Monday, August 17, 2015

Righteous Anger, Recurring Agony

Maybe you've seen the YouTube helmet-cam videos of angry motorcyclists waving fists, screaming, kicking cars or worse, at brain dead car drivers who have somehow violated their rights on the road.  It seems we are a nation of eager victims ready to rage at the slightest offense against us while recording it all for posterity.

Who can blame them?  Anyone who has ridden a motorcycle on the streets for more than fifteen minutes knows the fear and resultant anger that arises when a Xanax addled soccer mom in a mini-van makes an illegal left turn into your path. I freely admit that there are several taxicabs in the city of Philadelphia sporting steel-toe sized dents in their quarter panels from yours truly as a warning for encroaching my space.  As it stands now I have the shortest motorcycle commute of my life (<5 miles) and inevitably at least one asshole attempts to kill me on my way by doing something stupid and illegal.  The only greater failure in education than those who 'teach' our drivers in this country comes from those who teach English.

Motorcyclists are a minority oppressed and often killed by a senseless, careless majority of inattentive dolts.  We are 26 times more likely to die in an accident than our 4 wheeled counterparts!  We have the right to be angry, violent and vicious!!!!!!  Right?

Wrong.  If you didn't know the score on the streets before riding, after your first day you will.  When running with the bulls, don't cry when you get gored in the ass.  The plain truth of the matter is this: Car versus Motorcycle, car wins every single time.  Lucky enough to survive your encounter? Please enjoy an expensive ambulance ride, lingering injuries, time off work and a smashed ride, as insurance companies jockey to refuse payment first.  Meanwhile Mrs. Soccer Mom gets a $15 ticket for "failure to yield", a small dent in her CRV and then continues on her merry oblivious way to Starbucks for a latte.

No amount of screaming, yelling, aggressive retaliatory riding or YouTube posting is going to change that or get drivers to stop texting, drinking, sleeping and wake up and pay attention.  More often than not, the best defense, is defense.  If you plan on taking to the mean streets, be prepared.  Recognize that trouble comes from all around and never count on drivers to "do the right thing", expect them to do the wrong thing, the dumbest thing, the craziest thing, every damn time.  The best road riding advice I ever got was this: 'Ride like everyone out there is trying to kill you.'  Because they are.



Watch the dipshit in the video above, he's lucky to be alive to bitch and moan about something he could have prevented.

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