AN EPIPHANY ON CARS VS. MOTORCYCLES

  • Published
  • By Bill James
  • 37th Training Wing Ground Safety
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  I'm a parent so I have a lot of safety concerns. I think about things differently than when I was a teenager, probably because I own a couple of high maintenance teenagers myself. Young adults certainly know what they want, but sometimes they don't know what they want ... if you get my meaning.

My daughter recently turned 16. Being the high minded scholar that she is, she developed a point paper showing all the reasons she needed her own car. She meticulously listed her logic on a full color spreadsheet that was so convincing that four of her friends used it to induce their parents to buy them cars. I didn't want to appear like a slacker in front of all the other dads so I told her I would help her get a car.

Since she obviously spent a considerable amount of time reasoning out why she needed a car, I was sure she had some very specific qualities and expectations of the vehicle itself. She did, but once I told her BMW and Mercedes were out of the question, her logic kind of lost its edge. I asked her what else she wanted in a car.

She told me, "It has to be gray. I need enough room for two friends. I don't want to move the shift thingy too much while I'm driving. And I want a cushy steering wheel."

I made a note of her points and decided to confine her to the house for the next five years. Here's a young lady who wants to navigate the mean streets of San Antonio and her biggest priority is color. I planned to shadow her every step in the car buying business.

We went to a local dealer and started browsing. Once we found the right color and correct amount of doors, I started looking for features I wanted for my daughter. I was relieved to find all the newer vehicles had seat belts and airbags as well as crumple zones for impact. I told my daughter I felt better knowing the active and passive restraints were in place on all these cars.

"The active passing what?" she said, just as a young salesman approached.

"He'll tell you about the active and passive restraint systems," I said, nodding at the salesman as he took my outstretched hand and shook it.

"The active passing what?" he said. "I'll ask the manager about that."

So I quickly schooled these two youngsters on the importance of seat belts and air bags. They both looked at me as if I were daft.

My daughter said, "Duh, those things are always there. It's like wheels; all cars have them."

She rolled her eyes.

"You'll have to excuse my dad," she gushed to the salesman. "He rides a motorcycle."

At that moment I had an epiphany. My motorcyclist's mind leapt the chasm, and I understood, actually understood something that has always puzzled me about motorcycle safety. For those of you thinking faster than I can type you're probably already saying to yourself, "Well of course, there are no built in safety systems on motorcycles. That's why we have protective gear."

Well, you're right to a point.

The enlightenment I received went deeper to the heart of the matter. It's not that cars have built in safety features; it's that people never have to give them a thought. They are automatically protected to some degree whenever they jump in that car. Even if they neglect to fasten their seat belt, the vehicle still provides some protection in other areas that a motorcycle does not.

This "no worries" mindset goes further. Most motorcyclists ride part time. We still spend more time in that safe cage than on the back of a "risk rocket." Our rationalization carries over from the car, and we make decisions from a car driver's perspective. We figure we don't need riding pants, because blue jeans are good enough. Long sleeves are required to get on base, so a cotton shirt will do. My brain is in the top half of my head, so a half helmet will suffice.

Most riders tend to view traffic safety from were we spend most of our time and that's in a car. We don't fear the road as much as we should.

I remember as a kid going to the library and looking at the picture books that chronicled the history of the automobile. I was fascinated with the Stutz Bearcat, the Stanley Steamer and all of those great old autos from 100 years ago. The blurry photos showed the proud drivers of these new vehicles decked out in heavy coats, leather gauntlets and driving goggles. When men first started driving cars, they had to wear protective gear to avoid injury, and these cars were slow. Now modern cars have all the safety built in, and we don't hesitate to get in and drive wearing shorts and sandals.

Not so with a motorcycle. We all know proper riding gear is essential. I'd like to point out that helmets, eye protection, boots, pants and jackets are keeping up with the automobile as far as crash worthiness; gear gets stronger and lighter every year.

So give a lot of thought to your protective gear whenever you ride. Give a lot of thought to the road. Give a lot of thought to riding safely in traffic.