Extreme road rash - Wear your protective clothing!

[Fallout]

Originally Posted by Hysteria_UK

I would have replied on the same lines.....its our taxes that pay for peoples acts of stupidity. I think there is a ounce of "it wont happen to me" and a sprinkle of "I'm a safe rider" too.

I don't agree with that argument, otherwise all the fatties eating themselves into heart disease, all the smokers smoking themselves to lung cancer ... in fact anyone doing anything with any risk opens themselves up to telling us what they can and can't do because we'll all be paying for their medical care.

While I always wear gear, and do shake my head at people in t-shirts and shorts, I think it's totally up to them to be as retarded and oblivious as they choose to be. All we are entitled to do is express an opinion and offer advice.

Originally Posted by Fallout

I don't agree with that argument, otherwise all the fatties eating themselves into heart disease, all the smokers smoking themselves to lung cancer ... in fact anyone doing anything with any risk opens themselves up to telling us what they can and can't do because we'll all be paying for their medical care.

And what is wrong with that? Its about time people are held responsible for their actions when it is costing other people money. Maybe the NHS would be in a better state if people who have self inflicted ailments had to contribute to their correction.

Thats a whole new motorcycle unrelated discussion though.

[NTECUK]

Like walkers/Climbers, all moto sports , people who eat at Mc D's and drug users ?
Were you drawing the line.
Little Jhonny at the scate park???

[Mauler]

To me "Offer advice" = "Telling them what to do"

I do see people wearing no gear from the neck down and I really do think it reflects really badly on the rest of us. A lot of people who have never ridden or have no interest in bikes seem to think that we're all inconsiderate loonies that cut through tiny gaps laughing in their faces as their cars sit in traffic frustrating the occupants. It doesn't matter if some of us are sensible and considerate riders, as 'bikers' we all get lumped in together. One of my friends here at work was saying that bikes are astoundingly dangerous and filtering should be banned - I pointed out that filtering only eases congestion, as do bikes overall, is fairly safe when done at a resonable speed and all drivers have to do when moseying along is to check their mirrors every so often and move over a bit to let us past. Her response was "I'm not moving my car over into the kerb with all the crap ready to stick in my wheels just so some idiot can fly out of nowhere up the middle, scare the crap out of me and then speed on to annoy everyone else". Beh. Seeing daft people riding sports bikes in tees and shorts only compounds the negative opinion of us lot, especially if/when they come off, are seriously hurt as the result of wearing no protective gear and then everyone on the road is held up for longer than they normally would be while a nee-naaw turns up to clear up the mess instead of giving them a once-over. Regardless of who is actually at fault, whenever most people drive past a crash rubber-necking and see a downed bike they often assume that it's the biker's fault. I'm probably preaching to the choir here as a lot of us know that it's an uphill battle to convince most 'normal' people that bikes are a good thing but y'know, I like to think that the better we are perceived the more regard and respect we'll be given and we'll be a bit more safer for it.

But then I am a bit of an idealist. lol

[jambo]

Originally Posted by Hysteria_UK

And what is wrong with that? Its about time people are held responsible for their actions when it is costing other people money. Maybe the NHS would be in a better state if people who have self inflicted ailments had to contribute to their correction.

Thats a whole new motorcycle unrelated discussion though.

I know what you mean but I'm with Fallout on this one.

The "state knows best" is not something I encourage because in my experience once you make defining safety the state's responsibility they never stop doing just that.

Remember asking for laws to determine how people should dress on a motorbike when you're being told that you can only purchase a certain number of units of alcohol a week because it's bad for you and the NHS is fed up of paying for drunkenness.

Jambo

Originally Posted by NTECUK

Like walkers/Climbers, all moto sports , people who eat at Mc D's and drug users ?
Were you drawing the line.
Little Jhonny at the scate park???

Never said I had a perfect blueprint for David Cameron to sign off in parliament. There is a big difference to someone who like to walk and someone taking recreational drugs. There is also a difference between some who likes a Mc D's at the weekend and a lazy fat **** eating themselves into an early grave.

Originally Posted by jambo

I know what you mean but I'm with Fallout on this one.

The "state knows best" is not something I encourage because in my experience once you make defining safety the state's responsibility they never stop doing just that.

Remember asking for laws to determine how people should dress on a motorbike when you're being told that you can only purchase a certain number of units of alcohol a week because it's bad for you and the NHS is fed up of paying for drunkenness.

Jambo

I appreciate what your are both saying, its always going to be one of those things where its a case of dammed if you do dammed if you dont. I guess privatisation with medical insurance is the only way to change it but then look at the USA. They leave people laying in the street that cant pay for medical care.

I definately agree with food, drug and alcohol abuse be tackled though. Things that people have control over with support

[jambo]

Originally Posted by Hysteria_UK

Never said I had a perfect blueprint for David Cameron to sign off in parliament. There is a big difference to someone who like to walk and someone taking recreational drugs. There is also a difference between some who likes a Mc D's at the weekend and a lazy fat **** eating themselves into an early grave.

The trouble is to differentiate you need flexibility and common sense.

These are not always found in abundance in government legislation.

The other issue here is what would be determined a minimum safe level of clothing. You'd be amazed how few motorcycle clothes are actually CE certified (as opposed to having some CE armour in them). Most clothing that's affordable is sold as lifestyle clothing, not safety equipment so it doesn't need to meet any particular criteria. The cost of buying full CE gear before you step on a bike would put a lot of people off.

Honestly I cringe when I see someone come past in a vest on a Honda Hornet as happened yesterday on my commute, but getting the government involved in any capacity at all beyond funding some advertising campaigns is not going to end as well as you might hope

Jambo

I find it absolutely mad that anyone would consider riding in shorts t-shirt combo however it is their choice at the end of the day.

Like the NoSquidding guy says, dress for the slide not the ride

[TamSV]

Originally Posted by Mauler

It was also mentioned on the Essex Bikers FB group with one particular fellow piping up with "Who are you to tell other people what to wear when they ride?" which was generally countered with "The guy who pays for their moronic carcass to be scraped up and looked after in hospital, that's who."

If that argument stands, then motorcycling should be banned as there are less hazardous alternative modes of transport.

By riding a motorcycle we are all taking an unnecessary risk. Are we all retarded? Shouldn't it be banned? The majority of tax payers are not motorcyclists so why should they be paying for our carcasses to be scraped up at all? Or is there a dress code?

We have a National Health Service because we want equal medical treatment for all, free at the point of use. It's existence is not a good argument for further infringement of liberty.

All this is just a load of preachy ******** IMHO. If people knowingly choose to sacrifice some protection for comfort then they can get on with it as far as I'm concerned.

Most of the gear, some of the time.