08-22-2014, 07:11 AM
Unfortunately, Henrik, a lot of motorcyclists in the U.S. don't take safety seriously. I was passing through Sturgis recently during the rally (not attending, mind you) and if I had a dime for every dimwit I saw riding around in jeans and a T-shirt with no helmet, I'd be a rich man. The pillion passengers were even worse, mostly females of course, some of them wearing nothing more than shorts, a bikini top and flip-flops. As the old saying goes, "When you crash, the world becomes your belt sander."
Not to mention all the bikes parked outside of bars everywhere you looked, and this was before noon. There were many, many accidents reported during the rally, nearly 200 in all, and I suspect most involved alcohol. And that's not counting the drunken knuckleheads who got lucky and somehow didn't crash...
Ultimately, I have mixed feeling about it. I wear full gear whenever I ride and that's my choice. But I've had some pretty bad accidents on mountain bikes (bicycles) and I know what even a slow-speed crash can do. On the other hand, I think the attitude in America is that we are free even to make less safe (some would say stupid) choices. I have mixed feelings about government trying to protect us from ourselves because it seems like there is eventually no limit on their regulating our behavior -- which I also see as a huge negative, and particularly dangerous to liberty. Tough call really, no doubt about it...
Not to mention all the bikes parked outside of bars everywhere you looked, and this was before noon. There were many, many accidents reported during the rally, nearly 200 in all, and I suspect most involved alcohol. And that's not counting the drunken knuckleheads who got lucky and somehow didn't crash...
Ultimately, I have mixed feeling about it. I wear full gear whenever I ride and that's my choice. But I've had some pretty bad accidents on mountain bikes (bicycles) and I know what even a slow-speed crash can do. On the other hand, I think the attitude in America is that we are free even to make less safe (some would say stupid) choices. I have mixed feelings about government trying to protect us from ourselves because it seems like there is eventually no limit on their regulating our behavior -- which I also see as a huge negative, and particularly dangerous to liberty. Tough call really, no doubt about it...