Checkswrecks said:
This has been said for so many reasons and in so many ways that it has become an urban legend. My ex is a nurse and would constantly say it. It is just not true. It is a feels-good platitude.
"The other driver" a minority cause and has been for a while.
Checkswrecks ... In general I do agree entirely with the points you make !!!
In my own case ... I'm a boomer who returned to motorcycling some 5-1/2 years ago ... mainly to tour some of the great Australian Outback. Since then I've clocked up approximately 75,000 kms (around 47,500 miles) in the seat ... a fair chunk of this has been done off road (including some rather challenging terrain) and I now generally commute most days when I can. I originally started with an XT660R but have since also added a S10 into the stable ... both bikes have been farkled to suit their intended purpose ... including sensible suspension upgrades ... and both machines are fully maintain to a high standard.
Initially I took my time to regain at least some of the riding skills of my youth and also worked hard to remove any Valentino Rossi aspirations from my riding repertoire
Irrespective of the law I NEVER drink and ride (drive) as a rule and the local helmet laws are such that you just don't ride without one ... even if it wasn't the case I wouldn't contemplate riding without one anyhow.
My riding kit always includes a Kevlar Mesh Jacket complete with appropriate body armour and good quality gloves. While I do have appropriate off road boats and pants I do have to admit that local commute riding is often done with just heavyweight trousers and strong shoes.
In my opinion I feel that both me and my machines are "good to go" ... I have done much to appreciate and understand my own personal riding limitations and I try to activity practice safe riding techniques with good road craft. Riding off road I've stepped-off a couple of times in the tricky stuff but continue to hone my skills and always ride within my own abilities. And a little admission ... I don't do SAND well
In essence I imagine that I'm probably fairly similar to the majority of posters on this forum ::001::
But while I can try and mitigate the risks as much as I can ... one of the few things that I can do with regard to other drivers is to use Defensive Driving techniques ::008::
Early this year I was cleaned out by a turning driver in a classic SMIDSY situation ... in fact the driver even uttered the famous words ... "I'm so sorry I didn't see you"
The driver had seen a
gap in the traffic and had just gone for it ... thank god that my Defensive Driving approach had meant that I had checked my speed and repositioned the bike within the lane immediately prior to the impact thus meaning that I was able to lessen the impact somewhat and generally walk away from what could have been a very nasty accident with little more than a few cuts and some fairly extensive bruising.
So I love riding ... I'm doing my bit to make it safe for me (and others) ... but the other road users still worry me ... particularly those ones that get easily distracted