are motorcycles dangerous?

Question

my mom wont let me get on cause she says they are dangerous

Answer 1

only if you do something stupid, a lot of the wrecks are caused by riders riding above their experience level, or bikes that are overpowered for their skills. Start slow, dont jump on a sport bike/ big bore dirt bike right away, get something you can handle and learn to ride, then go bigger

Answer 2

They are only dangerous if you ride one with little regard for your safety or others. If you take a rider course and learn the correct way to ride you'll have a good start at riding safely. Don't learn from a friend. You'll just pick up his/her bad habits. Everyone has a horror story to tell you about how someone was hurt or killed on their bike, but people also get hurt and killed in car accidents, walking across the street and getting hit by a bus, falling in the bathtub, taking an innocent airline flight and being the victim of a terrorist nut job. In short there are dangers everywhere, unless you're willing to wrap yourself up in a bubble wrap suit and never leave the house. No one says cars are dangerous, yet more people are killed in car accidents than on motorcycles. People thinking motorcycles are more dangerous than other means of transportation have fallen victim to the media's stereotype of all motorcyclists being drunk and violent members of society that have some kind of death wish. I don't know of any bikers that fit this image. Most accidents are not the motorcycle or motorcyclist fault. The other vehicle operator is usually at fault. Defensive riding gives you the best odds of being safe, which you can learn by taking a rider safety course. I don't know how old you are, but you need to respect your mother's wishes. Once you are old enough to be responsible for your own actions, decide whether you want to ride or not based on the facts and not what others would like you to believe.

Answer 3

Yes. I had 5 motorcycles from 1985-98. I am fortunately still alive and in one piece. I had much fun and fond memories but it is over now. I had friends of mine who were badly injured in accidents. I was a safe rider but the people driving automobiles erroneously were the ones that bothered me. You also have no control over them. With a motorcycle you are totally helpless and a sitting duck. My logic was the law of averages. I figured that if you kept riding the chances for being an invalid are even being killed were far greater. I was down a few times but the worst that ever happened was brush burns and scrapes. The one area it really helped and benefitted me in was being a safer better automobile driver. I would also say if you are someone that has many car accidents do not get a motorcycle. You may end up dead.

Answer 4

Risk < Reward
I've ridden all my life. Dirt from age 8, street bike from 17. I'm 40 now and ever since I started street at 17, there's been maybe a 9 month period when I didn't have a bike. During that time, my life didn't feel complete like something was missing inside.
While riding, there's time when life all comes together and explains itself,moments of epiphany. An article in my cycle magazine calld it "moments of clarity". The beauty of life and being alive is at the surface.
I can have the worst day at work but by the time i pull into my garage, i have a grin on my face from ear to ear.
Motorcycles are dangerous, but without them, it wouldnt be a life worth living.
Unfortunately, i think the 2wheel luv has to start early. People who start riding in their 20s dont see it. They can stop riding because of a close call. As for me, i can never stop riding.. ever.

Answer 5

Your mom is incorrect in assuming that motorcycles are dangerous. It's the RIDER that makes them dangerous!

It's fine to want a motorcycle, but there are a few things you need to SERIOUSLY consider about riding:

1. You still live with your mom. This likely means that you have not had your driver's license for over two years, and simply do not have enough experience dealing with traffic and weather conditions. Before you whine about this, understand that a small "fender bender" in a car can KILL YOU on a bike. Every second on a bike is another judgement call to make, and you have to make the right decision every time.

2. Have you looked into taking a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course? Over 80% of riders were self-taught or let a "friend" teach them how to ride; over half of riders will crash their motorcycle within their FIRST YEAR because they did not understand how to ride properly. Not only will an MSF course teach you the right way to ride, but it will run you about $250. It will also help lower your insurance premiums if you do get a bike, which can be as high as $5,000 per year if you're under 25. Taking the course may also help convince your mom that you're serious about being safe rather than #3...

3. Do you want to be a motorcyclist or a Squid with a piece of Butt Jewelry? Why do you want a bike? If you want to be like the morons on SuperBikes, then forget it; we don't need another jerk-off statistic giving the rest of us a bad name. Sportbikes are NOT for beginners- they will do exactly what you unintentinally tell them to do, and it will take YEARS just to be good enough not to wad yourself up in a corner.

It may be hard to see now, but your life DOES NOT end before you reach 30! There is a lot to see and do in life, and you don't want to spend the rest of it crapping yourself in the paralysis ward at the local hospital. Which brings me to...

4. YOU MUST WEAR GEAR ALL THE TIME! The previously mentioned cripple wing is full of 20-somethings that will never walk, get drunk, have sex, etc. because they thought a helmet was all they needed before they snapped their back in half on a concrete barrier. Unless the weather is bad, you don't really wear the gear for the ride. You wear it for the crash, and you WILL crash at some point. You don't want to see what happens to the people that crash in T-shirts & shorts! Basic gear, including helmet, gloves and a good jacket will run you about $500, and I recommend overpants and motorcycle boots as well.

You have to know that motorcycles are not poon magnets, they are not toys, and it is very easy to really screw yourself up unless you do things right. I'm all for seeing more people riding, but you need to realize that there is a lot of responsibility involved. If you can accept this level of responsibility, and are able to demonstrate it to your mother, you may have a chance of getting a bike.

Answer 6

They're only as dangerous as any 800 pound machine that can go 100 mph with no seat belt would be.

Lots of people can "manage" the risk by being excellent riders, but the fact is, you cannot be a good enough rider to counteract all the BAD drivers also sharing the road.

A friend of mine bought a cycle in his junior year of High School. The first day he rode it to school, some jerk didn't look while pulling out of a parking spot (too fast) and clipped his leg.

He had rods and pins put in to rebuild his shattered leg, missed months of school, and still suffers aches and a limp in that leg. The bike was a total loss.

By the way, this was a crash at less than 20 mph. Thank God he didn't end up with brain injuries.

Answer 7

You can't predict what other drivers will do, but even the best, most careful mc rider can get in an accident. Problems are: smaller size - not just the hordes of SUVs and semis out there, but anything down to and including a '56 Bug is bigger than you and can cause fatal injuries with minimal physical effect to itself; harder to see (q.v. entry above); lack of collision protection - there's a reason you *don't* wear a seat belt on a bike, but getting flung down the road can be fatal even if the initial contact isn't. Those idiots who ride around with tee-shirts and shorts *on the freeway* (hey, I live in California, it's warm and cultivates many idiots) are also some of the most risk-taking riders you'll find, while the ones willing to wear leathers in hot weather have as much protection as possible -- it's illegal to ride a bike without a helmet in my state, and only egotistical Harley riders put up much complain when this went into law. Your mom is right, but promising to take a riders' education class may help convince her you are determined to make it work.

Answer 8

It's all a matter of degree. 45,000 americans die every year in auto accidents and we don't say 'boo'.

A motorcycle is certainly more risky than a car. But- safer than mountaineering or flying a private plane. More dangerous than scuba diving and about on par with Hang Gliding or skydiving.

A 50% of the fatalities involve alcohol (not always the motorcyclist), and 50% are riders who are either young or inexperienced. The 50% here tend to overlap- so this doesn't represent all fatalities.

As long as you're under your mom's rules- I guess that's what you've got to live with. I bought my first bike shortly after I got my first real job out of college- at age 21. Now- more than 20 years later, I'm just about getting mature enough to ride safely... most of the time.

In the mean time... get a dirt bike. You'll really learn how to ride, and you won't kill yourself. You'll only break a few bones- and they tend to heal.

Answer 9

Everything can be dangerous, you can get knocked down crossing the road. I ride a bike and also drive a car. If you want to ride a bike you need proper training and the right gear. Leathers are invaluable WHATEVER THE WEATHER. By being a biker you are much more aware of the road, other users, and conditions. Yes, you can have accidents (tho most cases is not the fault of the biker), you can also have a fatal crash in a car, changing CD's whilst driving, not realising how icy the road is because your heater is full blast and you are cosy and warm, etc, etc. My dad wasn't keen on the idea of me having a bike, but having proper lessons went a long way to easing his mind. Talk to your mum.

Answer 10

Riding them is considered a high risk activity. Most accidents are caused by car drivers and the motorcycle is seriously out-gunned.

My mom thought they were dangerous, too, but I saw her on the back of one when she was in her seventies. :-) Sometimes moms come around.

Answer 11

Like anything else, motorcycles are dangerous if you are an idiot and don't pay attention. If you get past trying to show off, they are fantastic ways to travel, enjoying the freedom of the air and the wind, the scents of nature, the rapid temperature changes when you go into a dip or up a hill, the feel of the road, and generally the feeling of freedom. Not to mention they make it easier to get around in the city, use less fuel, easier to find parking, are less expensive to operate than a car and are just more fun!