27 thoughts on “Motorcycles Everywhere

  1. LisaP

    You don’t realise how motorcycles are everywhere until you ride one. I’d say a car pulls out in front of me just about every time I’m out.

    1. Paolo

      I’d say a motorcyclist undertakes me at least once per day. I would guess that I see motorcyclists weaving between traffic at dangerous speeds in urban areas several times per day.

  2. Joe

    I do not like how motorbike riders undertake and filter in heavy traffic that is still moving at 60-80kph. Very dangerous IMO.

  3. Atticus

    Very true statement, they are indeed everywhere. They’re in the left lane, they’re in the right lane, they’re in the middle lane, they’re overtaking you, they’re undertaking you.

    1. mthead

      Yes every motorcyclist ever is as irresponsible as the only ones that are noticed :) ;)
      Shall we continue to throw comments back and forth between pro and anti like some sort of Internet wildlife, or is it more correct to accept that people are people, people do silky things, but people on motorcycles are vulnerable road users?
      I think that’s the gist if the bumper sticker like, in fairness.
      Or else it’s put on the car by someone suffering some neurological malfunction who is trying to warn the world about what they perceive to be a motorcycle conspiracy to overthrow human kind and install motorcycle rule of law. I mean it’s just a bumper sticker, but it’s a start.

      1. The People's Hero

        If only those motorcyclists who lane-split – at high speed sometimes – and weave in and out of moving traffic realised they were vulnerable road users, things might just be a little calmer for everyone. Drivers are by no means saints, but if comes to a collision the driver will more than likely be unharmed (physically), a motorcyclist will more than likely be hurt.

        Drivers have a responsibility and a duty of care to be mindful of two wheeled road users. However, it is incumbent that motorcyclist and cyclists for that matter be an awful lot more careful on the roads. Their lives depend on it.

      2. Medium Sized C

        The thing about this attitude is that people don’t realise that when you say it, its like you are saying you aren’t responsible for your own driving.

        Regardless of what lane they in or what side they go around you, its still you goddamn responsibility to know if it is safe to point your car where you are going.

        1. Paolo

          The thing about your attitude is that you are saying, implicitly, that it is ok for motorcyclists (the majority of them) to put lives at risk because everyone else should compensate for them.

      3. Paolo

        As a vulnerable pedestrian, I am entitled to step into traffic without looking because I am more vulnerable than other road users.

  4. martomcg

    I think the sentiment of this bumper sticker is literally for people in cars to open their eyes.

    My experience on Irish roads as both a car and motorcycle user is that most car drivers do not indicate and more importantly they dont use their mirrors before changing position on the road.

    Its easy to say you didnt see the motorcyclist when in reality you just didnt look.

  5. The Bad Ambassador

    I agree entirely – some motorcyclists drive like twunts. Equally some car drivers drive like twunts and some cyclists cycle like twunts. Some people are just twunts.

    As a user of all three modes of transport I’ve certainly done some things that, in hindsight, I’ve thought were pretty stupid but in general I’d like to think I’m a pretty sensible and responsible motorist/cyclist.

    As a motorcyclist, I’d echo LisaP’s comment – I’d say at least once a day somebody pulls out in front of me without looking and I’d say there’s a few every month that have the potential to leave me in the morgue if I’m not riding defensively and expecting everybody else to do the dumbest thing possible.

    Of course you get the “sorry mate – didn’t see you there” apologetic wave (which I’m sure would be very comforting to my little girl when I’m gone).

  6. Paul

    reads like one of those World War-era posters, “Our boys are doing their thing, are you?” or “flies spread disease, so keep yours closed”.

    1. Pird

      “Everone is out to kill you” is a good attitude for every road user to have: Motorcyclists, car drivers, pedestrians, cyclists.

  7. MT

    Certainly enough of them on the canal driving up the wrong lane to skip the tail backs, forcing on coming drivers to get dangerously close to the cycle lane.

  8. Pird

    It’s a valid point. Drivers need the nudge “hey, remember those two wheeled vehicles?”

    Non-bikers just don’t have the same awareness and visibility of motorcyclists and the issues they face. They don’t expect to come across motorcyclists. One study noted that people with motorcycle licences reported seeing motorcycles in their area all the time, while those living in the same area without motorcycle licences report only occasionally seeing motorcycles. Similarly, avoiding potholes and road debris is a much more serious concern when you’re on two wheels.

    For drivers, every time you’re supposed to be indicating, check for bikes. Beware that they are allowed to move up along your right-hand side (filtering), which is particularly dangerous when you’ve stopped to turn right. Having a line of traffic stopped behind you is no guarantee that you can disregard your right side mirror and blind spots. Beware that all two-wheeled road users may have to avoid road obstacles that you can’t see, so give them a wide berth. If you see a bike while waiting to make a turn, beware that its speed can be difficult to judge, and can change rapidly.

    For bikers, wear your high-vis and keep the lights on, and assume you’re invisible. In two-thirds of multi-vehicle motorcycle collisions, the driver of the car didn’t see the bike.

    For stats:
    http://www.mile-muncher.com/dft_rdsafety_035422.pdf

    1. Paolo

      When I get a new car, I start to notice them all the time too. It doesn’t mean that they were invisible to me before FFS.

      1. Pird

        The stats show that those who ride motorbikes are statistically significantly less likely to become involved in “failed to see” collisions with motorbike users while driving cars. No one is claiming a magic invisibility cloak is lifted by riding a bike, but there is a measurable effect on your driving having ridden a motorcycle in the past.

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