This reminds me of another story . . . . . . .
Mother mourns lost son, battles against speedy motorcycles
By ART BUKOWSKI, Argus-Press Staff Writer
Friday, May 25, 2007 10:03 AM EDT
VERNON TWP. - Like many mothers, Donna Simons spent a lot of time worrying. Simons grew very concerned when her son, Jon Simons, came home with a 2003 Kawasaki motorcycle last summer. In her mind the bike was a death trap, a device built for speed that could only spell disaster for Jon.
“I said a prayer every time he got on that bike,” said Simons. She felt Jon, 21, would not obey the laws of the road - like many young drivers, she knew he probably felt invincible. “Jon was a kid that was no-fear,” she said. “He was a free spirit.”
On Aug. 6, Jon was southbound on Grand River Road near Bancroft when he went into a ditch, hit a driveway and launched into the air. He traveled more than 100 feet through the air on the bike before smashing into a tree 25 feet above the ground. Jon was thrown from the bike and killed, and the bike itself remained wedged in a tree. Shiawassee County Sheriff's Department accident investigators later determined that Jon was traveling about 120 mph at the time of the crash - more than twice the speed limit.
He had a type of motorcycle commonly referred to as a “crotch-rocket” - relatively light in build and capable of reaching very high rates of speed in a short period.
Simons was obviously shattered by the loss, and the hurt will never completely subside. “You lose all joy,” she said. “I wake up every day of my life, and it's like, I just can't believe it.”
Crotch-rocket style bikes - usually called “sport bikes” by the industry - are the object of great enthusiasm and a target of much derision, depending on who you ask. Critics say they encourage speeding and dangerous tricks, but dealers, owners and others say the bikes are perfectly safe, provided they are driven responsibly.
Sgt. Mike Gute of the Sheriff's Department said the bikes are built for speed, which can encourage drivers to test the limits. “There's definitely that thrill with these bikes,” said Gute, the accident reconstructionist who investigated Jon's crash. “These bikes are built to go 150, 180 mph, and there's just no reason for that.” Gute said the bikes also put police in a difficult situation when it comes to enforcement. Because they travel so fast, they can outrun most police cruisers - and engaging in a high-speed chase is not always the best solution, especially if the biker crashes during the pursuit. “It's a catch-22 for us,” he said. “Are we going to be looked at as the one that caused this?”
Mix the power of the bikes with the age of people most interested in them - a typically younger crowd - and the situation becomes worse. Inexperience combined with a feeling of invincibility and desire to stand out can quickly lead to tragedy, police say. Sgt. Doug Chapman of the Sheriff's Department said he stops sport bikers frequently, many of them young. He tells them about the dangers of speed and recklessness, but he knows the warning doesn't always stick. “They think they're invincible, but they're not,” he said. “But how you drill that into a young mind, I don't know.”
Despite the potential risk, many law enforcement officers don't want to outlaw the bikes. Gute, for one, thinks riders need to use their heads and drive safe. “If you're going to own something like that, you have to keep it under control,” he said. “You've got to use common sense.”
Tom Bodenbach, general manager of Michigan Honda in Caledonia Township, said safety is always stressed to riders who purchase bikes at his shop, and they are encouraged to obtain lessons if necessary. Still, a salesman can't remain with the rider forever, and the store has only so much control over what a rider does. “We don't control the throttle once it leaves here,” he said. Bodenbach suggested people sometimes put too much blame on the type of vehicle, pointing out that riders can get injured in almost anything. “It's just like any other vehicle that's sold,” he said. “If someone gets into a Corvette and (speeds and crashes), do you hear people crying to ban Corvettes?”
Jon did not purchase his bike from Michigan Honda.
Dean Thompson, spokesperson for the Irvine, Calif.-based Motorcycle Safety Foundation, said the risk of injury on a motorcycle lies with the rider, not the bike. “You're really looking at behavior and choices, and behavior is a hard thing to regulate,” he said. “I think you have to look at the individual rather than the product.”
Even in the case of high-performing sport bikes, Thompson said the level of danger still lies with the rider. “That person is going to take whatever risks he feels comfortable taking, regardless of the product,” he said.
Simons acknowledges that her son was driving well over the speed limit when he crashed, but that doesn't mean she's made peace with the bike. She aims to push for a change in regulations - among other things, she's upset that a driver in the state of Michigan doesn't need a motorcycle endorsement on their license to purchase a motorcycle, a fact confirmed by Bodenbach - and she would even like to see sport bikes removed from the roads. “I knew that I didn't like the bike, but I didn't realize the power,” she said. “From zero to 100 in seconds - that scares me.”
Jon was also able to obtain a loan for his bike despite Simons and her husband refusing to co-sign, and Simons would like to see changes in lending regulations. “My words were that they were death traps - case closed,” she said. “If I would have thought there was a chance of him being financed, I would have done everything I could to stop the sale.”
