I cant see a point to making them take a safety class without requiring a helmet. Although I have noticed since moving here that the majority of the drivers wear one anyone beause they care about their own safety and understand that most people still have trouble seeing them.
I think they should be required to burn the headlight all the time so they are better visible.
As for the class, personally I think it is a bit discriminatory. If they have to take a class then all drivers should. To be sure no one is going to get on a bike without keeping thier own personal safety in mind.
Added note. I would much rather they have drivers over 75 take a safety test regardless of what they are driving. To be honest I would rather be on the road with 100 people driving bikes than be on the road with 10 little old folks that think they are the only one on the road and can change lanes anytime they want to even if someone is in it or can go 15 mph on a 6omph rd causing people to shoot around them nearly causing wrecks.
I think the test is a good idea. Riding is very different from driving. Personally, I would wear a helmet but I think others should have the right to decide.
I agree with KathieV that 75+ should be monitored more closely than they are. No one wants to give up driving but I see people driving that are a danger to themselves and others.
when i was transferred from jacksonville to atlanta in 1984 i had to get a learners permit even though i had ridden a bike for 6 years in florida. after 6 months i was given a written and road test and almost failed the road test since i was able to stop my bike in a distance shorter than what the dmv required!! after twice stopping in the same place from 30mph i was able to get a state trooper to stand exactly where i was to apply my brakes and given a "last chance". i still stopped in the same place and i was allowed to pass but i was asked what the clanging sound was. i explained that i was using maximum braking force that the surface allowed and the clanging was my fork tubes topping out due to the extreme force being applied. when i returned to florida in 1991 i made sure that my license included the motorcycle endorsement!!!!
now as far as burning headlights go EVERY MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURED AFTER 1978 WAS AND IS REQUIRED TO HAVE THE HEADLIGHTS COME ON WHEN THE ENGINE IS STARTED!!!!!!
the certification is for new licenses and my own feeling is that it will be revoked by the federal courts as being unconstitutional on the grounds of discrimination the discrimination being that car drivers are not held to the same standards as motorcycle riders and therefore the law is unconstitutional. one of the arguments that will be used is the fatality rate in florida for riders killed is that approximately 75% of all riders killed are killed by cars turning left at an intersection. in approximately 90% of those cases the car driver is at fault!!!! the rider is right but he is dead right!!! perhaps if florida were to prosecute the drivers for vehicular homicide,and this is clearly a case of that,then we might see a reduction in motorcycle fatalities!!!!!!
and our headlights are on and those of who have survived have done so by covering our control levers at every intersection.
my feeling is quit letting the car drivers off when they hit a motorcycle!!! prosecute them,jail them and make their families pay for the damage that they have done!!!
jack
ps. the fatlity figures are those given by the MSF during the rider certification that my wife took. i am sure that it will wake up new riders since most of them are white collar professionals over the age of 40 and with luck a few will be some pretty sharp lawyers who will be able to make the government prosecute and stop the practice of accepting the excuse "i did not see them!!"
I also think the fatality rate is unfair. The weather is better here so more people ride bikes year round here. So they cant determine the number of people who die here. Mayve they should only count the deaths in the winter months in other states here.
All of my friends at home park the bikes once cold weather hits because they dont want to ride in cold, snow, ice, etc.
Man I didnt know the lights come on automatically. Then how come they are still hard to see. Well they are for me anyway. I am terrified of them on the road because i just cant see them when I go to pull out or change lanes
I'm all for the Motorchycle Driver's Test. I learned a lot when I took it. I wouldn't get on a bike if I hadn't taken it. I also wouldn't ride without a helmet and any one who does is crazy. When I ride I watch every vehicle around me to see what they are going to do so I can know what I'm going to do.
People are always gripping about they should have the right to not wear a helmet yet whenever they crash your & my insurance have to pay for their head & brain injuries plus their rehab. & disability that is if they live
kathie,
the statistics are kept by the florida highway patrol which has to investigate every fatality. the reality of those numbers are what is taught by the motorcycle safety foundation. if you, as a rider, are going to die it will be at an intersection. the cause of death will be hitting a car that has turned in front of you. in 90% of the cases you will be right. but you will be dead. this is why the MSF teaches every rider to "cover" their controls at each and every intersection. i have lived in florida since 1970 and as much as i hate to say it i have yet to hear of a car driver who has killed a motorcyclist being prosecuted. this includes the famous 1980 case of a 80 year old tampa driver who was legally blind and had obtained for years his drivers license renewal by mail from the state of ohio who killed a man and his wife. he was not prosectuted since he simply said he didn't see them!!!! before msf courses we learned from the "old timers". the lesson was to remember every driver is out to kill you. the smart riders heeded the old timers advice and most of us are still alive. after riding over 30 years i still cover my controls,remeber the advice and have further modified it to include "if the driver is in a buick send a prayer to heaven and be especially careful."
i asure you that you could see my light. since 1978 i have learned to run a non-department of transportation approved bulb. this was done in self-defense and with the idea of keeping not only myself but my wife alive. the DOT approved bulbs are 35 watts on low beam and 65 watts on high beam. the bulb that i run is a german bulb rated 100 watts on low beam and 130 watts on high beam!!! as i said this was done because of the many people who seem to be unable to see a headlight that has the same output as any car headlight does!!!! this further reinforces what the MSF teaches and that is the average car driver does not view a motorcycle as a "threat". simply put the average car driver knows that if they hit a motorcycle they have very little likelihood of suffering any injuries. that being the case their minds simply "do not see anything that is not a danger to them". or more simply put they will turn in front of you when they would never dream of making the same move against a car or truck!!!!
now in view of the fact that i will be taking a 2,500 mile trip to see my elderly parents i want to thank you for posting this thread. it has made me get back into a highly defensive mental mode that will be required to make this trip safely. it has made me think of the fund raiser that i have attended to help fellow riders paralyzed and to help their families pay the bills. it has made me remember that no driver in florida has ever been prosecuted for killing a motorcylist. and it has made me remember that i am invisible to the average car driver here in florida.
jack
I am a native of Fl., although in In. for 38 yr. Yes, one should wear a helmet. Bike helmets are on the market for youngsters. And rent or borrow a moped to pass that motorvyle test. That is how I passed, when all those bigger cycles could not manuever around the "S" formation. tHE HELMET MIGHT SAVE A TERIBBLY BAD HEAD INJURY.
Here in Indiana to get a motorcycle license or endoresement you must either pass a motorcycle skill test or show proof of having passed an approved motorcycle safety course. It's been this was since 1980.
I know that a helmet must be uncomforatable and probably terribly hot in warm weather, but in an accident I would want the extra protection for my head. Road rash will heal and doctors can fix broken bones, but there isn't anything they can do if your skull cracks open when it hits the pavement.
