Food for Thought

[mjn]

Common sense is something found all too infrequently.

It is always good to hear stories such as this one.

Makes ya think, and we've all gotta be thinking every second on our ride of choice. Things happen fast at speed.

I don't view this story as a poster for 55mph speed limits.

I typically ride fast.......just not in congested areas.

Thanks for the post.

Ride safe, ride fast. just use your friggin head.

 

[FAKK2]

What about the woman driving in a minivan as well as the other in an suv who thought the road belonged to them and them only cause they drive suv's and mini vans, and are so preoccupied by talking on the cell phone that they never saw nor cared when they hit and killed motorcyclists, bicyclists as well as children walking across the street ect.. WHEN ARE THEY GOING to be stopped, screw 55 it doesn't do a damn thing really never did never will... More died here during 55mph vs the german autobaud... Hmmmm so much for 55...

 

[chowan24]

Wow....Take a step back for a minute and put your self in the cops shoes....

 

[sccrvettel82]

Actually with cars it is very easy to determine the speed the car was going before impact. Most new vehicles with OBDII keep a record of gas & bake inputs as well as speed for a predetermined amount of time before the air bags were deployed. There was a local guy driving a Grand Am that slammed someone at close to 100 m.p.h. the cops had gm retrieve the info and nailed the guy to the wall with it. He tried to fight it because he thought it was an invasion of privacy. .......Idiot.

 

[thesnake]

all this talk of speed is makin' me hungry@

 

[justintime2]

Actually with cars it is very easy to determine the speed the car was going before impact.  Most new vehicles with OBDII keep a record of gas & bake inputs as well as speed for a predetermined amount of time before the air bags were deployed.  There was a local guy driving a Grand Am that slammed someone at close to 100 m.p.h. the cops had gm retrieve the info and nailed the guy to the wall with it.  He tried to fight it because he thought it was an invasion of privacy.  .......Idiot.

It is an invasion of privacy and beyond the fact that I don't like Chevy's is another reason I would never buy one. As it stands now they don't even have to tell you if your vehicle is equiped with one. Before long with this mentallity the cops will be able to walk up to your vehicle on a traffic stop and not even speak to you while they wirelessly download your vehicles data and then write you a ticket for something they may not have even seen. The term fishing expedition fits here. If you think I have broken the law then win your case the old fashioned way and prove it without invading my privacy or taking information that belongs to me. This is what happens when activist courts make law instead of following it.  

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[BigBSBusa]

Very insightful! Thanks for sharing!

 

[mobusa]

What about the woman driving in a minivan as well as the other in an suv who thought the road belonged to them and them only cause they drive suv's and mini vans, and are so preoccupied by talking on the cell phone that they never saw nor cared when they hit and killed motorcyclists, bicyclists as well as children walking across the street ect.. WHEN ARE THEY GOING to be stopped, screw 55 it doesn't do a damn thing really never did never will... More died here during 55mph vs the german autobaud... Hmmmm so much for 55...

To make things as clear as possible, the post IS NOT about 55mph laws. ( I too Hate them) It Is about being responsible for our own actions. As far as cages that cause accidents, no argument here. However, I cannot control their actions. I CAN control mine! I am no angel, I likely speed as much as anyone. All I am advocating is that we all THINK before we grab a handfull! Ride safe!

 

[FAKK2]

Totally Agree but seeing all these minivans and suv's and the people driving them on their cell phones going 2 lanes to make a turn cutting not only bikes off but also other vehicles ect... and it is not their fault it is your fault my fault ect... for being in their way on THEIR ROADS...

 

[mjn]

What about the woman driving in a minivan as well as the other in an suv who thought the road belonged to them and them only cause they drive suv's and mini vans, and are so preoccupied by talking on the cell phone that they never saw nor cared when they hit and killed motorcyclists, bicyclists as well as children walking across the street ect.. WHEN ARE THEY GOING to be stopped, screw 55 it doesn't do a damn thing really never did never will... More died here during 55mph vs the german autobaud... Hmmmm so much for 55...

To make things as clear as possible, the post IS NOT about 55mph laws. ( I too Hate them)  It Is about being responsible for our own actions. As far as cages that cause accidents, no argument here.  However, I cannot control their actions.  I CAN control mine!  I am no angel, I likely speed as much as anyone.  All I am advocating is that we all THINK before we grab a handfull!  Ride safe!

here, here

 

[Cuffee]

 

[DAB]

To make things as clear as possible, the post IS NOT about 55mph laws. ( I too Hate them)  It Is about being responsible for our own actions. As far as cages that cause accidents, no argument here.  However, I cannot control their actions.  I CAN control mine!  I am no angel, I likely speed as much as anyone.  All I am advocating is that we all THINK before we grab a handfull!  Ride safe!

I'm with you 100% on that point. Everyone should drive with care and attention all the time.

The story is just too vague for me though.

So he was doing 73 in a 55mph limit? Everyone does that every day on I25, the main highway through Denver where I live. There are stretches where if you're not doing 80mph in the fast lane you have someone up your butt trying to get you to move over. Does it result in more accidents? I don't think so, I drive that road every workday and most of the accidents I see are due to people driving too close together to anticipate other car's movements (frequently when they are stuck in traffic jams that are moving at less than 55mph.)

Doesn't say he was drunk either, or weaving across the road on a cellphone while eating McDonalds in a poorly maintained car etc.

Before I moved to America I grew up in England. Country lanes there (two-lane roads with a total width of a single highway lane here) didn't have speed limits (except for the regulated maximum) which meant drivers could drive at speeds they considered appropriate for the conditions. Were the roads littered with the corpses of small children? - No.

Now, if the story was that he was doing 40 in a school zone then I'd be righteously indignant and hope he was strung up, because that's just stupid.

It's far too simplistic to suggest that by merely reducing speed across the board everyone becomes automatically "safer". There's even research that suggests there are optimum speeds that "engage" a drivers brain more - if you drive below those speeds you become complacent and inattentive.

It's about smart driving, not fast driving.

http://www.ibiblio.org/rdu/sl-fearf.html

 

[Pipefighter248]

 

[JINKSTER]

Mobusa...While I applaud you for your "Intent"?...I personally find the tale a little too "Readers Digest" for my "Keep It Real" tastes and not far departed from someone going on a hunting forum to tell a tale of how ones best friend blew his sons head off during a bird hunt...and as such these horrific stories will not always garner positive responses from all...as a matter of fact it may even serve as a mental distraction...a play on fear or impending doom..not my style. So now I will share this little true story..

At the last busa bash many of us elected to stay sunday night as well so we could make the most of our trip and enjoy a full days riding sunday and a good nights sleep before our long journeys home monday...and on that sunday grandpabusa and I made a premature right turn (headed to the foothills parkway) and wound up at this cool national park "Primitive Campground"...it was beautiful with a small river of fast moving mountain water that was so crystal clear you could see every rock and fish...across from us were two sweet looking young woman and a guy and they had several large dogs with them...two were great danes..as they lunched at the picnic table across the gravel road from where we parked...and just then 3 women on horseback emerged from the wooded area and the dogs took to barking like crazy...the horses froze...and grandpabusa said.."Bill...look!...that horse is getting ready to bolt on that girl."..and damn if it wasn't...as I saw the horse uneasy and startled by the barking dogs as I thought...

"Dang..if that horse bolts that poor girl isn't even wearing any protective gear...and she'll have NO CONTROL over that 1/2 ton+ creature of legs and muscle if it dose decide to startle and bolt on her....and that horse could go mad scared and run over anyone here."

as I also thought..

"I guess that makes riding my Busa SAFER than riding that horse as..it's less than 1/2 that horses weight...dosen't spook and NEVER does anything other than what I tell it to do and WHEN I tell it to do so...and unlike that poor girl?..I have 100% control over my busa at all times."

So lets face it and...let's "Keep It Real"...

Fact 1: I don't think anyone here bought a busa to remain under legal speed at all times...and if ya did?...ya just wasted a lot of money...you shoulda bought a vespa.

Fact 2: All the quaint touching stories in cyberspace won't make up for the idiots who refuse to demonstrate good judgement or apply self discipline and common sense.

L8R, Bill.

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[FAKK2]

My gf and her kids are buying me the bikes... As for speed I love it... have not owned anything that I did not do max speed of... But I do not do it on a congested road/highway. My gf worries about the speeds ect... So she looked into time on a speedway to have fun and do whatever EVEN I who love to go fast and drive things do not think I could do 12 hours of it, and also think 10K is a waiste for 12 hours... Maybe 4 hours would be cool or 6 with a few friends to have a small hour to 2 race ect...

this way it is controlled.. But still even I would crack the throttle on the road just have to be so much more careful now with bimbo's in minivans and suvs and morons driving and talking on cell phones is a concern and all... Also see scarey things of people aroud here on Busa's 1K r1 600's ect... all power houses like the forementioned riding with no gear or helmets, flip flops and shorts, no shirt... Damn their insane... or am I over reacting and jumping the gun??? Thats riding a bike equvalant to a gixxer 600 r1 1k and busa with no shirt and not helmet and flip flops is a cool way or is it stupid and I mean these guys get on them hard too... to me if your not going to wear gear, at least a helmet and sneakers and a shirt would be a wise move?

 

[MoosesBusa]

Proving neglegence due to speed is difficult as the investigations generally only yeild estimates not absolutes. News flash, if your hit at anything over 25mph you are probably dead anyway. Time to set the national limit at 25mph.

WRONG! I hit a mailbox @ 45 and walked ( rather limped) away. We should lower the Mailbox's speed limit not ours!

 

[DAB]

Proving neglegence due to speed is difficult as the investigations generally only yeild estimates not absolutes. News flash, if your hit at anything over 25mph you are probably dead anyway. Time to set the national limit at 25mph.

WRONG! I hit a mailbox @ 45 and walked ( rather limped) away. We should lower the Mailbox's speed limit not ours!  

Damn those mailboxes!

 

[mobusa]

Fact 1: I don't think anyone here bought a busa to remain under legal speed at all times...and if ya did?...ya just wasted a lot of money...you shoulda bought a vespa.

Fact 2: All the quaint touching stories in cyberspace won't make up for the idiots who refuse to demonstrate good judgement or apply self discipline and common sense.

Could not agree more! However, if the post saves even one life, it was worthwhile!!!

 

[Skak]

I'm touched.


Not really! That's pretty korny shid!

 

[adrenaline junkey]

good story