Are motorcycles inherently dangerous or do only morons not paying attention get into accidents?

Answer 1

Motorcycling is dangerous for a lot of reasons. But most of those reasons you can plan for and alleviate.

TRAFFIC: Most DRIVERS are used to looking for cars or trucks, and often fail to see a motorcycle. It's too small to register. So when riding in traffic you have to be paranoid. Whether this means you ride ultra-conservative, aggressively, or somewhere in between is up to you. Just don't give anyone a chance to forget you're there and accidentally hit you.

RIDER SKILL: A lot of people think that 'riding at the edge' will increase the chance of getting into an accident. To an extent they're right, BUT... a lot of riding is about reflexes, and if you haven't practiced an emergency maneuver, then the likelihood of you being able to do it when you need to will be a lot lower. Just make sure you practice in a manner that isn't itself risky.

BIKE MAINTENANCE: The condition of the bike is also a big factor. Never ride on a bike that's not mechanically sound, because something that would cause an inconvenience in a car could result in a wreck on a bike (flat tire, broken drive chain, snapped brake cable or leak in hydraulic brake hose, stuck throttle, etc). It's your responsibility to make sure your bike is in top form, before rolling it out of the garage for that weekend ride, commute to work, or long road trip.

It is true that "paying attention" can increase your chances of avoiding or surviving an accident. But that also goes for drivers. So, save a biker, share the road.

Answer 2

Motorcycles are not inherently more dangerous. The problem is a combination of inexperienced riders, and more frequently, reckless and inattentive drivers in cars. People tend to drive like idiots around motorcycles because they think they won't mess up their cars if they hit one. Or drivers just aren't paying attention; this is why Harleys have such loud pipes. On the other hand, anyone who is a fairly new rider should always wear the proper gear and should take a rider safety course. I know guys who have ridden for years who have recently gone back for refresher training because they stopped riding for a while and then bought bigger bikes. It helps you be more aware of idiot drivers when you ride.

Answer 3

Motorcycles ARE more dangerous than cars. I've never seen a car fall over at a stop light or a car lose control over a little bit of gravel, or a car lose control on tar snakes ;o) Can you operate a motorcycle safely? You bet! I ride every day to and from work and I ride over 12K miles a year on my bike without an accident (knock on wood). But you have to ride smart, ride within your skills and look out for other drivers (cages), road hazards, animals, pedestrians, etc., etc. My greatest fear: Gravel and animals; you can stay clear from cars and predict where they are and what they're going to do, but you can't predict deer or where gravel will show up. I hope this helps!

Answer 4

They are inherently more dangerous than cars but most often it's not the motorcycle riders that cause the accidents but other motorists not paying attention that run into them.

Answer 5

Most accidents could be prevented, by not putting yourself in the situation or place & time.

1.Always look both ways even if you have the green light, many people run them, that's why cops write tickets for running a light.

2.Just because you have the right of way, does not mean anyone saw you.

3.Loud Pipes saves lives.

4.Wear a helmet, full face, will keep you from loosing your jaw if you do fall down.

5.Take the riders safety course.

Answer 6

No they are not, unless, of course, we ride them. Yes there is more danger in using a motorcycle. You are traveling very fast on a hard surface. If you hit anything you can be thrown from the bike and continue traveling along the pavement until you finally stop from either hitting something or friction. Quite painful.

Answer 7

i'm siding inclusive of your mom and dad in this one, for many motives. For one, you do not have sufficient experience in a motor vehicle yet! The little patches of oil, gravel, and water that do no longer something to a motor vehicle can truthfully take you down on a bike. those little fender-benders that do no longer something extra effective than strengthen your coverage expenses in a motor vehicle can KILL you outright. you elect experience to be attentive to the thank you to keep away from each and everything and every person for all time in the past thinking the thoroughly new (and steep) getting to grasp curve of motorcycling. as properly, coverage for a young person on a bike is stupid extreme, like $5000+ each year. Are you keen to place out extra effective than the motorcycle is quite worth each year merely in coverage? and you forgot the main considered necessary issues: taking an MSF path and donning finished kit once you journey. something much less is suicide, so your mom and dad win this one.

Answer 8

They are most dangerous with new operaters because no one never listens to "you never know whats around the next corner or over the next hill ''. Cars and trucks seem to have a harder time seing bikes or think that the bikes can slow up faster for them than a car. But' they have fewer brakes. Well. I know all this cause I passed my drivers saftey course in Maine.