Any time I see a motorcycle accident mentioned on the news, I pay close attention, because Cliff and I are fully aware that a person is not as safe on a motorcycle as he is in a car.
Motorcycle deaths have more than doubled in the United States in the past nine years. One reason cited is older riders on more powerful bikes; that would be us.
Almost 60% of motorcycle fatalities in single vehicle crashes occur at night. One of these occurred in the Kansas City area over the weekend.
That is not us. We avoid night-riding like the plague.
One thing Cliff and I have a hard time understanding is the number of biker bars seen along scenic byways; we pass them and see dozens of motorcycles parked there, and we know full well that many of the drivers of those motorcycles are drinking; we've gone inside and seen them doing it. Drinking and driving is crazy enough in an automobile, but on a motorcycle, it has to be one of the stupidest things ever. In 2005, one in three motorcycle deaths were alcohol-related. I found that information HERE. That's one statistic Cliff and I won't be taking part in.
The motorcycle accident that worries us most is the kind that happened locally over the weekend, not twenty miles away from us; you can read about it HERE. An eighteen-year-old woman failed to yield to a motorcycle. I wonder if she was talking on a cell phone or texting. You can do everything right, and still get killed by an idiot, or a kid that thinks she's invulnerable.
I don't obsess about these things, although the statistics are terrifying. Cliff makes every effort to keep us out of harm's way, and I say quite a few silent prayers while riding.
It won't be long before we voluntarily end our motorcycle-riding phase; hopefully we will know the proper time to do that.
Meanwhile, we sure are having fun. I do hope we get to safely take that one long road trip before we retire the Gold Wing.
I hope you get to take your trip too! It is scary when you hear statistics like that but with the care you all take and the prayers you say I think you'll be just fine. We can't live our lives in fear of what could happen anyway. Otherwise I'd rarely go out of the house so we pray and take care and trust all will be well.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am not a motorcyle fancier, I love to see the freedom that riders have on them. My sister and her husband ride all over the place, even after a terrible accident about a year ago. Like you, they ride a Goldwing. They are both 72 and it doesn't look like they will stop very soon. I say enjoy the ride as long as you wish. Blessings, Penny
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that there have been more than usual around KC this year.
ReplyDeleteDonna, I know you and Cliff are careful and cautious as you can be. Good for you. Life itself is a risk. You are having fun, enjoying life, not hurting anyone else. I say - Live your dreams! But with prayer! Karen
ReplyDeleteHere in Ne. some motorcycles were going home from The thing in Fargo where they go at a certain time and a drunk driver driving on the wrong side of the highway killed 4 cycles all on their side of the highway He was driving on a suspended license and a student at the University. He pleaded not guilty and then I did not hear any more.
ReplyDelete