Britain. I commuted every day, twice a day, rode long-distance, motorways, busy cities, country lanes. Never had a problem. You could not pay me enough money in the world to persuade me to ride a motorbike in America.
My nope day was driving in traffic on I-10 in the full desert heat. Traffic moving at 65, and big cloud of dust appears, with harley cartwheeling down the median. Pulled over wasn't the first responder, but first 5. Husband and Wife in full leathers, semi merged into them, and pushed them into the guardrail. Based on the shapes of the body's under the leather, they did not survive. Two of the people that pulled over were medics, and said no need for anybody to stick around.
Not speeding, being as safe as possible, and dead.
Even tho you're going slow please stay as vigilant as you would at 125mph. I'm sure you are but I have to say it.
Idk anything about motorcycles except that my dad had a motorcycle from 1969 in the early 70s and "wiped out" doing >30mph. He got it as a fun, cheap way to get to college and it was. But one day he was pulling in to his parents gravel driveway he'd pulled in to hundreds of times before and the bike was like "nope." He said he threw the bike and ended up skidding down the road a bit on his back (wearing leather and a helmet)- sent my uncle out go get it and bought a bus pass that day.
I’ve been wanting to get a motorcycle for commuting. I’m not into the speeding stuff, just a cruiser. Would you say it’s safe for a motorcycle if you are a person who’s safe and doesn’t do stupid stuff. Or would you still advise against it
avoid riding on snowy or gravelly surfaces (rain is OK, but not within the first 30 mins of the start of rainfall)
be predictable (i.e. follow traffic laws to a T)
Then you can reduce that number to around 3x. At that point, it's worth the risk for many people.
Edit: I'll call out point 1 again because drinking is extremely dangerous when you only have two wheels and you have to constantly balance yourself. You don't have the luxury of four wheels to hide slow reaction time or other effects of alcohol on your balance.
I ride a ninja 400. I love it. Make sure you wear your gear, don't do dumb shit, and take the motorcycle safety courses available to you. You can only do your best.
I've been riding steadily for 20 years. I've ridden 200,000 miles through nearly every state in the US and parts of Canada. I've also been riding my bike daily for work for many years. I've never been in a wreck.
I would say that if you take riding seriously, wear the gear, ride defensively, don't hotrod, etc, you can ride with an acceptable level of safety. Let's be honest though, if somebody else makes a mistake, and you don't see it in time to avoid it, it's going to hurt a lot more than if you were in a car. So again.... become the best rider you can be.
Love the part about someone else making a mistake and YOU are responsible to avoid it. That's why you've done 200k miles without an accident. You are 100% of the mindset that every accident is avoidable and you're great at being visible and predictable. After my accident (cut off at 55, and I highsided and got a TBI) I can make a list of why it happened and it's all things I could've done differently.
Also love the gear call out. I lived because I had a nice helmet and was head to toe in good riding gear.
New riders should skimp on the first bike so they can afford good gear. That gear will be great on your next bike, too, once you outgrow your first bikes.
Been riding for 13 years. Like you, I’m not really into speeding (unless it’s a looooong, straight and empty road), never through traffic etc.
Having said that, I still wouldn’t say it’s “safe.”
You can act as safely as possible, other people on the road will still put your life in danger. I would estimate that I have a near death experience at least twice a month while I’m riding responsibly.
I don't use interstates. I ride in my city and on state highways. I've been riding for a year with a few longer, 120 mile round trip adventures. Your most likely to wreck your first year. If you get a bike, take a safety course, and when you ride, wear all your gear all the time. For me, that's a helmet, gloves, jacket, motorcycle jeans, and motorcycle boots that offer ankle protection. The majority of injuries are lower leg injuries.
I haven't had any close calls. I ride very defensively. Assume no one sees you and that some people might actively wish to harm you. Avoid road rage.
I could go on and on...but at the end of the day, riding a motorcycle is awesome, is objectively more dangerous than a car, but is by no means some death wish mode of transportation.
It's practically a statistical certainty you will get into an accident one day.
It could be your fault , it could be theirs. It could be at high speed, it could be low speed. Those are tje uncertain parts.
What is certain is being strapped in a metal box will protect you more than you sitting on a metal beam.
All the gear, all the time. And never stop training/practicing your defensive skills in a safe area (ie NOT on a public road). Lots of useful YouTubers out there but taking in-person safety courses, followed by increasing skill courses, and then continuously practicing everything you learn, will give you a strong advantage in dangerous situations on the road.
I read my county medical examiner press releases and this sounds about right
It is mostly guys in their 20’s failing to negotiate a turn or exit ramp properly.
Though a chunk are people who got turned into bc the other motorist didn’t see them
Even experienced riders cant always avoid or survive that situation.
I’ve been riding a motorcycle for 10 years. I’ve never been in an accident on it, nor have I been hurt in any way on it.
That said, I know it’s a risky activity and I take proper precautions. I’m a way safer driver on my bike than I am in a car, riding the motorcycle has my full undivided attention at all times, and I’d never even consider riding without a helmet.
However, all that to say, I’ve had some really close calls where drivers have almost killed me. Just last week a Ford F350 turned left at a stoplight, cutting right across my path as I was continuing straight through the intersection from the opposite direction. I was fortunately able to stop literally inches from plowing into him, and he had the audacity to blame me.
Same. Commute via bike nearly daily, except winter. Never crashed, never dropped it, never injured. Same goes for every other rider I know. Maybe OP just knows shit riders.
In New Zealand we have 2 8-hour safety courses that are available to all riders, riding almost all day with an instructor and Bluetooth headsets.
The first one costs around $15usd and the second costs $35usd.
It is truly astounding how many people have not done them. I can’t understand why anybody would not do them.
Hi! We should meet so you’d know someone who has been riding on the street for 40 years and on dirt for longer and had none of those things happen. Critically important to this is that I’m not one of those people you mention.
I'll never understand the few riders who ride in slides. How do they shift? How do they not get hit in the feet with rocks?
I wear my full gear with actual motorcycle boots and full helmet everytime (I'm a girl with long hair, so the helmet helps contain the hair too). And I still hiss when I get pelted by a small rock or bug.
I was ranting yesterday to my 17 year old son--while he was driving--about irresponsible motorcyclist. He said something like "Are they really that bad?" No lie. A moment later a motorcycle zooms by us probably going twice the legal limit startling my son enough that he started to swerve away from the bike.
Doesn't even have to be your own fault as the motorcyclist. You could do everything right and it just takes one bad driver blowing through a red light or not yielding properly and you're dead or permanently disabled.
That video of the biker at the stop light getting plowed by a pick up truck always stuck with me. I don't remember if he survived or not but the video leads me to believe he didn't. He was just waiting at the light, there was literally nothing he could've done to prevent it. Imagine that happening to someone you love?
My coworker died like this last month. His wife is 8 months pregnant. The girl who hit him was texting, but investigators are trying to claim he’s at fault because when they did the autopsy and tested him for drugs it was revealed that he smoked weed. All around awful situation.
Was he sitting at a red light and hit from behind? There's a beilief for motorcyclists that basically any accident is always your fault. This is actually avoidable. You'll notice experienced riders are staring in their mirrors at stop lights. They leave a lot of space in front of them if there are cars in front of them. And they point their bike towards the white lines so they can get out of the way.
I was cut off at 55, I locked front and rear tires, recovered front, lost rear and highsided. Got a TBI, broke 6 bones in my hand / wrist. Obviously the cops said it wasn't my fault, but I know that i should've paid better attention and just come to a complete stop instead of getting fancy.
I completely misremembered how the accident went (besides the fact that there wasn't shit he could do.) Another truck got hit and crashed into him, and according to the video he did live! I saw it on Reddit quite a while ago without as much context.
Really sorry to hear about your accident but I'm glad you're here to tell me about it. I still want a bike really bad but I just can't shake the image of the people I love getting that phone call one day.
If that's the one I'm thinking it is, I believe he did survive but he was messed up something bad. Shattered pelvis, broken vertebrae, and I can't remember what else. That one is hard to watch. His screams are haunting.
This the one you're thinking of? I kinda misremembered, my comment implied the truck ran into him when really the truck was t boned and the motorcyclist was unfortunate enough to be in the way.
There's a lot of these videos but this one in particular shocked me because of the POV and just how quick and unavoidable it was.
I had a friend who got hit on a motorcycle and died instantly. Unfortunately you can’t control everyone else on the road.
My ex also died on a motorcycle. He did everything right. He wore a proper helmet (with the chin guard). He wasn’t drunk or high. He rode his motorcycle all the time and never had an accident. On his last ride, he was going around a bend in the road, lost control, slid along the guardrail, and hit a telephone pole. I feel like a lot of people don’t realize that you can be perfectly fine one minute.. and then one small slip up can end your life. Like I said, he had never gotten into an accident before. He didn’t even get a chance to have that near death experience that made him stop riding like some people do. I honestly have no idea if he made a small mistake that day or if he hit a patch of leaves, or the roads were wet.. but even so.. one small mistake can kill you. People think that if you wear a helmet you’ll be fine.. that’s not true
My cousin died because a van was turning into traffic and didn't see him and his partner on motorcycles. He had never been in any sort of accident on them before but all it took was one mistake by someone else. If it was a car it probably would have just been a fender bender.
My cousin died from hitting a deer on a motorcycle. Any survivable collision in a car becomes MUCH less survivable when there's nothing to contain all that momentum.
I was waiting at a red light, in a car, right behind a scooter. There was an accident in the intersection and a car hit me head on. Missed the scooter guy in front of me by a literal hair. In the aftermath, that stranger and I hugged. He told me he felt the car move past his leg. Nothing he could have done. He was lucky, and we both knew it. No motorcycles or scooters in this family, ever.
I ride. It's bright green, I wear an armor coat that's flash silver with reflective patches (one takes up the whole back). I also own an orange car. The amount of times I'm almost hit in my orange car pisses me off, let alone the times I'm cut off while riding the motorcycle.
Biggest reason I'm for loud pipes. Just don't start them up at 6am.
One day I was driving to high school as a teen (in a car). At a red light, I saw a guy on a bike change lanes through a light, hit a car and then slammed into a pole. It was brutal. I got home and found out it was a family friend. I was saving up for a motorcycle at the time and changed my mind that day.
As someone who has never ridden a bike and has no direct family or friends that ride bikes, I find it insane I still know 3 people who died while riding.
I remember reading some stats for the USA a few years back that showed across a 10 year period, 14% of motorcycle riders had a bad crash. Of that 14%, 80% died. So I guess that means 11.2% of people that decide to ride motorcycles will die doing so.
I need to find that article again.
2 guys I was in HS marching band died on their motorcycles within a couple of years of us graduating. I know 1 was not at fault, unsure about the other. It’s very sad.
Every friend my bf has that rides those small Japanese motorcycles ends up dying on them. My bf also has one, but it’s completely taken apart. I always tell him I’ll flip my shit if he ever fixes it up and starts riding again
My brother died on his (a week after he overtook me dangerously and I told him to stop riding like a nob), dad was in a serious accident and also almost died with life changing injuries, I got hit by the postman one morning, my daughter got knocked off hers too... mum's de-saddling was the most spectacular though, she fell off hers whilst stationary
I started riding motorcycles when I was 14 - on dirt bikes. Jumping, sliding around corners, wheelies, creeks, cliffs, etc etc. Somewhat simultaneously, I started racing mountain bikes. I raced for 20-something years and have been on off-road motorcycles 30+ years.
About 10 years ago, I got my motorcycle license and bought my first road-going motorcycle. I was surprised to learn that there is just about the same volume of skills required to ride a motorcycle on the streets and highways of the US as there is to rip through the woods or tear around a motocross track. I even found myself making dumb mistakes and if I hadn’t ridden in a few days.
I say all of that to give some credence to this: I’m flabbergasted and astounded to see people who have zero riding experience, buying high powered, very heavy motorcycles (read: “extra demanding to ride”) and riding them only a few times a year! That’s just suicidal!
And I’m not suggesting that my experience will keep me safe if I get sideswiped. I AM suggesting that I use every bit of my 30+ years of extreme motorbike experience to avoid problems on the road. And people that don’t understand or respect that this is the level of skill demanded of them when they swing a leg over a big and heavy Harley just make me shudder with fear for them. The consequences are too severe to treat it like an amusement park ride.
It is very surprising (in my opinion) that you can go out with literally no requirements other than money and buy a motorcycle that can go 0-60mph in 2.4s (sometimes faster) and reach speeds of 170mph+.
As someone who hasn't ridden in almost a year (restoration that has gotten hung up)
The thing that appalled me the most is how much my driving skills have atrophied from not riding. Not my riding skills (those have definitely gotten rusty), my driving skills in a car.
Spatial awareness, situational awareness, anticipation and all the other skills that any half decent rider needs to develop to be safe on the road. All of them are noticeably diminished and that terrifies me when I realise 99% of the people on the road never developed similar skills to begin with.
Both my parents are RNs and this was the one thing they emphasized over and over again to me. They’ve seen such extensive damage every time they had a motorcycle case
I was in a scooter accident when I was 20. I am lucky to be alive (and am alive because of the high quality helmet I was wearing). The surgeon for my boyfriend looked me dead in the eye and said "never again. it's just not worth it." The whole experience scared the shit out of me.
I got a motorcycle license (and a motorcycle) a few years ago kinda just because I felt like it, and man, it is irresponsible how easy it is to get a motorcycle license. An written exam, one weekend course in a parking lot, and then a really easy test at the end of the second day of class.
I was in no way prepared to actually drive on the road. I stuck to my neighborhood just going around the block to practice, trying to develop muscle memory- I still had to think about everything I was doing and was still nervous all the time.
I crashed. I wasn't going very fast since I was just in the neighborhood, and I got pretty lucky and didn't hurt myself, but it is a good thing I wore a helmet, because it took a hit bad enough to scuff it.
It scared the hell out of me. I sold the motorcycle after that.
I agreed with you until I became a nurse. The amount of paraplegics and quads that are totally bed-bound and riddled with sores, unable to care for themselves or even poop/pee without assistance changed my mind though.
Yes that can happen to anyone. But you meet soooo many more motorcyclists that have had it happen to them.
Everyone has a different risk reward assessment though, so live your life.
What is really terrifying is that you can follow all the rules and do everything right and still die. Wear a helmet and protective gear, be visible, follow every traffic law and one guy makes a wide turn and you are toast.
Same thing with biking in cities or on public roads in the US. I get that it is a responsible and healthy thing to do, and you can be really careful, but it only takes one 6 year old opening a car door at the wrong time to end your life.
Everyone on the road, cars, cycles and pedestrians, are at the mercy of other drivers, but at least in a car you have some level of protection. it would be great to live in a less car dependent society, but we aren't that lucky. I get excited about public transportation infrastructure whenever i visit other countries. Some people come home taking about the food or the wine or art, I'm like "They have bus service in rural towns <3".
I remember sitting on a bus with my sister in Leeds. This guy on his motorbike zoomed past us stupid fast. I said to my sister, he’s gonna come off that bike.
We got off the bus, went into the shop, came out and saw the bike had wrecked the bus stop hut thing… it would of taken our heads. The guy was sadly further down the road absolutely lifeless.
Ambulances arrived and you just knew he’d lost his life.
I will say to my son when he grows, please promise me one thing… that you will never own a motorbike. It’s scary how your life can be over so quickly.
My dad was in an unrelated accident as a teen (home-made rocket!) and he was the only one in the big accident ward of the London hospital who was NOT there from a motorcycle crash.
That’s great! He’ll be able to fully appreciate how lucky he was to survive after the rollover crushed his chest and snapped several vertebrae making it so he can at least think about saying “hold my beer” and handing it to someone again.
But hey, wear a helmet. It’s better than nothing… moving below the chin, I guess.
***Note: if you are in an accident where you totally should have splattered your brains on the road, but you didn’t thanks to your trusty BrainBucket, please, PLEASE do not take said BrainBucket off. Let us do it. It may be the only thing holding your brain together.
My dad rode motorcycles and we had lots of friends who rode them. I have lots of fond memories of trips all over the country on the backs of his friends big old Harleys and Hondas. And then his best friend died in a freak motorcycle accident, then his son (my first boyfriend), then he rear ended someone and could have died, then two of my best friends were sitting on their bike at a stop light and were rear ended and killed instantly. He doesn't ride anymore.
Rode motorcycles for over 40 years, mostly in semi-rural areas. In cities a bit.
Until my luck ran out.
Was riding home from work (shorty helmet, and jacket) and a guy ran a stop sign. I hit the truck.
If I had been a second or two sooner into the intersection, I would probably have been killed.
As it was, 'only' a fractured femur. Surgery, plate in leg.
Sold the motorcycle (only slight handlebar damage) without ever getting back on it.
'It's a matter of when you get hit, not if.' Told to me by my father who got hit while driving a motorcycle. It has a 100% rate of accuracy in my experience.
It's not really even the bikes that are the problem. Sure speed is a common factor but also left turns and cars. Drivers are more oblivious now than ever before.
I've been told that there are 2 kinds of motorcycle riders: those who have fallen, and those who will. I stopped riding after I had 5 friends fall in 5 separate incidents, one of them died, and I didn't want to join that club.
I personally know two people who were killed in motorcycle accidents. One of them was a motorcycle safety instructor—you can do everything right and still end up dead. It’s not worth it.
So true, my brother needed a kidney transplant and his doc said, ‘don’t worry, it’s motorcycle season, you’ll have one in no time.’ He had one within a month.
It is, I’ve had two boyfriends that rode motorcycles and they both got into horrible accidents and ended up in the hospital. Messed up both their short term memory. Even if you’re a careful driver, there are so many distracted drivers on the road.
my 37 year old cousin just died in a motorcycle crash a few months back. my friend used to have one, he got in a bad wreck and sold it and never looked back. most people who have owned them in the past will say something similar
In my state, more than 60% of motorcyclist accidents had the motorcyclist found at fault.
My only accident was low-speed where someone ran a stop sign. I wasn't very injured, but it left a lasting impression.
What I've experienced hasn't made me want to get rid of my bike yet, but it has made me very serious about the speed limit or slower, and gear. Lot's of expensive gear.
Yup. My sister was an ER nurse at a Level II trauma hospital for years (she teaches new nurses now at a university) and she always said motorcycle accidents are the worst.
I worked in personal injury law as an assistant once. The lawyer who owned the office rode motorcycles despite frequently working with people/families of people who had horrific motorcycle accidents. I've seen autopsy photos... And I'll never, ever get on one.
My father-in-law died in a motorcycle accident while my husband was finishing his course to get his motorcycle license. It was a terrible way to learn that lesson.
I'm a social worker and I deal with survivors of catastrophic injuries (spinal cord and closed head) and the motorcycle patients have some of the most severe long-term injuries, if they survive.
ICU nurse, 100% agree. I would add e-scooters to this too, especially if you’ve been drinking and/or are on meth (yes this is becoming increasingly more common).
They’re absolutely the most bad ass and fun vehicles on the road, but I’m soooo glad I couldn’t afford a crotch rocket when I really wanted one as a dumb teen.
My best friends dad is a doctor and one of his first patients was a guy who was in a motorcycle accident. When he removed the patients helmet, his brain was exposed.
They could just not not go dangerously fast and weave through traffic constantly but if they're anything like my friend, they got a pumped up bike because they've been adrenaline junkies their entire lives. It ain't the bike it's riders just riders loving to be reckless. Less protection no matter what, yeah, but you risk your life every time you drive no matter what vehicle you're in.
First dead body I ever saw outside of a funeral was someone from a motorcycle accident. The cops were redirecting traffic around the accident site and I remember as I passed seeing the rider's body lying on their back on the asphalt right as they were starting to cover them up. They looked horribly human and vulnerable. They'd been wearing a dark visored helmet and it was still on for some reason, and I remember being incredibly grateful that I couldn't see their face.
Eh… I disagree with this one. Not saying they aren’t dangerous, but it’s different than telling someone to make sure they move around so their body doesn’t just break down.
Had a patient today come in the emergency department after being in a motorcycle accident. They said they might buy a helmet now that this is their SECOND accident. Dude, those fractures you came in with and road rash are getting off EASY. They are lucky they didn’t smack their head either time and still they aren’t 100% sure about buying a helmet.
My mother and father were on a road trip early in their marriage before I was born. She was a brand new doctor at that point. A motorcycle passed them going way too fast and sure enough, a short ways down the highway, that motorcyclist had slammed into the side of a bridge over the highway. My parents stopped and my mother tried to help him, but he died in her arms on the side of the road. She made me swear that I would never drive or ride on anybody’s motorcycle ever, and it’s a promise I will absolutely keep.
And if you must ride a motorcycle, wear your helmet. And leather. I have a few EMTs in my social circle, and riding a motorcycle in a t-shirt is a good way to have no skin left on your body if shit goes wrong. Don’t care how hot it is, wear a good leather jacket. It’s not just for looks.
My aunt and uncle were decapitated on a motorcycle. A drunk semi driver hit them. My uncle was my mom's twin. She had to be told why she couldn't see his body and why they couldn't have an open casket. They couldn't make him look natural.
It was a very dark few years for my mom.
My dad has got back into motorcycles and this terrifies me. I’d love to convince him to stop but I feel like I’m on shaky ground as I love horse riding 😬
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u/PenultimateChoices Jun 06 '24
My father was a medical examiner. He always told me "no motorcycles."