The Safety of Biking... or Otherwise

[blamski]

Having just passed my A2 I'm about to get myself a lovely 3 year old CB500X. I'm beyond excited, of course.

However, my mother (who is passing me on the money from the proceeds of the house sale after my dad passed away) is pretty anxious about it, as is my other half. I've lost a couple of friends to bike accidents and they know that. They also believe that motorbikes are inherently dangerous and its only a matter of time before a rider becomes paraplegic or worse. My mum says she couldn't bear it if she provided the money for the bike that I die on, understandibly enough.

I tell them that as a 54 year old with over 30 years driving experience, that has passed a rigourous training and examination process, and that has absolutely no interest in riding like an idiot - preferring a stately progress on a 500cc adventure bike - I should be relatively safe. The danger is the other drivers then, they tell me... and not without reason.

How do you put the minds of your loved ones at peace in regards to your bike riding? What do you tell them that stops them worrying so much? The argument about it being just as easy to die crossing the road doesn't seem to work.
____________________
inexperienced but enthusiastic middle aged CB500X owner

[ThunderGuts]

To a degree, you won't change their mind. You can try and reason logic; going for advanced training (IAM type stuff, or even just BikeSafe), riding defensively, dressing in high viz, always riding with lights on, choosing your place/time etc.. but there's only so much you can do and if a lunatic comes around a blind corner on the wrong side of the road the conclusion won't be pretty and no amount of training will remove that. What training can help with are the things you *can* control.

The other way to look at it, is if it's something you really want to do then stopping you from doing it (either directly, or by guilt-tripping) is making your life less enjoyable / more miserable. A lot of fun things involve risk, that's the nature of how some people are wired. Motorcycling has risk, but so does walking down the street, drinking alcohol, smoking, taking a flight etc.. but it doesn't stop people doing it.
____________________
TG.

[blurredman]

I simply don't tell them about crashes, near misses or mistakes that could have ended badly..
____________________
CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S.
Current: 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (bored to 295cc) - 38k, 1990 MZ ETZ251 - 49k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 9k, 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 17k.

[xX-Alex-Xx]

You could point out that you'll die even if you're sat on the sofa for long enough.

I don't think you'll ever be able to put their minds at ease, just convince them you're as safe as YOU can be.
____________________
DILLIGAF

[kawashima]

I always wear body protector(chest and back) under riding jacket no matter how hot it is. Chest protector works well for not dying. Without wearing this, when you crash with car, your broken ribs will penetrate your lungs or heart easily and it may kill you more easily. That's why police riders always wear these. So wearing such protective gears may relieve them to some extent.
I always find "Today's Prius" video on youtube. Crazy drivers are on the road and you can't avoid all of them 100%.
White prius (unconscious crazy) and Black prius (evil crazy).
Watching bike accident videos on youtube with your family let them know about the risk of riding, and talking about how could he/she avoid crashing. Not that hiding the risk but share the risk. Attaching front and rear dash cam on your motorcycle plus "I'm recording you" sticker on top case make lunatic drivers try to keep distance from you. Riding defensively is also learnt on youtube(it's a bit different from car driver's povs in many), watching them with your family works too. Trying to be as far from crazy/reckless drivers as possible on the road is the most important in my opinion.(I'm slow rider on 250)
____________________
2020 Touring Serow 250
,past 2012 YB125SP, 2008 TDM900 2005 W650, [url=d], 2002 LS125R, 2002 CB400SF, NS50F, C50 / Trip to UK(2009), Hokkaido touring(2013)

[bacon]

At 54 I think your mum needs to unwrap the cotton wool

[Diggs]

You take advantage of the times and say that death is inevitable, so we may as well spend our lives doing something we enjoy...
____________________
Now - Speed Triple, old ratty GS550, GSXR750M
Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...

[P.]

[symonh2000]

I like to think of it this way.

You have a 1 in 2 chance of getting cancer in your life.
You have about the same chance of getting heart disease.
I read somewhere that biking is 6 times more dangerous than driving a car, and you have a lifetime risk of about 200:1 of dying in a car crash.

That 1 in 33.3 chance of dying in a bike accident is small compared to your chances of something else getting you.
____________________
Four strokes is two strokes too many.

[slowasyoulike]

I never have really. OH accepts biking as something I was doing when we met, so she has taken the view that it's part of what she 'signed up' to.

I wear my gear, regardless of the weather, and ATEOTD I'm a middle aged bloke with 30 years riding experience on a 50BHP V-twin (or something even slower) so she knows I'm not exactly living life on the edge.

Of course there's the risk of broken bones or worse, but that has to be weighed against the damage to yer actual mental health and wellbeing presented by being confined to a car or, worse still, a fucking bus. Luckily, she gets that too.

[struan80]

All the folk I know think I ride like Miss Daisy. If they only knew

[The Shaggy D.A.]

Tell them every now and again that you've beaten your best MPG figure.
____________________
Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[chickenstrip]

[Robby]

They are allowed to be anxious. It is a dangerous hobby. You can make it less dangerous by being careful, but you're only ever 5 seconds from someone trying to drive through you.

Wear decent protective gear, ride within the limits of your ability, and hope you don't join the numbers of small yet significant statistics.

[MarJay]

[chickenstrip]

Be careful at the top of those stairs! You're one second away from a broken neck
____________________
Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[xX-Alex-Xx]

[MarJay]

[P.]

All seriousness though, they probably won't stop worrying. My parents know I ride a lot less these days due to accidents I had in the past and the fact I would much rather have a leisurely ride than a spirited one, however they still panic and want to know when I get home and to my destinations.

I'm 34, they are both quite old, they still care and worry, its what they do. My parents understand I ride because I enjoy it and thats that. If I die, its doing something I enjoyed, I just aim to not die doing it. All you can do

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

i've only ever seen one rider do that
____________________
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[chickenstrip]

[Bhud]

There's nothing you could say. I think she's too anxious. You're a big boy now and have to live your life.

[Easy-X]

Most people's perceptions of "bikes are lethal" stem from the '70s and early '80s when the stats were really bad. But strangely enough things have changed for the better in 4 decades or so. Tyres for a start are universally better made, even for a classic bike.
____________________
Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[chickenstrip]