Wheels Of Grace Magazine

Volume 9, Issue 3

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36 WheelsOfGrace.com Issue 37 My aha moment about motorcycle safety By Jackie Eldridge Motorcycle Safety and Awareness month just wrapped up. By the end of May, I was red of reading the same five or ten safety ps from a myriad of sources. Don't get me wrong; the safety messaging and its vast promo on across the country were a large part of what we need to push motorcycle safety to the forefront the other 11 months of the year. I have seen more safety and awareness ar cles, posters and social media posts than ever in my life. But I can't help but think we are missing a huge piece of the puzzle: drivers of cars. I arrived at this deduc on by listening to drivers of cars of all ages discuss motorcycles. While wai ng for my car to be repaired, I used Ly for three weeks. Drivers always asked what I did for a living and typically when I told them I worked for a motorcycle accident law firm, a conversa on ensued. Here are a few excerpts from those conversa ons: Riders are dangerous people "Isn't that dangerous? Aren't you afraid of Hell's Angels? Those motorcycle guys scare me. And the way they drive!" said the early twenty-something, male driver I'll call Tommy. I was telling Tommy that, that's a big misconcep on about motorcycle riders. I gave him the bigger picture of the freedom and joy a bike provides its rider, as well as the ght, meaningful camaraderie of motorcycle clubs that raise millions of dollars each year for wonderful causes. And of course, their rugged individuality. A er I shared this with him, he said, "Wait! Now I remember when I had to pull off the freeway because the trailer hitch was slipping. Before I got out of my car, a guy on a bike had stopped, fixed my hitch (I had the pin in wrong) and rode off with a wave and a smile. I guess they are a pre y nice group. I've always been a li le frightened by them. It's just the clothes. All that leather." I asked what he'd rather be wearing when his bike crashed…his Dockers and a polo or leathers? "Well, I guess, leather. Now it makes sense to me. I thought they were just trying to look tough." By the me I arrived at my des na on, I had a new motorcycle advocate. Riders weave and speed One woman went on and on about how motorcycle riders weave in and out of traffic, just looking for trouble. She also men oned that they speed ALL THE TIME! "No wonder they get in accidents!"

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