RiderX

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. I’d like to take an opportunity to discuss something that’s been bugging me. Many riders run with their bright lights on when day riding. The logic seems to be bright lights increase awareness. I regard this similarly to the “loud pipes save lives” mentality. I don’t buy it.

When I took the MSF course years back the instructors talked about this. They did so with the caveat that it’s not an MSF sanctioned practice, but stated that they do it just the same.

Personally, I find the practice irritating and in some circumstances to impede safety.

Scenario I – Oncoming traffic

Head on traffic. Evidence supports that the moth effect may cause “fascination” which studies suggest results in accidents. When I’m on the road (riding or driving), and a vehicle approaches with brights a glow, it’s uncomfortable and annoying. Even in daylight it take the eyes time to re-adjust.

So if you’re running around with your brights on, you may be causing elevated attention to yourself, and drawing drivers towards you, and possibly causing irritation to others.

Scenario II – Following

When bikes with brights are behind me, it’s also uncomfortable and annoying. The normally frequent checks of the rear view mirror become less frequent, reducing awareness. In extreme circumstances mirror checks can cease, which eliminates awareness.

When riding in groups, it’s a short leap to imagine that these scenarios could combine to produce increased risks to your fellow riders.

I could not find any evidence that riding with brights on has a safety benefit. Still it could. But in general I worry much more about blinding oncoming riders and drivers than causing fascination, or fixation as motorcycle literature seems to call it.

I feel safer, and more courteous not running with brights on. I’m going to save them for night riding when there are no other vehicles in my view.

April 29 was a rain date for the 14th Annual Gathering of Nortons.   This event continues to deliver, every year.  It used to be on the jersey side in Washington's Crossing Park.  IMO it was better on the jersey side, but it seems the crowd outgrew the venue.  The jersey side was much better laid out for the event.  On the Pensy side we just have a big lot, which works.  So I'll stop complaining because, as I said the event delivers.  

 It's traditional for the Philadelphia  Riders to roll up to Milford NJ and have lunch at the Ship Inn.  The weather on the 29th was outstanding.  As such, a few of us were a bit antsy hanging out at the Ship in, so we ate quick and rolled out for a ride.  Six of us rolled out from Milford.  Our goal was to head up NJ 519 to High Point NJ. 

 The first part of the ride was rought, and I think we were all a bit anxious.  Weather great, traffic was, well traffic.   So as we finally got to some roads where we could really roll, we did.    I think this was probably some where above Foul Rift or White.    The traffic was sparse, but not non-existent when we got to Hope.  North of Hope there was a pick-up truck which three of the six of us had passed.  I decided that the pace was a bit too sprited for me, so I (fifth of sixth) decided to back off.  Heck, you can always catch up later, and this group always waits.  When I decided to roll off the throttle and back off two had passed the pick-up.  The third in the group (two before me) decided to pass the pick-up, and the fourth followed.  Just after the guy in front of me passed the pick-up I saw a big ploom of dust, and his bike hit a tree.  As the truck rolled on, I saw him tumbling on the side of the road.  My first thought: "This is not good,  given the way he's tumbling, he's got to be hurt".  I stopped, ran over to the guy laying still on the side of the road.  His bike had hit a big tree head on.  Luckily he had taken a course four feet to the left, missing the tree.  

I don't have the ability to explain the feeling I had as I ran up on this guy as he laid there on the ground laying still.  Without touching him, I began to yell and scream "Mike, open your eyes and look at me".  Momentarily, he began to moan and move around.  He did open his eyes, but the were rolled back.  Very, very eerie.  I called 911.   I didn't really know where we were, but the pick-up truck driver did.  Only he was a jerk and was just yelling at me.  But he also called 911 and let them know where we were.   So I tended to Mike.  

He was groaning and trying to get up.  We kept yelling at him to now move. But I can tell you first hand you don't hear it (I've crashed and it's an odd, reality altering experience).  By the time the cops got there Mike was up, helmet off, and talking. We tested asked him what day it was, but he could not tell us.  The cops encouraged him to go to the hospital. So he took a helicopter ride.

 He was okay, and that is good.  He was really, really lucky.  Bike rolls into a tree and is all banged up, you walk away with the wind knocked out of you…  You got really lucky.  

I'm glad he's okay.

 The reason I bring this up is that there is a ton of group dynamics that ensue for Philadelphia Riders.   I'll very likely write about that, and this will serve as a back drop.

So I'm commuting via motorcycle once again…. 

And while commuting is a mixed bag, let me tell-you I'm ecstatic.  I've been working in the confines of my house for about a year and a half.  This in itself does not sound like a big deal.  I too have worked at home before.  This time things have been somewhat different.  I'm a homeowner now (or should I say again).  Being at home is a constant reminder of all of the things I need to be doing to the house.  I've been successful at not neglecting my work to alleviate such responsibilities, though it has been distracting.  So I rented an office and moved my small business there.  

My commute is through about 12 miles of windy Chester and Montgomery Country roads.  I'm still learning the traffic patterns.  So far the morning have been sublime.  Evenings still kind of suck.  I suppose it could be worse, but commuting in suburban rush hour traffic with what seems like a million over-sized SUVs with We Are Penn State  or stupid soccer ball magnets getting 4 gallons per mile just sucks.  The traffic report did say that the Schuylkill Expressway was bummer to bummer from 202 to Girard Ave the other day, so it could surely be worse.

For now I'm pretty happy, getting out of the house every day, riding every day, and generally functioning as a normal human being.