Why do motorcycles get such bad press?

[JC Viper]

This is an easy one. Motorcyclists get a bad name because of themselves. Every day I see motorcyclists riding like complete idiots.

When motorcyclists ride aggresively, rev their engine at stop lights, have an obnoxiously loud exhaust, do burnouts, wheelies... how can we blame the media for hating us?

It's time people realize that their actions while on the road reflect on ALL of us.

The cagers in high perf. vehicles do this too. In fact I hear a loud azz honda civic driving down in the night time. If it's not that then I hear the cagers screeching their tires when turning, pulling away or braking or the Chevy truck with loud pipes revving everytime they see a biker.

No one makes mention of that, no even gets angry when Nissan advertises their Maxima putting emphasis on the sound. People always assume only bikers make too much noise even if it is a stock bike.

The funny thing is more cagers here start trying to "lanesplit" as if they don't know which lane is gonna get them there faster. Shame that the pigs are increasing the pull over rate for bikers for performance mods or splitters (this included me for some reason but the cage was the one causing me to swerve into another lane) and leave these puckers alone.

[MountainManJohnson]

is there a good place consolidated that gives the real world stats on motorcycle safety as compared with other vechiles?

[bok]

Mountainman, there are unfortunately only a couple "decent" reports and studies done, and the most famous (Hurt Report) is 25 or so years old and was conducted in California. It's really tough to get good data on motorcycle accidents because it is many times considered the rider's fault when it could have been poorly maintained roads, animals, inattentive cagers just as easily as a poorly skilled biker.

add to all this the fact that a good percentage of accidents don't get reported we rarely see the single rider, no contact with object accidents in reports unless someone goes off the road and needs an ambulance..if someone low sides in their neighbourhood and doesn't report anything to police/insurance (not saying you have to) the statistics become skewed toward the more "serious" accidents that occur.

[dieziege]

Actually, the MAIDS study published its results a month or so ago...detailed analysis of about 920 motorcycle accidents from 1999 and 2000 plus evaluations of a control group of roughly 920 riders who did not have accidents in the period of the study.

Results largely mirror the HURT results.

~90% of your "risk" is in front of you.
~50% of multi-vehicle accidents were the fault of the car not the rider.
~18% of multi-vehicle accidents were caused by a large speed difference (not excessive speed) between motorcycle and other vehicles.
~13% of riders failed to control their bike when the emergency occurred (i.e. locked and lowsided or similar).
The biggest percentage of accidents was single-vehicle good weather loss of control.


Additionally, the US federal government, UK government, etc. all track statistics on fatalities per million miles/km.

According to the UK transportation bureau (or whatever they call themselves) motorcyclists are about 17 times more likely than car drivers to die per mile traveled.

[shane-o]

I notice that the press never misses an opportunity to report an accident that involves a motorcycle. The worse the accident the more coverage it gets; even minor accidents seems to make the newspaper. It's true that major auto accidents make the headlines also, but when it's a motorcycle involved they always seem to imply that "it's one of the crazed motorcycle riders again". When it's a car the attitude seems to be "what a poor unfortunate accident".

Anyone have some insight into this practice?

JR

yeah

the VX's of the world are the ones that have managed to paint us all with the, no brains, no sense, idiot, nuckle dragger, num nut, wanker brush

Its these people, who wind up under trucks n cars in peak hour, with just enough time to report it on the same day evening news for Ma and Pa to watch while eating their cheezy poofs, waiting for their frozen dinner to thaw


just an idea not a flame

[VermilionX]

the VX's of the world are the ones that have managed to paint us all with the, no brains, no sense, idiot, nuckle dragger, num nut, wanker brush

Its these people, who wind up under trucks n cars in peak hour, with just enough time to report it on the same day evening news for Ma and Pa to watch while eating their cheezy poofs, waiting for their frozen dinner to thaw

just an idea not a flame

im not that reckless, but yeah i get reckless from time to time.

im pretty tame though when im riding w/ someone, i just match their speed when im following or slower if they're too fast for me.

[bok]

thanks Dieziege, i missed the MAIDS results. nice to see they actually tracked the single vehicle loss of control crashes too...that's where it's nice to have a control group.

[GreatWhiteShark]

People fearing what they dont know. Not having any personal experience with motorcycles, or 'murdercycles' as ive heard.

I told one of my best friends when he first got his bike, to "be carefull and dont be stupid, those things can kill ya."

Well i ended up getting a bike a couple months later, and when we went out together on our first ride around town, he said with a smirk " be carefull and dont be stupid, these things can kill ya.'' Point taken.

Either the wanna be "hardcore' bikers or the Stunt Rydazz is what alot of non riders associate with motorcycles. because of that, i try to be extra curtious to people on the road, always letting them in to my lane, not to give them the bird, waving at the little kids that stare at me, even when stopped at a red light, inching up and over to let them turn right, which they seem to be extremely thankfull for.

All the little things add up, and i think i do what i can to help the image.

Then again, i like to run it up to the redline, every now and again too.

[JC Viper]

Actually, the MAIDS study published its results a month or so ago...detailed analysis of about 920 motorcycle accidents from 1999 and 2000 plus evaluations of a control group of roughly 920 riders who did not have accidents in the period of the study.

Results largely mirror the HURT results.

~90% of your "risk" is in front of you.
~50% of multi-vehicle accidents were the fault of the car not the rider.
~18% of multi-vehicle accidents were caused by a large speed difference (not excessive speed) between motorcycle and other vehicles.
~13% of riders failed to control their bike when the emergency occurred (i.e. locked and lowsided or similar).
The biggest percentage of accidents was single-vehicle good weather loss of control.

According to the UK transportation bureau (or whatever they call themselves) motorcyclists are about 17 times more likely than car drivers to die per mile traveled.

Most of those accidents also involved alcohol just like the Hurt Report I presume.

At least the UK is creating more motorcycle awareness unlike the land of the bigger car wins also known as US of A. Here they still perceive us as the cause of all related accidents.

[khad]

~50% of multi-vehicle accidents were the fault of the car not the rider.

Hehe, it's funny that emphasis is put on the car and "not the rider" when it's 50% for both of them.

waving at the little kids that stare at me

That's funny.