My girlfriend and I went to dinner on a Saturday night a few weeks ago with our neighbors from another apartment – nice folks, she’s a stay at home mom, he’s a 50 something doctor. This was our first time out together to get to know each other. They offered to drive and we accepted. He drove, I rode shotgun up front, his wife and my girlfriend rode in the back seat and chatted. I don’t consider myself an overly critical passenger, but I do notice other folks’ driving and I can’t help but pay attention when riding with another driver, I guess it’s a natural offshoot of being a motorcyclist – watching what’s going on around you is sort of automatic. Now to say he was the worst driver I ever saw would be an overstatement, he wasn’t, but he was inherently dangerous. I don’t mean dangerous in an aggressive way, I mean dangerous in the not aware of his surroundings and not in control of his vehicle way. In fact during our 30 minute ride to the restaurant he very nearly ran the car off the road surface several times on a straight and level road – correcting only at the last minute, and almost drove through two red lights (in both cases only my verbal intervention stopped him). He had not been drinking or otherwise appear impaired. It just seemed driving was a tertiary concern ranking right behind making conversation and thinking about work or the kids; it was as if the car was supposed to be responsible for piloting us to the restaurant, steering and operating the other controls was more akin to a passive activity rather than an active and focused one. It was rather nerve-wracking for both myself and my girlfriend – both motorcyclists. We discussed his driving when we returned home and both agreed he was pretty frightening to ride with. The gist of this is that while I’m riding I tend to watch the cars around me, it’s a defensive trait that most riders share, we have all experienced the inattentive motorist or the one that just didn’t see us and took our lane. Evasive tactics and defensive riding go hand in hand for our survival when we ride. However, this ride with my neighbor was a real eye-opener for me, he was simply so bad behind the wheel it was frightening. This experience caused me to reflect on a key factor between motorcyclists and motorists, the average motorist couldn’t care less about improving their skills! Not only that, when’s the last time you heard anyone confess to being a poor-driver? Right, they’re all great, just ask them. I personally have yet to see a motorcyclist that does not strive to improve their skills. It’s a badge of honor for most of us and something we cultivate. One does not need to go far here to find the proof positive of my statement – witness the existence of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and their collection of skill building classes as just one example. Contrast that with the dearth of similar classes for the improvement of driving skills beyond the entry level driver education classes. So, where does that leave us? I don’t know about you but it makes me hyper-vigilant and more forgiving. I’m less inclined to take these folks’ mistakes personally which is better for my blood pressure and overall attitude. Hey, I just wanna ride and enjoy the bike so lemme just give some of these rolling hazards a wide birth and keep a wary eye open for my neighbor!
Enjoy the season folks.
-Jim
Enjoy the season folks.
-Jim
