Motorcycle safety: Don’t be so selfish

An atricle from the daily telegraph by Frank Melling the organise of the annual Thundersprint and a former owner of Thumpers old Yamaha SRX600,

Have a read, some interesting points:

Last Updated: 12:01am BST 25/07/2008

Frank Melling is infuriated by the hooligans who post high-speed road-riding videos on the web

I have never thought of myself as being a particularly angry or self-righteous person but I’m becoming seriously hacked off with the current vogue for riding at suicidal speeds on public roads – and then posting the exploits on file-sharing websites.

Valentino Rossi: real racers stay on track

There are so many clips of bikes doing an indicated 180mph that they are completely missable and unremarkable – except to the road safety “experts” who store up the evidence for their next attack on motorcycling. And who can blame them? How can anyone ever justifiably, or even reasonably, hammer up a public road at 180mph and not be considered both reckless and selfish?

The situation is even worse because riding a superbike at such speeds is just so easy. It doesn’t require skill, bravery or even careful bike preparation, just a flick of the wrist and a lack of imagination. A novice rider with five hours’ experience on two wheels can achieve 180mph on a superbike.

In some ways it’s this ease of use that makes me fume. I love going fast on a bike and that’s why I race. Riding a bike to its limits, and battling for track space with a group of other determined riders, is intoxicating and deeply satisfying. It’s also difficult and dangerous and demands both skill and courage.

There are accidents at every race meeting, and riders get hurt. But no one makes a rider race. We all sign up to dangers and accept them. By contrast, everyone involved in stunts on the public road – except the selfish individuals themselves – has their human rights abrogated. Why should these cretins be able to impose their death wish on the rest of us?

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So, what can be done to protect motorcyclists from the damage the hooligans are causing, and should we be worried in any case?

Solving the problem will be difficult – and yes, we should be worried. As such an easy target, these fools are just begging British and EU legislators to impose 100bhp and/or 125mph limits on all motorcycles. If you can’t play sensibly then we’ll take your toys off you.

As for ameliorating the problem, the motorcycling media has got to take a lead by not publishing lurid action photos and videos taken on the public road. Riding knee down, with the fairing dragging on the deck, looks really cool, but make sure the reader knows the pictures were taken at a track.

Motorcycle event organisers must also ban anyone selling DVDs showing reckless riding on the road. Make it clear to traders selling such videos that they are unacceptable and trying to sell them will result in a loss of income.

Next, pressure police forces to go after these phallically challenged individuals and prosecute them. If there are resources available for whacking someone for doing 68mph on an empty country road, there must be at least the same available to find and prosecute complete maniacs.

Finally, press for a mandatory lifetime driving ban on anyone caught at more than twice the speed limit. Much as I abhor the greedy prosecution of road users for technical speed limit infringements, there is no way someone doing 150mph can say it was a momentary lapse of concentration. A lifetime ban would ultimately protect the majority of us who want no more than to get on with riding.

Source
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1YourView&xml=/motoring/2008/07/26/mfbikesafe126.xml