NOT what we need. We do NOT need any more government mandated anything.

 

All of the classes in the world is not going to prevent people from pulling out in front of motorcycles. Motorcycles do not register as a threat to some drivers. It is not the fact that they do not see you, or are careless.
Back when most teenagers took drivers education in high school, we still had accidents.
Having said all of that, I lived in the Springs at one time, i think it is the thin air that makes most drivers there, drive like idiots.

 

ride defensively-slow down at intersections-have hand and foot on brake-prepare for the worst that might happen...don't ever assume they see you-add lights to bike-get a loud horn. it seems that a lot of us get hit at intersections from people turning in front of you. since we know that intersections are so dangerous, it is up to us to be ready.

 

In the winter, more people will turn left in front of you than in summer - why? Simple, car drivers do not expect to see motorcycles on the road once the temperature drops below 45 degrees or so. So for those that ride all year round in the cold states, if a car driver sees a vehicle coming at them that doesn't register in their mind as a car or truck, they turn left because their thought process automatically excludes motorcycles if the weather is cold. What do they know about Gerbing heated equipment... I didn't make this up - got it from MSF.

So, in cold weather, allow extra time and distance and be especially aware at all intersections.

 

Car drivers should have to at least watch the gruesome videos of the devastation they can do to riders BEFORE they get or renew their DL......

 

something to make them more aware

 

A big step to help us would be to outlaw the damn cell phones. I'll bet most of the folks who hit bike sthese days are yakkig their heads off, especially the teen girls. You almost never see them driving without a phone stuck to their ear.

 

Mandatory MSF type courses is a super bad idea in my opinion. Not how you fix the problem. Riding a motorcycle is a dangerous thing to do, we all accept that. You can't make it fool proof. Some things that would help is restricting cell phones and stressing defensive driving...just like we do here on the forum every day.

 

OH MY! Boo Hoo! stop crying and welcome to life. If i wined and posted some thread about the general public having to take the basic MSF class every time I got cut off I'd be posting here non stop.

 

+1... my small home town alone is full of people who got their bike endorsement with a MSF certificate and can't ride for ****.

And it's like the old timer told me back in the 60's when I first got on a bike, you have to assume everyone on the road is out to kill you, and watch your *** at all times.

It's always been that way, it's never going to change, and the last thing we need is more mandatory government regulations.