Motorcyclists hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons once again this week. If it wasn’t news of a rider dying in an accident (often involving a car), it was Thursday’s news of a rider being an idiot.
The headline read “Police clock ‘suicidal’ motorcyclist at 214km/h”. Travelling at that speed is ludicrous in the best conditions but in winter weather especially, suicidal is an apt way to describe such reckless riding.
As a collective, we motorcyclists need to look after ourselves better if we want the mode of transport we love so much to become more accepted in the wider community. We are, after all, so much more vulnerable than our car driving friends when things go bad.
A great initiative to encourage good, safe, riding behaviours surprisingly came from Auckland Transport in the form of a YouTube ad. “Ride through winter on your motorcycle” is a breath of fresh air in terms of targeting safety campaigns towards motorcyclists, and focuses on one of my favourite mantras: Wear all the gear, all the time.
The short clip covers all the basics we should be practising this winter, some of which sadly are often ignored by riders in our biggest cities. Including all the right safety gear to wear (emphasising gloves), as well as what to check for basic bike safety on the bike before venturing out this winter.
Riding through winter is often not enjoyable. But with a government agency giving good advice, maybe there is hope for us. I certainly don’t want to see us fall in numbers anymore than we already have.