Depressing Threads About Crashing and Death

[John Bennett]

Holy crap, John!

Please post something happy for a change.

We get it already. Too many idiots on motorbikes.

I'm growing weary of reading about death and motorbikes.

:angryfir:

So, I'm putting it up for a vote...

[Texas T]

Perhaps a recap once a month?

I like stats showing why/how, but reading about this and that death every few days does get to be a bit of a downer.

While I will not disagree that it helps to keep safety in front of us as much as possible I'd suggest changing up the format a little. I think we all recognize how close we ride to the edge every time we swing a leg over the saddle.

[Sleepy Weasel]

I like stats showing why/how, but reading about this and that death every few days does get to be a bit of a downer..

Yeah, man... you're harshing my buzz, John. ;-)

Seriously, I'd rather get reminders like this, than to be off in my own little world when some idiot moves into my lane without looking.

"It is a wise man, that learns from his mistakes,
but it is a wiser man, who lets the snake bite the other fellow."

[wabbit]

Yeah, lets not sugar coat what we are doing here.

Taking a bike on the street is dangerous. I don't mind reading about the deaths. I feel bad for the victims, but I also try to learn from what happened.

There is almost always something that could have happened differently that riding technique/gear etc could have addressed.

[txbanditrydr]

Back during my skydiving days we would get a monthly magazine and there were incident reports about jumpers deaths and injuries. While gruesome to some they served to educate and reinforce proper techniques and mindsets for increaseing your survival chances - especially when things go wrong.

Riding incident reports can serve the same purpose and they are useful. It is tough to read about it on a frequent basis and I think a monthly synopsis would be more beneficial. However, someone has to put it together and it quickly goes beyond a cut-n-paste operation.

Of course you could always excersise your constitutional right to simply not read the thread in the first place.

Just my $.02 worth.......

[Rocket_Cowboy]

I'm with ya John. Maybe the need to funnel over to a separate forum, but keep 'em coming. Read enough of these report, and someone might realize that stupid hurts and become a more responsible rider. That's what I like about this site ... we aren't the typical hooligans that pull that junk.

[pinecone]

The first response is a bit skewed and misleading. I never said that I don't care who dies. I realize that this is a dangerous sport. My own experience is still fresh on my mind and I'm trying to move on.

I guess I'm a bit sensitive about it and it breaks my heart to read about it. I am by no means insensitive to the pain of those who lost somebody due to bad judgement by either party.

Please post how you see fit John. It is up to me whether I decide to read it or not. If folks want to read about that, let them.

[Tx Rider]

I don't really care much one way or the other, I just won't read em if I don't want to.

I really don't need anti stupid lessons and hearing about the latest squid that splattered himself doesn't do much for me.

Something out of the ordinary like the gun weilder getting his due, or something besides the regular "car turns left into path" or "squid makes greasy spot" posts and I might be interested.

[Hotboot]

Keep it coming John. Those who can't swallow the reality of our dangerous hobby should not view the post. That is up to them.
I appreciate the lessons learned here, that is one of them.
I also hope and pray none of us end up on that side of the ledger.

Ride Safe and enjoy.





BTW: John also posts with ride reports and interesting cycle related legislation too........so no-one thinks him grim or callous.

[Texas T]

Riding incident reports can serve the same purpose and they are useful. It is tough to read about it on a frequent basis and I think a monthly synopsis would be more beneficial. However, someone has to put it together and it quickly goes beyond a cut-n-paste operation. I think this is what I was looking for in my response.

Although difficult to do, news reports of WHAT went wrong, WHY they went wrong, etc are certainly beneficial, but the typical news report of a biker down reads like:
No helmet, high speed, hit car. If we don't have all the details, and it's highly unlikely a newspaper article will give us all the details, then all we have is conjecture as to what actually did happen, what could have been done to prevent it, etc.

[Texason]

I think you need more than those two choices to vote on. How about a "no, I care, but it's difficult to enjoy riding when I am constantly reminded how dangerious it is".

Your "no" choice is a typical pollster trick, I can't vote "no" without sounding like an uncaring ***.

:evil:

Edit to add: and by "no" I mean "yes". Another trick question, dangit.

[Hemibee]

We were looking for ways to increase the safety awareness at work when I had an employee build us a casket. During one of the safety meetings I told each employee that thru the wonders of modern science I had been able to determine who was going to be the plant's fatality if we did not turn around our thought process and make safety first. Each employee was instructed to exit the meeting room thru an adjoining room and to stop and see who had been selected. What they didn't know was that the casket was in the room and we had another employee dressed up like a greiving family member in the room with the casket. Not one single employee passed up the chance to see who was in the casket and the looks on their faces said it all, we had hit home. Before the "undertaker" would allow them to leave the room, they were asked to say a word or two to the family member. To this day, eight years later I still hear about that safety meeting.

Who was in the casket? A headless Rescue Annie. In place of the head was a mirror.

The minute you take safety from the forefront.................well, look into our casket and see who is next. Keep posting them as they occur John. The minute they get pushed back to a routine posting is the time they get ignored and someone pays the ultimate price for someone else needing them to be sugar coated. I know everyone hates reading these as much as I do, but it is something that has to be done to keep people from getting too wrapped up in the Bluebonnets and not seeing the approaching Freightliner.

[Tourmeister]

Where's that safety video of Klaus operating the forklift and doing everything wrong...? Anyone know what I am referrign to? It is freaking hilarious! But it drives the point home!

Adios,

[Texas T]

Where's that safety video of Klaus operating the forklift and doing everything wrong...? Anyone know what I am referrign to? It is freaking hilarious! But it drives the point home!

Adios, I checked some links and they were all taken down. The original site probably took a pounding with everyone hitting it for that video.

[kurt]

Where's that safety video of Klaus operating the forklift and doing everything wrong...? Anyone know what I am referrign to? It is freaking hilarious! But it drives the point home!

Adios,

http://home.astrakan.hig.se/sax/rokka/files/staplerfahrer_klaus.wmv

[Tourmeister]

Kurt, we should change your username to Googlemeister :lol:

[kurt]

It was tough. I entered "German safety video" into the search field and the third link I opened actually worked. :-P

[StoneTriple]

I really don't need anti stupid lessons and hearing about the latest squid that splattered himself doesn't do much for me.

That's exactly how I feel.

It's arrogant of someone to decide they're qualified to be the voice of reality for the riders on this board, or that they even can be. That arrogance is shown in the only two possible responses - you're either concerned about fellow riders and their safety or you're an uncompassionate heathen.
Texason pointed it out ....

Your "no" choice is a typical pollster trick, I can't vote "no" without sounding like an uncaring [expletive removed].
The poll is set up to be divisive, not to gather information.

[Stephen Max]

http://home.astrakan.hig.se/sax/rokka/files/staplerfahrer_klaus.wmv

Ulp. Kinda wish I hadn't watched it. Having lived in Germany, though, I gotta say this is pretty typical German gallows humor.

[Eulogite]

I don't think whether a death is involved matters at all. It's the awareness we're going for.

Sunday, I headed out to punish some farm roads but there was a micromist in the air and the roads were slightly darker than normal. I decided against lean angles and went to redline in 4th and 5th to get rid of the demon instead. Then I see a thread about a rash of bike wrecks in the Hill Country that weekend due to riding in mist or light rain. It reinforced that I made a good choice and it wouldn't have been worth it. That may not be a good example, but I want as much information about what is happening out there as I can get!!

[terrebandit]

You should have probably included another category in your poll called "I should mind my own business". I'm not sure why you think you should "have to" do this or what makes you think that we really care what you do. Are you trying to do this as some kind of service to us? If so, NO THANK YOU!

I personally don't mind hearing about wrecks, especially when we have someone on the board that was there or has first hand knowledge about it. That would allow us to sort out the reasons for the crash and learn from them.

Dave

[solocodes]

I think stories about how wrecks or mishaps occur are good refresher training, or at least can be stored in those vacant brain cells, there was a recent post about uneven lanes due to new asphalt paving. The incident occurred in the dark. I encountered a similiar situation in daytime hours, and remembered to slow down(due to the posting), went to make a left turn across the opposing lane, and there was all that loose asphalt gravel, and that 4" change in road elevation. Someone else's posting surely saved me at least dumping my bike, or worse. I can learn from others accidents.

As for videos, I used to be an electrician, there were safety videos showing construction workers being electrocuted by drilling into walls and hidden wires. Or the guard on a circle saw being wired open, and the guy runs the spinning saw across his thigh.

[dutchinterceptor]

You should have probably included another category in your poll called "I should mind my own business". I'm not sure why you think you should "have to" do this or what makes you think that we really care what you do. Are you trying to do this as some kind of service to us? If so, NO THANK YOU!


:shock:

[Eulogite]

:shock:


:rofl:

[Texas T]

You should have probably included another category in your poll called "I should mind my own business". I'm not sure why you think you should "have to" do this or what makes you think that we really care what you do. Are you trying to do this as some kind of service to us? If so, NO THANK YOU! Jeeez... John posted that poll about 18 months ago and has rarely come around in the last six months or so. I wonder why?

[Greg in H-Town]

I didn't answer either question because I didn't think either choice fit my thoughts. Basically, I think it's fine to honor fallen riders and tell their story; we can all choose to read them or not. One of the first threads I read on this board was one of yours about the death of Ski Clark, who I used to play Little League ball with and hadn't seen in 30 years. Small world.

One thing I will add though is that these types of threads get repetitive. How many different ways are there to say "Thoughts and prayers to the family, what a shame, wear your gear, be careful out there, ride within your limits, and the cagers are out to kill us"? That's pretty much what they all boil down to.

Sure, we can learn a little with each account of an accident and look out for some unique situations, but most of these are usually the result of dangers we already know about. Same goes for the "I crashed..." threads. They are almost all some variation of "Sorry to hear that, take care of yourself, glad you're okay and how's the bike?".

Like I said - read 'em or not, it's your choice. I just thought I'd add my two cents because after reading these types of threads on several boards they all start to sound the same.

[kocook]

Are you depressed because someone beat you to the Galveston death toll post?

[dutchinterceptor]

Jeeez... John posted that poll about 18 months ago and has rarely come around in the last six months or so. I wonder why?



Not any motorcycling deaths?

[fratermus]

I think you need more than those two choices to vote on. How about a "no, I care, but it's difficult to enjoy riding when I am constantly reminded how dangerious it is".

Your "no" choice is a typical pollster trick, I can't vote "no" without sounding like an uncaring ***.



Agreed. Interestingly the title of the poll appears to be anti-deadthread, and the contents of the poll appear to be pro.

I don't want to start a PC flamewar, but if one wants clean information (rather than agreement with a particular position) it pays to design clean questions. And it shows respect to those that hold positions the poll-designer might not hold.

[Faylaricia]

Ulp. Kinda wish I hadn't watched it. Having lived in Germany, though, I gotta say this is pretty typical German gallows humor.


+1.

I can actually get this humor. :trust:

Am I the only one who understands this? ;-)


About the posts, while I do wonder if it is anyone who I may have known, I mainly like to read them to see what happened and to learn from it. The few posts about being people hit from behind in the dark or at lights for example made me aware of always watching what is going on behind me.

[antiwinter]

I think that the information should be available if you want to post it. We all know how to pass something by if we dont want to look at it. The thread is pretty self explanatory. I my self posted my second post in there because I lost a friend a couple of weeks ago due to human error. No matter what it is tough. Like it has been said before we all know what we are getting into when you saddle up and ride. You never know what is going to happen. It could be bad judgment on anther driver or it could be your fault. Life is a learning experience, we try learn from others mistakes. Take it as you will. This is just my opinion on this.
I use my bike for commuting so I see allot of stupid things every day. I have my own saying. If I dont have a close call a day. Watch out because the next day could be my last.