To a self-proclaimed business owner from the Charlotte, NC area after he was so kind as to post that he was sick of bikers and us asking non-riders (and riders) to Look Twice, Save a Life and threatening to run us off the road. He used his FB page to comment on a female rider killed in a motorcycle accident in his local area, so I sent him the following message:
I'm not sure if you are the guy who made the ill founded remarks about motorcyclists after a lady was killed in a wreck but I thought you should have some facts to consider before threatening to run someone off the road.
1. There are approximately 8M motorcyclists in the 50 States.
2. According to Federal estimates approximately 5000 riders are killed on the highways per year.
3. Of the 5000, only 1000 nationwide are cruiser bikes. 4000 are rockets (sports bikes).
4. Of the 1000/cruisers more than half are attributed to the other vehicle either pulling out in front of the rider or rear ending because they didn't see the rider.
5. You are correct in assuming the rocket riders take a lot of risks. Over half of their 4000 deaths have their speed as a factor.
6. The average cruiser rider is 43 years old with an average household income of $65K/yr. The average sports bike rider age is 27.
7. Over 30% of riders are now women. In multiple studies, women that ride report being happier than non riding women by more than 20% in the most recent study.
8. Harley reports that almost 70% of their bike sales are to professionals--engineers, managers and business owners like yourself. I myself know nurses, business owners, engineers and even two VPs of major corporations that ride.
9. Of the 8M riders in the US, 99% of us are just like you and your family. We have kids, jobs and/or businesses, and pay taxes. We may or may not have tattoos. We give to charity or to the lady who happens to be a neighbor of someone we know that's house burned down. We do this not for anyone's approval but because its part of the culture, part of who we are. Most of us, in spite of what you have seen on television, are just good people who have a common hobby.
10. While our hobby may not be a hobby you or any of your friends would enjoy or even entertain in trying, I would ask you to reflect on the statements you made and think about what kind of person you depicted yourself as. I hope that really isn't who you are but I'm sure you know that better than I or anyone else would.
Let's be blunt. It's not just our lives you put at risk when you don't take the time to look twice. Every time that you blow through a Stop sign, pull out of a parking lot without taking time to check what might be coming, you put yourself and everyone in your own vehicle at risk also. If you drive an SUV or truck, you may feel very confident in your safety, but the truth is side impacts can result in significant damage to a vehicle and often severe injuries to drivers and passengers. Would you want someone you love to die or suffer long term injuries because you didn't take the time to Look Twice? Let alone what impact it might have on you and any passengers to observe someone else dying?
Look Twice, Save a Life should not just be about motorcycles. It should be about everyone that you care about also. It's an extra second of your time which could mean the life of someone you care about. Look Twice, Save a Life. The life you save could be your own.
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