If safety were really the issue of the law . . .

Euro Moto Mailing List 上 Ken Applegate 來自法國巴黎的信件，談論到機車停等問題在美國和歐洲不相同的地方，外加許多兩地交通法規和摩托文化異同之觀察。好文一篇。他目前是 AMA 的終生會員，也是比利時 Moto Guzzi 俱樂部的車友，擁有 Moto Guzzi California EV 和 Moto Guzzi V10 Centauro GT 兩款車。 Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2003 14:21:35 +0200
To: euro-moto@micapeak.com
Subject: If safety were really the issue of the law . . .

Bonjour:

I was in lurk mode until safety became an issue!

I read in the AMA magazine about the death of Gary Kunich by being rear-ended at a stop light and observe that this kind of an accident is unlikely in Europe, because of the common (endorsed) practice of splitting lanes or filtering. When traffic stops here, motorcyclists cut to the head of the queue by filtering between the traffic. This practice allows:

* Bikes with a power to weight ratio advantage to take off thereby not
impeding traffic flow.
* Protects the biker from the fate that befell Gary Kunich.
* Prevents grid lock because bikes are constantly compressing the
traffic which eventually opens enough space to allow traffic to flow again.

To me it seems it is time for motorcyclists in America to champion some changes for the sake of safety, there appears to be many areas where their is potential to improve the general situation through creative reasoning and education.

I don’t know if America can adjust to the idea that giving advantages to motorcycles, in situations that benefit everybody. Here in Europe where old narrow streets exist it is not only accepted by the motorists, it is encouraged!

In Europe the riders associations are pushing for better constructed barriers on the highways. I am referring to the Armco barriers held up by angle iron that act as guillotines. Their tendency to chop off body parts from motorcyclists in a fall is being addressed here by the government where selected high risk area’s are being augmented with alternative barrier construction specialty shields to protect motorcyclists. They don’t consider things here like to out law bikes on roads where Armco is used, putting seat belts and/or air bags on motorcycles, or suggest raising insurance premiums like the NHTSA (but I must admit the NHTSA does sometimes get it right, as in their recall of the Moto Guzzi Centauro oil line hoses, but that is a long story).

Speaking of motorcycle safety, there should be a consumer group in the US that evaluates these lunatic products that are made for motorcyclists. I saw a “Pack it on your thigh" advertisement (in the AMA magazine, to whom I have already written on this subject, part of my ‘You’re either a part of the solution, or you’re a part of the problem’ philosophy) and read that this pack ‘could be a solution for carrying all the little things you need on the road.’ My own personal experience this past Christmas with something as benign as a bottle of windshield spray cleaner, carried in a back pack, was that I fell on it and broke three ribs. The bike was OK, and all of me was OK with the exception of where this plastic windshield cleaner was in my back pack. The pressure of that object (which was not so big) was enough that it broke three of my ribs. Given that the thighs are stronger than ribs I can see you might not observe a problem, but the thigh is a major heart pump and anything in a thigh pack that may penetrate the skin stands a chance of hitting a major artery. Don’t be fooled by the ‘ballistic nylon’
claim, it ain’t bullet proof, and in a fall, dynamics come into play that are less than predictable.

There are entire magazines in Europe (such as Ride) that are predominantly consumer advocacy inspired, and consider the best product for the Euro with a motorcycling focus.

Motorcycling is clearly more popular here than in the states, and as such it is more pro-active than in the states. I advise all of you to find a group that will represent your interests, and become more active in protecting you rights.

Here are some places to consider:
http://www.ama-cycle.org/
http://www.amadirectlink.com/legisltn/MotorcyclistsMatter/index.htm
http://www.msf-usa.org/
http://E.webring.com/hub?sid=&page=0&ring=safety&id=&hub

按一下以存取 NAMS_01.pdf