How Do You Respond When People Say Riding is “Too Dangerous?”
Sometimes it comes from someone who legitimately cares about you. Other times it’s a broadside from a complete stranger, but I’d bet every motorcyclist has heard this phrase more than once: “It’s not you—it’s all of the other idiots on the road I’m worried about.” Honestly? I can’t count the number of times I have.
My Mom, as I might have mentioned before, was a nurse for 30 years. Toward the end of her career she worked in the breast clinic at a renowned cancer center—she can spot a pair of fake boobs from a 100 yards—but like a lot of “angels in comfortable shoes” she started in the emergency room.
During those years, she saw scores of horrific motorcycle accidents and at once point told me that the docs she’d worked with didn’t support helmet laws—because they got so many organs as a result of traumatic motorcycle head injuries. So while my parents never minded me riding dirt bikes on a friend’s farm, street riding was out of the question. I didn’t get my license until I moved out.
When I went through my crotch rocket phase, Mom actually said she’d actually feel fine about me racing, because while the speed can be great, tracks are a controlled environment where riders don’t have to worry about being t-boned in an intersection. And the logic is pretty sound—once you remove cars and distracted drivers from the equation, motorcycles get a lot safer.
Over the years, I’ve answered this question in a variety of ways, some smug, some humorous and some serious. But what about you?
How do you answer when people tell you riding is too dangerous? Sound off on the Forum! >>
