What? New Study Says Loud Pipes Don’t Save Lives.
After looking at the study, it seems like loud pipes aren’t saying lives under these specific conditions.
If you’ve been in the Harley community for any amount of time, you’ve heard it: Loud pipes save lives. It’s a pithy phrase that also follows common sense, so it’s no wonder it’s plastered on everything from t-shirts to trucker caps. That said, our friends at Autoweek have just covered a new study from the Association for the Development of Motorcycling in Romania, which concluded that’s not the case. And after reading the article? I think it might be more accurate to say “loud pipes don’t save lives under these specific circumstances.” Here’s a relevant bit describing the tests:
At 50 feet behind the car, ‘none of the motorcycles in the test can be heard inside the car.’ At 33 feet behind the car, ‘even the noisiest motorcycles tested can hardly be heard inside the car.’ With the motorcycles’ front wheel next to the car’s rear wheel, one of the motorcycles can be heard inside the car and three motorcycles can almost be heard but, ‘unfortunately it is too late to be safe.’
Now, it’s worth noting that all the cars used in the study had their windows rolled up, and had moderate levels of music playing, which makes sense. But as someone who lives in Southern California, where lane-splitting is legal, and traffic is often at a crawl, it’s completely normal to see drivers respond to a revving motorcycle engine by scooting to the edge of the lane, so it will be easier for the bike to get through. If you’ve ridden on the freeways of the Golden State, you’ve seen it happen.
Unfortunately, you probably also know the freeways often smell like pot — meaning at least some of the drivers have their windows open. In my opinion, even if the drivers can’t hear you until you’re right next to their rear tire, I still think it’s safer if they know you’re there. Because unless the driver is psychotic, and out to kill motorcyclists, they’re not going to purposefully cause a collision. There’s just too much hassle involved, so they’ll likely just look for a sympathetic ear when they’re complaining about “crazy bikers” at their local coffee shop.
I also think that while relatively low-speed crashes, like you might see when lane-splitting, are unlikely to result in death, it’s a possibility. If a driver were not bump me off my bike, and I happen to hit a metal bit on a tractor-trailer, or just simply land funny, there’s a chance I could die. Sure, I think it’s a small chance, but riding motorcycles can be a dangerous proposition, and there’s no telling what can happen out on the roads! So check out the video above and let me know: Do you think this study is worthwhile? Or do you think it’s just more fodder to ban loud exhausts?
Photos: Harley Davidson
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