Quote:really gives a good POV from the riders perspective how fast things appear at that speed. I wish they'd show this video to all the kids taking the Motorcycle Safety Course when they first start ridding.

 

Things come up FAST on a bike always have to be looking forward and thinking ahead. No room for fooling around or you end up like that guy.

 

Things don't come up any faster on a bike than they do a car.  The speed of the approach is the same either way.  The end result, not so much. 

 

Motorcycle riders who are trained to ride use almost a halo approach when riding in traffic.  They're aware of everything going on around them at all times.  You can't just fixate on what's in front of you. 

 

There could be some idiot coming up on your rear at a high rate of speed while texting.  He doesn't see you.  If you're only focused on what's in front of you, you're seriously injured or dead.

 

Same thing if said idiot is texting alongside a motorcycle.  I've been in situations where a woman was texting with one hand, holding a cigarette with the other, and steering with her knees.  She kept drifting into my lane in traffic.  At one point, she drifted far enough that I was forced to take evasive maneuvers.  She didn't hear the horn honking.  Never looked in her mirrors.  She did it again, and this time I literally kicked the driver side rear door hard enough to dent it.  You know what she did?  She flipped me off. 

 

Riders are trained to look at what's happening 4, 8, and 12 seconds ahead of them, and to plan accordingly.  As you're monitoring traffic ahead of you, you're anticipating the stupid things people will do, and you're looking at your outlets to make sure you arrive home safely. 

 

The thing is, the guys who ride crotch rockets in packs where at least one of them is wearing a camera aren't terribly concerned about what's happening around them.  They've come to the conclusion that they can just fly through traffic, do their little tricks, and nothing is going to happen to them...until it does.  They're not responsible riders, and they sure as heck don't have any regard for others around them.

 

Don't even get me started on the guys who ride without a helmet. 

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