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Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2018 10:36 am
by Rat
Oldewing wrote:here we are talking about the ride..........................................and weather is keeping me off it crying1 crying1 crying1

A rare occurrence .... I'm riding and you're not !! dancr

Gord crossy.gif

Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2018 10:50 am
by CYBORG
RAT wrote:
Oldewing wrote:here we are talking about the ride..........................................and weather is keeping me off it crying1 crying1 crying1

A rare occurrence .... I'm riding and you're not !! dancr

Gord crossy.gif
Me Too :crosso :crosso :crosso :crosso :crosso :crosso :crosso :crosso :crosso :crosso :crosso :crosso

Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2018 11:42 am
by chewy999
CYBORG wrote:Numbers can be made to say anything.
Amen to that, when people throw statistics around, this is what I say.

Roughly speaking, 25% of road deaths involve drunk drivers. That means 75% of road deaths are caused by sober drivers.

So, STATISTICALLY, it is safer to drive drunk.

Now that is obviously ridiculous, but shows how you can twist the figures.

Soon be warm enough to ride as we've had a bit of snow.

anim-cheers1 anim-cheers1 anim-cheers1

Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2018 12:25 pm
by desertrefugee
chewy999 wrote:
CYBORG wrote:Numbers can be made to say anything.
Amen to that, when people throw statistics around, this is what I say.

Roughly speaking, 25% of road deaths involve drunk drivers. That means 75% of road deaths are caused by sober drivers.

So, STATISTICALLY, it is safer to drive drunk.

Now that is obviously ridiculous, but shows how you can twist the figures.

Soon be warm enough to ride as we've had a bit of snow.

anim-cheers1 anim-cheers1 anim-cheers1
Reminds me of the expresson, "Figures don't lie, but liars can figure."

Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2018 1:20 pm
by Sidecar Bob
Someone once told me that his statistics prof often said "Give me a wide enough pencil and a small enough graph and I can prove anything.

Unless something has changed drastically over the last couple of decades that statistic doesn't make sense. Or are at least taken out of context. The last time I heard, in Ontario (where they have made it much harder to get your bike license without taking a safety course) and based on accidents per million Km travelled, motorcyclists were far less likely to be involved in an accident than people in cars (probably because you have a better chance of manoeuvring to avoid collision). BUT based on injuries & deaths per million accidents, if you were involved in an accident on a motorcycle you were far more likely to be killed or seriously injured than people in cars. At that time, when taken as injuries & deaths per million Km travelled it worked out to slightly more risk of injury but about the same risk of death.

I have a feeling that they have quoted the deaths per million accidents stat out of context.

My own experience of exclusively driving motorcycles since '85, on sidecar outfits (or trike) in winter since '87 and on sidecar outfits year round since 2009 with only 1 accident in all that time while most people I know that drive cars exclusively have had at least 2 or 3 accidents in that time would seem to indicate that either I am a statistical anomaly or bikes are safer than cars :-D

Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2018 1:27 pm
by twowings
I've also seen statistics from the Ontario insurance industry that shows that a large portion of the deaths and accidents are caused by unlicensed riders with almost no experience. From memory, it was stated that almost half of the deaths and accidents were caused by those two factors alone with alcohol being a contributor in a lot as well.

Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2018 1:45 pm
by Sidecar Bob
Yep. Way back when I took the course the insurance companies recognized it as the equivalent of a year of safe driving. I don't expect that has changed much so if you can encourage as many people as possible to take the course before getting on a bike it should increase their likelihood of surviving by essentially eliminating much of the "lack of experience" factor.

BTW: I read something some years ago about a study in which car drivers were put in simulators to see how they reacted to what was on the road around them (including motorcycles) and then answered questionnaires abut their driving history & a bunch of other stuff. There was a definite correlation between experience on motorcycles and noticing them in traffic such that even people who had been taken for a single ride on the back of a motorcycle decades before were several times more likely to notice bikes in traffic than people who had never been on a bike.

One more reason to take as many people as possible for rides as often as you can :crosso

Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2018 11:10 am
by HOTT
I don't ride to die.
I ride to live. (sounds hokey Ric)
I did about 250mi. worth of livin' yesterday crossy.gif

HOTT

Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2018 12:43 pm
by salukispeed
I did about 250mi. worth of livin' yesterday crossy.gif

HOTT[/quote]
Very nice Hot

Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 9:28 am
by CBX-tras
Be the bobble head and be cautious of younger people on their phone.

Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 9:51 am
by Rat
Cell phones while driving is against the law here .... so .... the new traffic hazard ? The light turns green and nobody moves .... all checking their phones for texts .... :IDTS:

Gord

Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 12:51 pm
by salukispeed
I'm with Rat. My wife gets upset when I assume the reason we never move or only two cars get thru on a light change and It irritates me so then you come across one of the slow people and they are still looking at their phones and driving 30 in a 45. But I am wrong?? Phones are great tool but the people are the problem. "Ok I'm done ranting" Sorry

Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 4:17 pm
by 5speed
I wouldn't consider riding in the winter for a few reasons.
They put salt on the roads here like MacDonalds puts it on their fries and I hate rust
No one around here is expecting to see a motorcycle on the road in the winter..I don't want to tempt fate.
The weather can change in minutes..from a nice day to a snow storm..
Plus I'm sure members of the local constabulary would be stopping me with great regularity to see if I'm drunk. :mrgreen:

Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 5:35 pm
by Sidecar Bob
I've been driving bikes in winter for over 30 years and have seldom been stopped by the police. Like anything else you just have to prepare the machine to suit the use, the first step (unless you are completely nuts) being to attach a sidecar and learn how to drive it before the roads are bad. There are a number of oil spray products available (I'm partial to RustCheck's system) that can prevent most of the rust but its really better to have a "winter beater" and expect to have to spend part of the summer undoing what winter did to it. And handlebar heaters & snowmobile gear make a huge difference too.

I've only had 1 accident in all that time, which is a lot less than most car drivers I know, so I wouldn't exactly classify it as extremely dangerous. A lot of that it is due to the fact that my steering is connected directly to the wheel without any linkages, gearboxes, power assist &c so I know right away when I drive onto a slippery road and can react appropriately (in a car/truck you find out when you try to steer or brake and then its too late) but part of it is that it is something unusual so other drivers notice it.

Re: Risky Business!

Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 8:25 pm
by Rat
I try and pick my days .... I'm never too far from home in the winter .... and I hate subways ....

Gord :cry: