Not even remotely close to true. A great percentage of fatal motorcycle accidents are caused by idiots not paying attention while driving their car. With proper safety equipment riding a motorcycle is as safe as driving a car... even more so if idiots in cars and trucks on the road would hang up their cell phone, turn down the radio, put the cigarette and beer down and pay attention despite the distractions while piloting their 4000 pound death missle down the freeway at 90 miles.
This is a concern to me as I do drive a motorcycle on a regular basis. I am very attentive though and can anticipate people in cars or trucks not paying attention to me. The thing that worries me the most though is debris in the road that I can't see until it's too late. A lot of the people I ride with share this concern.
Obviously you are right - I can't believe how many people actually started talking about wearing a seat belt on motorcycles as if that had been the question... That's the point, and the answer to the question - it comes down to the relation of the level of limiting people's freedom in relation to the goal pursued by the law. Would completely banning (and enforcing that ban) of riding motorcycles lead to less accidents? Yes. But it would be a major intrusion into people's lives as it would completely take away a whole means of transportation which has traditionally been accepted. On the other hand, even if making people wear seatbelts in cars had less of a statistical effect on the consequences of accidents than making riding motorcycles illegal, it is also much less of an intrusion by the government because you are not totally stopped from using particular means of transportation.
not exactly on target but there is an old EMS joke: What do you call a motorcycle rider without a helmet? An organ donor.
You've got more risk of being thrown OUT of the car than out of a motorcycle. In the latter, you're not sitting upright completely and you're also holding on to handlebars, while in the car, inertia would make you fly through the windshield if you're not holding on to the steering wheel or strapped onto the seat belt. Now, in an effort to have EVERYONE be buckled, the driver MUST wear the seatbelt, and so do the passengers. School buses DO have seat belts. Do kids wear them? Nope. Should there be rules for kids to wear them? Absolutely. Is there a rule or a law? Nope. Is this somewhat questionable? Yes. Will it cost more? No. Light doesn't bounce off of the pores filled by water as much as the empty ones. Hold a paper towel and wet its center. Look at it with the light bouncing off and it's dark. Look at it with the light going through and it's lighter. Next!
I think it's a little of both. Not saying that you are wrong, but I've seen just as many idiots on motorcycles going way too fast, weaving between traffic and driving where they really should not be driving.
Those jackasses bought their motorcycle for all the wrong reasons. Do the dimensions of a motorcycle as opposed to a car or truck benefit me sometimes? Sure. For instance, one time as I, everybody, and their mom were waiting for a train to pass. When low and behold after the train passed, the darn railroad crossing arms were stuck. I just moseyed on up and navigated my way through them. Side note: There wasn't another train coming. Extra side note: I can grasp the crabbiness everybody probably felt who couldn't get pass the railroad arms after seeing me take an advantage.
I love how people who are outraged at the loss of liberty of having to wear a seatbelt want to outright ban motorcycles. And I think there should be a helmet law -- but only if car drivers and pedestrians have to wear them too.
In lieu of of helmet laws, insurance companies should refuse to pay for injuries suffered in any accidents in which the rider or passenger wasn't wearing a helmet.
. I'm actually in favour of helmet laws -- and in my riding days, always wore one -- even when not required. But....it terms of infringement on liberty -- a seatbelt is a hundredfold less intrusive then a helmet. And a seatbelt on a bike?
"Car drivers"? That's silly. "Pedestrians"?!?! Even sillier. If that's the case, then motorcycles should have airbags. Man, c'mon... pedestrians aren't driving anything. I thought TEXAS already had a helmet law.
