Motorcycle Mistakes We All Make

February of 2007, Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters released this statement:

 “Motorcycle fatalities have more than doubled in 10 years and now account for over 4,500 highway deaths and 78,000 injuries each year. Even worse, the crash rate among motorcyclists in the 50-plus age group has increased by over 400 percent.  We shouldn't be letting any customer take a bike out of the store without a helmet as part of the package. Safety shouldn't have to be an option when purchasing a motorcycle."

Secretary Peters said only 58 percent of riders wear helmets today, which is down 13 percent from just four years ago. We encourage you to get equipped for your ride as the first safety rule to arrive alive.

We sell quality DOT motorcycle helmets, excellent naked cowhide and cowhide leather jackets, vests, and chaps. You can find them at www.agelessparlor.com on our website, where discounted products will help you get the equipment you need to protect yourself on the street at prices you can afford. We offer free shipping to further help you on all helmet purchases. We also have a few good suggestions on your quest to arrive alive.

Paying Attention to the Job:

When I first started driving my car, I was a young inexperienced driver, yet I had been practice driving for three or four years before I tried for my license. I thought I knew a lot about driving. After three wrecks the first year, I changed that opinion.

I will never forget the first wreck. I ran into the side of a garbage truck. Hey, how can you miss seeing a garbage truck? Unfortunately, I was making a turn onto my street, but looking sideways waving at my Dad who was sitting on his porch nearby. The only thing that saved me and my daughter was I was barely moving. Garbage truck was not hurt or the guys on the back of the truck.  My car’s front end looked like a sardine. My 18 month old was thrown in the floor. (Of course this was before the car seats and seatbelts they have today.) We were uninjured but really shaken up.

The next wreck I had a few months later, I ran into the back of an Army truck. We were at a stop sign and I thought he moved. He was in front of me and instead of watching him, I was watching the traffic. He moved about 4 inches and stopped. Right about then I mashed down on the gas and slammed into him. The Highway patrol officer told me this was one of the most common errors drivers make, “not watching the car in front, instead anticipating the moves and watching the traffic.” My car took another hit. My Mother-In-Law and I were uninjured. My insurance company was not pleased.

The third wreck I had almost caused me to stop driving all together. I was convinced I was a danger to the road and to the people I love. I ran into the side of the house.  You can’t miss a house, can you, unless you are stupid. Stupid is exactly how I felt. My husband, who was in the den watching TV when it happened, came running out.  Needless to say the impact shook him up. He had a few words to say which I deserved, but the ones that have forever stuck in my mind is this: “You have to start paying more attention. This car does not run by itself, you run it.”  You are running your motorcycle. Your life and the lives of others depend on you paying attention.

Rules of the Road

If you drive a motorcycle you have probably already mastered car driving and may have been driving for years. You know about safe driving. You know how wrecks happen and how quick they happen. You may think you are above the dangers since you know them. What you don’t know can get you killed. In fact, if you look at Secretary Peter’s statement above, the crash wrecks of people over 50 has increased 400% in the last ten years. Notably there are a lot more motorcycle drivers over 50 now. Not only is our population ageing, many older riders are just now embracing this sport. Empty nesters whose last child is finally grown, gone and on their own, divorced guys and gals looking for something new in their lives,  early retirees seeking a bit of adventure after 30 years of being tied down to a job, all are out there on the road. These are all knowledgeable people, yet they are getting killed and injured every day. One thing a lot of these people have in common is they have spent years rushing around. Rushing to their job, rushing to get the job done, rushing home, rushing to take the kids here there and everywhere, rushing to participate  in church, sports, clubs, family affairs, life. You cannot rush as a new motorcycle driver. It is time to slow down and enjoy your wisdom if your goal is to stay alive.  Motorcycle riding is unlike a car. There is no protective hull around you. It is man, machine and street. Buy a quality leather jacket and chaps set for your body. Protect your head with a DOT helmet.  We sell only the best at discounted prices at www.agelessparlor.com.  Use your own common sense. Driving below the minimum, in the slow lane, on the back roads, until you know how to handle your bike is a good place to start. When you feel confident you can venture out to the freeways.  Suddenly speed becomes all important as you try to keep up with the traffic. This is the time when you need to be alert and using all your past years of driving experience. Foolish risks are just that, foolish. Reduce your speed. Remember your driving rules and adhere to them. Stay behind a vehicle at least one car length for every ten miles an hour you are driving Drive below maximum speed. Be alert for road hazards, gravel, repaired holes, dips in the road, things off trucks, old tires and recaps, litter. Watch out for the other vehicle. Do not take risks. Four teenagers were killed on I-20 close to our home last year. They were traveling in a convertible and one of them lost a hat, so they begin backing up on the freeway to retrieve it. They were run over by a semi. Young inexperienced drivers make mistakes. You can avoid them by practicing what you already know. There was never a more important time to refresh your knowledge of the rules of the road. Most of all drive sober.

 One of the articles I read from the Insurance Society’s web page said 50% of these accidents are alcohol related. One of the things a few beers does is cloud your judgment. Suddenly you take chances. You increase your speed. You show off. You drive recklessly. You drive drowsy. You get killed or injured or you injured or kill others.  Leave the drinking for when you are parked for the night. You can live another day by following just a few good common sense rules you already know. Practice them.

Visit our new helmet site  at www.helmetsforfun.com  We have something for every new and old driver.