We Have A Chance To Make A Difference. Input Needed

[schlep1967]

I am currently working for a man that is known Nationally for his work in Highway Safety. He knows I ride a motorcycle and asked me what he can do to help reduce motorcycle accidents and/or fatalities. I am in PA. We already have FREE motorcycle safety courses in this state. And they have this website linked to from the DOT's homepage LiveFreeRideAlive

I am asking the collective years of experience on this board for suggestions. Any suggestion is good. One suggestion that came up would be to require manufacturers to provide brighter lighting on the front of the motorcycle. How many cruisers do you see with a very feeble single headlight? Possibly to include something along the line of a "light triangle" for better visibility. Require a certain offset between the headlight and supplemental lighting. With LED's available power should not be an issue.

Suggestions on how to improve behavioral actions for riders and cage drivers are also warranted. Oh yea, I already explained to him that "You can't fix stupid". And he agreed.

 

[Gene]

They could allow bikes to legally travel 10mph faster than the limit to allow us to seperate ourselves from those that can't seem to see us !!

 

[SoloTotoCoyote]

1) Tiered licensing for motorcycles (Just like Europe)
2) Inability to register a (street) motorcycle without a motorcycle endorsement.
3) Higher fines and immediate bike impoundment for operating a motorcycle without a license.
4) Unable to get bike out of impoundment (for above) without acquiring motorcycle license first
5) I'm thinking.........

 

[Dinkie Diesel]

Bring back the death penalty for anyone involved in an accident while holding their phone.

 

[SoloTotoCoyote]

Bring back the death penalty for anyone involved in an accident while holding their phone.

Or make it a requirement that cars must blockout or interfere with all cellular transmissions. Ya Ya Ya.....I know.....it'll start a new problem with people not only talking on their cellphones but hanging out the window while doing so......

 

[FJRHank]

Well, 2 things we know from statistics:

1) most common (what like 70%?) single vehicle motorcycle crash is caused by "failure to negotiate a curve".

2) Forty-two percent of two-vehicle fatal motorcycle crashes involved a vehicle turning left while the motorcycle was going straight, passing, or overtaking the vehicle.

I believe that last one is the largest percentage of any of the 2 vehicle categories. Because these 2 are, by far, the largest issues we face, we should 1) be sure ea and every motorcyclist understands how to negotiate a curve. and 2) make it mandatory that all motorcyclists use headlight modulators (maybe make it mandatory all mfgs install them?), and don't allow them to be turned off, make the cops ticket riders who don't have them, and impound the bikes.

I know, that seems way over the top. But the statistics don't lie...

 

[SoloTotoCoyote]

I'd agree with more and better std lighting and horns that must achieve a minimum decibel level to be std.

minimum decibel on a horn......... I like that one. Mainly because the horn on the scooter is just loud enough to irritate dogs.

 

[WoodyW]

Heep thinking I like your suggestions.

 

[ilovethewest]

2) make it mandatory that all motorcyclists use headlight modulators (maybe make it mandatory all mfgs install them?

There have been instances where modulating headlights have caused wrecks by motorists fixating on them.

Gary

 

[FJRHank]

2) make it mandatory that all motorcyclists use headlight modulators (maybe make it mandatory all mfgs install them?

There have been instances where modulating headlights have caused wrecks by motorists fixating on them.

Gary

well since we don't really have any stats for that category, and we do have for those that "sorry, didn't see you" and they turned in front of you. I'm going with every bike should have them, mandatory. Maybe then people would learn not to fixate on them? assuming...

 

[Landon]

well since we don't really have any stats for that category, and we do have for those that "sorry, didn't see you" and they turned in front of you. I'm going with every bike should have them, mandatory. Maybe then people would learn not to fixate on them? assuming...

And since there is no proof that a modulating headlight would make them see you, making them mandatory is also hogwash.

 

[tmoney]

Good suggestions.

I'd like to see all motorists, cars, trucks, motos have to retake the driving test every few years. It should be a test that includes videos, with multiple choice questions. These videos could concentrate on the most frequent cause of accidents with each class of vehicle. Get the answer wrong, rewatch the video and try again until you get the correct answer.

I've seen similar types of videos on the web about motorcycle safety and what to look out for in different types of situations. Every class of vehicle should be included so that every one knows how safe operations of vehicles can differ and how they are similar.

Just my :tc1:

Thanks Bill for getting involved with such an important issue. I hope this person you are working with will be able to make some changes that benefit us.

 

[SteveST1300]

There have been instances where modulating headlights have caused wrecks by motorists fixating on them.

Gary

Can you site some examples I have never heard of any wreck caused by a modulator.

 

[okckeith]

1 Helmet law
2 Make cell phones not work while you are moving
3 Stop Bike Night at bars
4 Impound any bike parked at a bar
Too bad it will never happen.

 

[pretbek]

- Make helmets mandatory.
- Make MC license (not just endorsement, you can get that without ever touching a motorcycle) and current insurance mandatory to register motorcycle.

1) Tiered licensing for motorcycles (Just like Europe)

- That.

5) I'm thinking.........

That too.

 

[st11ray]

Make lane splitting and filtering legal in all 50 states!

 

[SoloTotoCoyote]

Make lane splitting and filtering legal in all 50 states!

 

[st1300r]

1 edumication and that includes cagers. chalk talk and practical demonstrated.
.
.
.
5 edumication and that includes cagers. Including continued awareness campaigns.

Most accidents are self inflicted.

6 Bike performance requirements. Allowed and required lighting. Horn decibel. Brake turn signal brightness. Mirror placement/size. Min braking distance requirement min skid pad performance...thinking out loud. Should cut down on the extreme customs that can't turn.
7 Some kind of tiered license and time to pillion allowed.
8 Motorcyle friendly street and barrier design, road patching, temporary rode plate and signage...
9 Stop texting and driveing. make it painful if you do.
10 Allow ear buds. let me save my hearing I can hear a siren just fine.
11 Allow me to pass with authority when safe to do so At the speed limit just extends my exposure. Volunteering to be a bumper sandwich isn't making me safer.
12 Make a rider course the cheapest way to get an endorsement.
13 Focus enforcement more on agressive stupid driving then just speed.
14 Some way of encouraging ins break for atg.
15 Unify DOT EC helmet standards.
16 Officer education. Crash analysis I think they just assume excessive speed.

If your gonna violate the law and have a MC only safety stop, at least make it a motors that has a clue about riding and safety not if I have a DOT sticker on my skid lid. Since there are way more car accidents why not start there.

 

[AZ711]

I'd like to see mandatory rider training, such as the MSF course, before anyone can receive the motorcycle endorsement on their license, or be allowed to operate a motorcycle on public roads. Follow that with the tiered licensing as was previously mentioned.

 

[st11ray]

You guys can forget more education and training. Look at how many teens die in motor vehicle crashes. We won't even pay for more driver's education to keep our kids alive, why would we pay for more to keep a few motorcyclist's alive?