The Huffington Post is a widely read online blog. Millions of people read news post on this site every day. So when we read a post titled "Motorcycle Riders: Stop Looking Cool, Focus on Keeping Safety" we got a little pissed. First at the grammar, then at the content.
Written by Jonha Revesencio, (a person we seriously doubt rides motorcycles) the article places the responsibility and blame for motorcycle accidents on YOU, the rider and operator.
Products for the Biker Nation
Revesencio uses questionable stats and obvious bias to frame her argument that it's solely OUR responsibility to practice safety on the highway.
Nowhere in her "article" does she ever mention to auto drivers, (arguably most of the audience who will / has read this article) they should look twice and watch for motorcycles.
After giving us 5 "tips" for staying safe, such as "motorcycles are less visible," "it's harder to see us at night" and pointing out facts I'm sure have escaped the dim witted motorcycle community such as "be aware of our surroundings and don't try to look cool."
Her final words of wisdom, "Practicing good safety is the only way you can prevent this fun way of travel from becoming a sad tragedy" is especially infuriating to the thousands of innocent accident victims every years who are struck by car drivers who fail to pay attention when turning left or ram us from behind, or put on make up, and check their phones while driving.
This is the type of "Mainstream" faux news reporting that people point to when someone hits and kills a motorcyclist.
"See, it's the biker's fault. They're hard to see at night, or they were wearing black leather and I couldn't see them."
On that, Ms, Revesencio, I call bullshit. Sure, there are a small percentage of motorcycle riders who pull stunts and weave in and out of traffic. But, the majority, close to 99% of riders are wives, husbands, mothers and fathers. Responsible members of society who do everything they can to enjoy this lifestyle and still get home safe.
We don't need you telling us to "don't try to look cool." We need you to tell car drivers to Put Down the Coffee, Hang Up the Cell Phone and WATCH FOR MOTORCYCLES. That is the best way to prevent more motorcycle trips from ending, as you call it, in a "sad tragedy."
Oh, and if you'd like to send Ms. Revesencio a note, her twitter handle is https://twitter.com/jonharules And, if you're interested in telling the Huffington Post what you think of Ms. Revesencio, their Facebook page is HERE
25 comments
This picture was taken 2 miles from my house, this man stopped for oncoming traffic to turn into his driveway. The woman driving the car was texting and driving. He was not at fault…so much for looking cool.
I cannot believe the total ignorance displayed by this trout of a woman. There are more distractions than ever in modern cars. Also, there are more motorcycles on the road than ever. How can the public be so self centered to the point that they hit somebody on a motorcycle while they are doing something in their car that distracts from paying attention to their surroundings and blame the motorcyclists. Cell phones, coffee,food,newspapers,laptops are just a few distractions in cars that are causing bikers to get killed. Instead of preaching safety to the motorcyclist, try directing your assumptions and judgments onto the proper parties. I can’t count how many times I have almost been hit by car/truck drivers who were too “cool” to use their mirrors or their indicator lights. How can you write about a subject that you clearly have no knowledge about? This post is completely inaccurate and I believe you owe the entire motorcycle community an apology for the total display of ignorance within this post. Perhaps in the future, you should stick to writing about things for which you possess some insight .
I think the article is own point, her stats appear to be accurate , but I’ll check closer. Considering that over half of single vehicle MC accidents occur for failing to negotiate a curve she right we need to ride safely. Once you take care of your house then you can talk about others.
I have lost too many friends who ride bikes killed by irresponsible drivers – one was painting her nails, one was driving impaired, without her glasses, and crashed at full speed into a stopped car, propelling that car (who’s driver was completely unable to control their car) into a line of motorcycles – maybe 50 or so – who were innocently riding as a group. The author mush retract this article.
Speaking of grammar (which the author brings up), it appears that the author made an error by using two words (no where) instead of nowhere, early on in the article.
Bike safety should be practiced everyone.