Road rider - code of conduct

This was just sent to me via e-mail.

This article originally appeared in the February 1995 issue of Sport Rider


There he was, the ambassador for our sport. Riding his late-model sport bike down a curving thoroughfare, I figure he was going almost twice the 35-mph limit. From my vantage point I could also see farther down the curve, where Casper Milquetoast and his four-wheeled conveyance were starting to cross the apparently clear road.

You can imagine Boy Racer's surprise when he suddenly found his path full of Buick. Displaying riding abilities commensurate with his judgment, he
stomped on the rear brake alone. This locked the rear wheel, putting the
bike distinctly sideways without putting much of a dent in his speed.
Evidently he didn't like the cause and effect of that move because he then
released the rear brake just as abruptly. By all rights he should have been
high-sided past the Hubble telescope. But somehow the bike steered hard to the right, moving smartly past the now-stopped car. As he sped past, our hero, who had effectively been turned from rider into observer, managed to regain enough composure to give the car's driver a one-fingered salute-with an Italian twist for good measure.

Between the two outdoor cafes and the other traffic there must have been 50 witnesses to this little vignette. All I could think was, "Great! There are
50 more motorcycle haters!" Multiply each by three or four family and
friends and hundreds of similar incidents per day and pretty soon you've got enough votes for a 100-horsepower limit. Or an ordinance prohibiting
lane-splitting. Or maybe the CEO of some company just decided that his
employees can no longer ride motorcycles if they are going to be covered by the company health plan. At the very least, after getting enough complaints the local constabulary would start taking every opportunity to bust our chops.

Most motorcyclists, and certainly most sport riders, believe that as a
group, we are more capable motorists than the average bear: more aware, quicker to react, calmer in a crisis. And to a large degree we are right. It is very unfortunate that those feelings of superiority usually engender intolerance and aggression toward the "noncombatants" on the road. Many times we lose track of the fact that public roads were created to get all of us from place to place, not for recreational use. When it comes right down to it, car drivers don't owe it to us to drive at the sporty levels we are used to any more than John Kocinski would have the right to complain about our riding if he came upon us tooling down our favorite road.

As a group, we motorcyclists would be well served by adopting a code of
behavior. At a minimum, every rider should follow the physician's motto:
"Above all, do no harm." Examples:

Don't tailgate. It's rude, it's dangerous (unless you aspire to be a bumper
sticker), and it's counterproductive. You will be able to make a much faster
passing maneuver if you have room to accelerate before moving into the
oncoming lane.

If you lane-split on surface streets, watch the traffic light. And when it
turns green, be gone. Remember that lane-splitting at a red light is
psychologically equivalent to cutting in line for ice cream. It can only be
justified if you are a phantom-you don't impact traffic at all. If you're
sitting there when the light changes and the cars behind you can't go,
you've just cut in line.

Don't make impolite gestures at drivers who pull out in front of you. (You
have to be Gandhi to always adhere to this one.) It's a visually structured
environment out there. Besides the other cars, motorcycle riders are
competing for attention with McDonald's signs, traffic lights,
billboards-all things that were expressly designed to get noticed. On top of
that, the primary visual clue we humans use to determine the speed of an
oncoming object is the rate at which it grows in size. Being rather narrow
to begin with, it is inherently difficult to judge the approach speed of a
motorcycle. When you are traveling significantly faster than the speed
limit, that guy about to turn left is not likely to realize how quickly
you're going to be right there.

If you are really committed to the cause:

Wave thanks. When a car moves over to let you by, slows down to let you into a stream of traffic or gives you priority at an intersection, show them you appreciate it. Even if you're not sure it was intentional, do it. After all,
thank-yous don't cost a thing. If you won't do it for motorcycling, do it
for your mother. Let everyone know she didn't raise an ill-mannered mouth breather.

Facilitate traffic flow. Make space for merging or lane-changing cars
(especially those that use a turn signal). Pretty soon people will
subconsciously start feeling relief instead of anxiety when they see a bike
on the road.

Offer assistance to stranded motorists. There is no quicker way to destroy
negative stereotypes. Chances are your knowledge of mechanical things far
outstrips that of Johnny Four-door. Show off a little. Most likely you can
make a great contribution just by calling someone for them.

On these pages we've read about the Pace. Fundamentally, the Pace is about
riding with responsibility to yourself. The natural extension of the Pace is
the Code. The sport rider's Code of Behavior is about responsibility toward
your sport and your fellow riders. And, at the risk of going a little over
the top, toward your fellow man. Everybody knows it's a jungle out there on
the road. As kings of the jungle we can afford to show a little grace,
tolerance and restraint. And with all the legislative restrictions being
bandied about, we really can't afford not to.

 

I probably do in the annals of my e-mail box. When I find them I will post.

 

Awww shucks... <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_redface.gif" alt="" title="Embarassed" /><!-- s -->

 

just discard me with the weekend newspapers... story of my life...