Close to Home: Recognizing the biker next door

“Biker” or “motorcyclist enthusiast”? Does the language you choose reveal your perception of folks who ride? Are they reckless, leather-clad near-outlaws? Or are they friends and neighbors who have chosen an exhilarating, if admittedly, dangerous pastime, doing all they can to remain safe on the road?

Shopworn stereotypes of motorcycle riders persist, and they help place the riders in some peril. Undeniably, motorcycle riding is far more dangerous than driving a car or truck. Statistically, its risks are more akin to horseback riding or bicycling. Local groups such as the Redwood Riders and national organizations such as the American Motorcycle Association have been working to educate both motorists and riders about shared safety issues, thus lowering the alarmingly high rate of motorcycle accidents, injuries and fatalities.

Hopeful trends are emerging. In recent years, motorcycle fatalities have been trending down nationally, and in California, as riders (and motorists) heed the important messages about never riding under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Safety improvements have been embraced by many, including protective clothing and footwear with built-in “armor,” along with better, stronger, often full-face helmets for riders and passengers. Jackets, riding suits and helmets splashed with high-visibility colors such as neon green make riders easier to see.

Riders are fully aware of the basic laws of physics that predict the outcomes of collisions between motorcycles and motor vehicles. At the fear of understatement, suffice it to say these outcomes do not favor the rider. So the overwhelming majority of motorcyclists ride in compliance with traffic laws, and as safely as possible, to avoid becoming a tragic statistic.

The question can be asked, what responsibility do automobile drivers incur? The most frightening and most consistent finding of numerous national studies of motorcycle/motor vehicle collisions is that the involved motorists report not having seen the motorcycle with which they collided. The car or truck that turns left at an intersection into the path of an oncoming “invisible” motorcycle is a nightmare that haunts the dreams of most experienced riders. Perhaps if drivers were more attenuated to, and respectful of, the presence of motorcycles and expected them on highways and byways, their perceptions would improve and accidents would decrease.

A more difficult question remains: Do some drivers’ negative stereotypes of riders play a part? Are riders just adrenaline-soaked thrill-seekers who knowingly put themselves at risk and thus deserve what they get? As an experienced rider, I will posit a reply. It is only a tiny minority - similar to the small minority of drivers - who are dangerous and reckless behind the wheel.

If riders are not a stereotypical Wild Bunch, who are they? They are our neighbors - doctors, teachers, police officers, firefighters, DMV workers, bankers, pharmacists, students and current and retired members of our military. They are, in short, everyone in the community, people of all walks of life, of all ages and whose lives and safety deserve to be respected and protected.

What they have in common is a deep love of the exhilaration and freedom of touring our beautiful area on two wheels, in the open air, without insulation or protection. While this sensation is not for everyone, those of us who have embraced and come to love it would never trade it for any other activity. So our plea to our friends and neighbors in cars and trucks is simple and profound. We exist. We love riding, and we love life. Please be hyper-vigilant to our possible presence at any time. Please keep us in mind as you drive.

Tom Cooke is a professor emeritus of Sonoma State University and the safety officer of the Redwood Riders motorcycle club.