Text 22457, 57 rader
Skriven 2011-09-22 06:51:48 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
  Kommentar till text 22450 av BOB KLAHN (1:135/382)
Ärende: Guest Editorial
=======================
BOB KLAHN wrote to JOE DELAHAYE on Tuesday September 20 2011 at 21:09:

JD>> And how close are you to that age? I would not ride a motorcyle if
JD>> the world would end if I did not. I think they are the most unsafe
JD>> method of travel ever.

Try riding a bicycle in Bradenton. Florida ;-)

Or even walking across a street (the streets there are what people elsewhere
call four-lane highways).

BK> Motor Scooters are more dangerous IMO. They are less stable.

True, because of the smaller wheels. They have less stability. However, they
are also slower and at least here in Germany, are mainly used for city traffic
rather than highways. The main advantage is that they're easy to ride for
people with short legs and small muscles (like me).

P.S. But there'll never again be anything as nice as the Cushman Eagle, which
was _the_ scooter of my school days.

BK> A motor cycle is as safe as a bicycle at the same speed, only the
BK> cycle is capable of much more speed.

And much faster acceleration. A "typical" motorcycle accident here goed like
this: the car in front is slow, the cycle wants to pass, makes a signal and
opens up the gas. The cycle shoots ahead with the same kind of acceleration
you'd get from a Ferrari at full gas - and at the same time, the car in front
suddenly turns left (often without a signal) and the cycle slams into the
driver's side broadside.

Another "typical" scenario is when a car and a cycle approach a crossing from
opposite directions and the car (generally without a signal) turns left in
front of the cycle, which proceeds to slam into the passenger side of the car.
The car driver usually claims he/she "didn't see" the cycle, although these are
legally required to drive with lights on even in the daytime in Germany.

The "typical" bicycle accident happens when a car parks on the side of the road
and a bicycle path stretches along the road to the right of the car. Then
someone whips open the passenger door without looking back and a bicycle coming
along the path slams into the opened door, usually injuring the bicycle rider,
sometimes severely.

Something similar even happened to my wife one time, She was riding in the
street, going around a parked taxi on it's left hand side, when the driver
threw open his door without warning and she hit it. Cut her foot, but luckily
didn't break anything. She was going slow.

My experience is that it's generally careless, inattentive car drivers rather
then "motorcycle rowdies" who cause such accidents. Most people driving cars
are simply "trained" to pay attention to other cars, and don't really "see"
anything else.

Cheers, Bob

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