Public Safety Video from the California Highway Patrol

[James Burleigh]

While trolling through the Bay Area Riders Forum (BARF) I came across this video developed by the CHP and posted on their website.

Very interesting approach to motorcyclist education. It generated a lot of discussion on BARF--too much shock value in the vid?

My reaction to the video is that it takes what is for me the theoretical knowledge that riding is risky and that dangerous behavior has grievous consequences, and grounds that knowledge in reality--"here's what it looks like, how quickly bad stuff can happen, how awful it is for your family, and that it can happen to you."

It generated in my mind the latest of a routinely recurring round of self-doubt and certainty that I need to walk away from riding because there's too much at stake. In short, it reminds me helpfully and importantly to be cool, alert, and in control out there....

JB

Usual disclaimer and apology about looking for but not finding this video posted before, etc... (TWN salute here.... ]

 

[jzzmusician]

Sobering and well worth a look.

 

[vroompuppy]

It generated in my mind the latest of a routinely recurring round of self-doubt and certainty that I need to walk away from riding because there's too much at stake. In short, it reminds me helpfully and importantly to be cool, alert, and in control out there....
JB

And any of us who say these doubts don't enter our mind on occasion are not being true to ourself. The video definitely has a "downer" feeling about it, and I have serious doubts as to their intention(s) to "teach safety and how to arrive alive" as stated in the title. We all know as pilots of both cars and bikes that it is up to us to expect the unexpected and be supremely aware of our surroundings. I live in one of the best classrooms available (metro Atlanta) for demonstrating on a daily basis just how unaware drivers seem to be both about their surroundings, and how their actions affect other drivers and the flow of traffic. And the real shame of it is that there seems to be an ever increasing percentage of drivers who just don't give a shit about anyone elses ability to safely navigate the street. Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now.......

And thanks JB for bringing a vid like this to our attention.

VPup

 

[zip]

They showed this in my MSF course last year. Very effective, though unfortunately, I'm dubious that it reaches the right audience - those who need it most.

A young kid killed himself last year in Salem when the police tried briefly (without giving chase) to stop him for doing wheelies with buddies on a neighborhood street. Because he had only a Learners Permit, and shouldn't have been riding after dark as he was, he bolted. The estimated speed at impact with a massive oak tree was about 100mph. I'm absolutely certain that he never saw this important video.

 

[madmike2]

Thanks, J.B. A timely post as Winter comes to a close and many begin to defrost their skills, certainly a good reminder to all of us.

I'd like to see the statistics as to how many motorcycle crashes are initiated by having their right of way invaded in comparison to excessive speed by the motorcyclist (or both vehicles). Perhaps the new "Hurt Report" will shed some light on that.

It generated in my mind the latest of a routinely recurring round of self-doubt and certainty that I need to walk away from riding because there's too much at stake. In short, it reminds me helpfully and importantly to be cool, alert, and in control out there....
JB

It sounds to me that you have a healthy mental attitude, unlike some who were represented in the video, that should serve you well in your two-wheeled travels.

 

[painman]

Thanks JB and like the one officer mentioned to keep the radical riding for the track. There you have some room for error but on the street, especially in mountainous twisty terrain little to no room is offered. PM. <><

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

Many of my reactions are similar to the ones already posted. Sobering and good as a reminder about the realities of the risks. My only quibble was one comment by a CHP that we shouldn't ride in rain... with proper technique and slower speeds that sounded a bit off to me ear. But overall useful, IMHO. Thanks for posting.

 

[msfchris]

Sobering video. Doesn't seem so much about safety though, as it appears to be a scare tactic.

Stunter wannabe will not remember it, Grand Prix wannabe won't either.

I've lost some very close friends over the last couple of years, and it always makes me evaluate the risk.

I became an instructor for that reason. Can I make a difference? I'd like to think I reach at least some of the

people that decide to ride. But I've also seen the wannabe's, that are there just because someone else made them attend.

Madmike, unfortuniatly, the new motorcycle causation study is years from being complete... when/if it actually happens.

Here at OSU, the word is it's already in trouble... underfunded, and the head researcher Dr. Samir Ahmed is having

trouble getting the funds that have been allocated.

Clicky

 

[Toecutter]

Loved this one:

I'm not suicidal, but I'm also not going to tiptoe through life frozen in fear. The world is overpopulated with idiots, myself included, and if I bite it on a motorcycle the only thing that I'd regret (if I were still alive to regret things) is the embarrassing, sappy, sentimental way people will probably think about my death.
I know exactly what I'm getting into every time I ride 180mph wheelies through rush-hour traffic drunk and on fire with no helmet shooting my pistol into the air between shifts.

All that I ask is that when I'm laying on top of the semi and my blood trails are the only way to find my broken corpse, please don't say what a shame it was, how foolish I'd been or what a waste of a perfectly good human being. There are 6.6 billion others; I think you'll manage without me.

So instead maybe you could say something like, "He knew what he was getting into and he did it anyway." We shouldn't need a scary movie to remind us that it's dangerous to hurtle down the road clinging to an engine with wheels.

My only quibble was one comment by a CHP that we shouldn't ride in rain...

But the other line, "Don't ride in people's blind spots" is gold, and will be played by me for the judge if I ever have the need. "I ride slightly faster than the flow of traffic, because it's safer, your Honor, and the CHP officer agrees"....

 

[James Burleigh]

My only quibble was one comment by a CHP that we shouldn't ride in rain... .

That comment by the CHP moto-cop gave me pause. I ride in the rain all the time commuting to or from work. I hate it, especially at night, with my shield all wet refracting all the on-coming white headlights and red tail lights like an acid trip (so I've heard); and knowing that cars that don't see me when it's sunny out sure as heck-fire don't see me when their windows are wet and fogged up. But I do it because I don't have a car and because I hate riding the train.

But I have tremendous respect for the skills of the CHP moto-cops, and if one of them tells me I'm foolish to ride in the rain, that makes me think I'm foolish for riding in the rain. F**k....

 

[madmike2]

........................ and knowing that cars that don't see me when it's sunny out sure as heck-fire don't see me when their windows are wet and fogged up. But I do it because I don't have a car and because I hate riding the train.
But I have tremendous respect for the skills of the CHP moto-cops, and if one of them tells me I'm foolish to ride in the rain, that makes me think I'm foolish for riding in the rain. F**k....

But there many who DO ride in the rain. Being aware of the raised limitations of grip and control, adjusting your speed accordingly and riding more conservatively are the solutions. And, yes, the available visibility from within a windowed vehicle does increase the chance of unsafe maneuver by the average motorist.

San Francisco Bay traffic is terrible on its best day. Being an intelligent and thinking man (those two qualities are not mutually existent in many humanoids) you are aware of your own limitations on a given day and can assess most situations and institute avoidance tactics before there is an panic event. You are the only one who can determine the acceptable risk level for your daily ride. Personally, I don't plan to ride in the rain (aside from having to spend the day in wet clothing should there be a small leak in my protective gear) but I don't fear having to ride home in shower-like conditions should an storm surprise the Sacramento Valley for my commute home. Like you, I raise my concentration level and am more doubtful of the intentions of those with whom I share the local highways. Or I take a longer, less intense traffic density, route home. That decision is in my control.

Madmike, unfortuniatly, the new motorcycle causation study is years from being complete... when/if it actually happens.Here at OSU, the word is it's already in trouble... underfunded, and the head researcher Dr. Samir Ahmed is having trouble getting the funds that have been allocated.

I'm aware of the issues. I didn't read your link but I've kept up with the reports in Rider, Cycle World, MCN, etc., and I know that there is infighting concerning the release of the funding and the means/systems/techniques of the actual research. IMO the "powers that be" (anti-motorcycle members of the Transportation Committee, Insurance Lobbyists, etc.) are trying to skew the results before they are obtained. Only time will tell.

 

[James Burleigh]

But there many who DO ride in the rain. Being aware of the raised limitations of grip and control, adjusting your speed accordingly and riding more conservatively are the solutions. And, yes, the available visibility from within a windowed vehicle does increase the chance of unsafe maneuver by the average motorist.
San Francisco Bay traffic is terrible on its best day. Being an intelligent and thinking man (those two qualities are not mutually existent in many humanoids) you are aware of your own limitations on a given day and can assess most situations and institute avoidance tactics before there is an panic event. You are the only one who can determine the acceptable risk level for your daily ride. Personally, I don't plan to ride in the rain (aside from having to spend the day in wet clothing should there be a small leak in my protective gear) but I don't fear having to ride home in shower-like conditions should an storm surprise the Sacramento Valley for my commute home. Like you, I raise my concentration level and am more doubtful of the intentions of those with whom I share the local highways. Or I take a longer, less intense traffic density, route home. That decision is in my control.

Well said, Mad. Thank you for your thoughts. As a matter of fact, although I will always choose to ride into work if the rain is misty to scattered showers to light rain, I will not ride in when it is a steady and strong downpour. But what often happens as you mention is that you've ridden in and are stuck riding home in a freakin' typhoon. In those cases I get into the slow lane and cease lane-sharing, and just slog it on home taking--as you said--alternate routes with the goal of pulling into the driveway in one piece.

A couple years ago I posted a thread about riding home 30 miles in a downpour at night on my Sportster and crossing myself when I got home for the first time since I was a kid. Out of appreciation for the reliability of the Harley I wanted to dry off my steed, brush it down, throw a dry blanket over it, and feed it some oats.

Jb

P.S. By this time I've got pretty good waterproof gear. It's true the Aerostitch leaks in your private parts, so by waterproof gear I mean I have stuff to put over and under the 'stitch. But as a further caution, if it's raining I don't wear the khaki pants--go with the dark.

 

[exskibum]

I'm not suicidal, but I'm also not going to tiptoe through life frozen in fear.
* * * *

So instead maybe you could say something like, "He knew what he was getting into and he did it anyway."

That pretty well sums up my attitude. I do a few things that are more dangerous than getting out of bed and migrating to the couch for a day of TV watching, and each has its risk, as well as its rewards. I think what has so far kept me alive is an intense and innate urge to TRY my hardest to be competent, make it to the safe spot in a pinch, ride it out, understand and stay within my limitations, . . . something like that. I guess I'd be more embarrassed (assuming I was in a position after a bad crash to be embarrassed) for a bonehead move on my behalf, for out-riding my skills, for crashing a beautiful machine, and most of all: for crashing because of hubris or ego.

So . . . thanks to Hans for posting something else to think about in honing my understanding and ability to avoid those circumstances and mental lapses. But if it's my time, then it's my time. If I ever get off the bike, it'll be for another reason. OTOH, there are a number of things that I regularly avoid in minimizing the risks. But those same risk avoidance decisions coincidentally avoid a kind of riding I don't enjoy.

E.g., I just don't enjoy riding in the rain, though I'll do it when there is no real choice. It's not the getting wet -- it's the intensity that I seem to adopt beyond my regular near hyper-vigilance on the bike -- too much tension headache stuff in some circumstances. And THAT is exactly why I respect, but would never do what you do, Hans. I could never enjoy riding the freeways of the Bay Area in rush hour traffic like you do. I understand the fuel economy, environmental responsibility, lane splitting minimization of travel time, and parking convenience of commuting to work. I'd have a splitting headache upon getting to work, and would worry that on my way home, I might be too preoccupied with some problem from work that occupied mental capacity needed for running with the cages. And that is the ONE type of riding that would have *me* calculating probabilities of bad results as I piled up the commuting miles. Now -- if EVERYONE on those roads was on motorcycles, then I'd have a COMPLETELY different perspective and maybe even enjoy the commute. So, if you ever decide to give up riding, Hans, I hope it will only be the commuting, and not the recreational part of riding. That would be a real shame, IMO.

 

[James Burleigh]

That pretty well sums up my attitude. I do a few things that are more dangerous than getting out of bed and migrating to the couch for a day of TV watching, and each has its risk. I think what has so far kept me alive is some intense and inexplicable urge to TRY my hardest to be competent, make it to the safe spot in a pinch, ride it out, understand and stay within my limitations, . . . something like that. I guess I'd be more embarrassed (assuming I was in a position after a bad crash to be embarrassed) for a bonehead move on my behalf, for out-riding my skills, for crashing a beautiful machine, and most of all: for crashing because of hubris or ego.
So . . . thanks to Hans for posting something else to think about in honing my understanding and ability to avoid those circumstances and mental lapses. But if it's my time, then it's my time. If I ever get off the bike, it'll be for another reason. OTOH, I have a number of things that I regularly avoid in order to minimize the risks. But those same risk avoidance decisions coincidentally avoid a kind of riding I don't enjoy.

I just don't enjoy riding in the rain, though I'll do it when there is no real choice. It's not the getting wet -- it's the intensity that I seem to adopt beyond my regular near hyper-vigilance on the bike -- too much tension headache stuff in some circumstances. And THAT is exactly why I respect, but would never do what you do, Hans. I could never enjoy riding the freeways of the Bay Area in rush hour traffic like you do. I understand the fuel economy, environmental responsibility, lane splitting minimization of travel time, and parking convenience of commuting to work. But that is the ONE type of riding that would have *me* calculating probabilities of bad results as I piled up the commuting miles. Now -- if EVERYONE on those roads was on motorcycles, then I'd have a COMPLETELY different perspective and maybe even enjoy the commute. So, if you ever decide to give up riding, Hans, I hope it will only be the commuting, and not the recreational part of riding. That just wouldn't be right, IMO.

Thank you for your--as usual--thoughtful, insightful, and concerned comments, Rich. I know what you mean about the hyper-vigilance and tension (except I am blessed to never get headaches, to the point where if I do I think I have a brain tumor). In part they (vigilance & tension) explain why, when I get home at night after riding through traffic that's always worse than the morning commute (70% of rush-hour M.C. accidents occur in the evening rush), having turned my brain bulb up to maximum wattage after an already long day at the office, I just mentally crash when I get home (and Fang wonders why I can't have a conversation at the dinner table).

Anyway, the most curious thing has happened to my riding perspective: I actually feel safer riding in commute traffic than I do on city streets or freeways on weekends, or than I do on rural twisties. Maybe it has to do with the experience and familiarity, not to mention a clear understanding of the rules of the game. I feel like during commute I can be aggressive and "creative" because that's what it takes to thrive in such a competitive, high-metal-density environment.

On city streets and freeways on weekends, I feel more vulnerable because it feels like the ground rules change, and I'm afraid I'll get blind-sided or otherwise inappropriately apply rush-hour strategies and create a...problem. In the twisties I'm afraid of what might jump out just around the corner, or that I'll over-ride my skills.

But perhaps the worst part of what's happened to my riding perspective is that, because 99% of my riding time in the saddle is during commute, I have come to associate riding with that hyper-vigilance and tension you mention. So that riding carries with it now for me a feeling of anxiety (perhaps even a dash of dread), which reduces the anticipated pleasure of a weekend ride. I'm not happy about this, but there you have it.

 

[RsvlFeej]

I just don't enjoy riding in the rain, though I'll do it when there is no real choice. It's not the getting wet ...

+1 My biggest problem with riding in the rain is the narrowed safety margin when trying to avoid Cali drivers. I've had to use everything the bike had available to avoid them on clean, dry pavement, so a smaller performance envelope scares me sh*tless. I don't know that Cali drivers are any worse than anywhere else, but their sheer number guarantees you're going to run into some on the wholly incompetent / distracted end of the statistical bell curve.

Anyway, the most curious thing has happened to my riding perspective: I actually feel safer riding in commute traffic than I do on city streets or freeways on weekends, or than I do on rural twisties...

+1 With a few caveats -

I hate to preach, JB, but your comfort level scares me - your fellow commuters ARE out to kill you; they DON'T see you; if they do see you, you are NOT human and therefore to be avoided only in terms of the damage you can cause them, same as if a deer or a dog runs out in the road.

I include Friday afternoon and Monday morning commutes with the weekend mentality - lots of people on the road with me then who are excited about or burned out from the weekend and not familiar with local idiosyncrasies (the highway jogging left due to ongoing construction or which lane to be in, where, for example, the Cap 80 Frwy and I80 merge). There are also morning and evening commute windows I've learned to try to avoid (the morning commute when they just *might* make it to work on time if they push or, when locals think they can beat the worst of the evening rush).

And, you included the rural twisties in your original sentence - I trust my fellow commuters so little I figure there's about as much chance a fellow freeway driver will pick me off as there is for any one of the myriad 'me-pickers' off-highway (critters, sandy/wet/icy/uneven/tar-snaked/painted/unfamiliar roads, as well as the left-turners, looky loos, drunks and other addled drivers - at least there should be fewer to contend with where I go to ride for fun).

On city streets and freeways on weekends, I feel more vulnerable because it feels like the ground rules change, and I'm afraid I'll get blind-sided... In the twisties I'm afraid of what might jump out just around the corner, or that I'll over-ride my skills...So that riding carries with it now for me a feeling of anxiety (perhaps even a dash of dread), which reduces the anticipated pleasure of a weekend ride. I'm not happy about this, but there you have it.

Getting there myself. My weekend putts were already dwindled by lack of time, but unless everything gets to feeling right within a half hour of leaving, I head back to the barn these days.

 

[happyPuppy]

Yes , someone dying in a MC crash at a young age is tragic. So is a young person dying from Leukemia at 17 , as a close friend of my son's did. The same with another friend that lost his son in Iraq at 21 due to a snipers bullet. The question what are you going to do about it ? Gear, no booze, drugs not riding when you feel off your game mentally and practice all help. We all know 100% of us will die. The question is a life worth living without any risk or adventure? The legacy of Man is one of risk, we moved , migrated and spread across the world. I think it is in our genes. I worked in a trauma center for 13 years and had a patient that was old and cancer ridden and new his days were numbered. I was younger in my early 30's or so. He told me he knew he was going to die soon, but he wanted to tell me something important , he said that he had no regrets for the things he had done in his life, he had however regrets over the things he didn't do and always playing it safe. he then told me not to put away everything for a rainy day because some times the need for the things put away for a rainy day never come. It was 5 years later my wife died at 39 from a brain tumor. All the 401k's , 2nd investment house , motorhome , IRA's were just dust in the wind to me. When my kids were old enough and could fend for themselves I started to ride again and if I were to get killed despite all my precautions I take , it would be OK my ride would just have been over.

 

[Toecutter]

Yes , someone dying in a MC crash at a young age is tragic. So is a young person dying from Leukemia at 17 , as a close friend of my son's did. The same with another friend that lost his son in Iraq at 21 due to a snipers bullet....

:clapping:

I'm sure there are some rabbits that die of old age...but they all die, just the same. The monologue from Gladiator's Proximo rings in my head as a good philisophical point. "Ultimately, we're all dead men..."

The point is, on motorcycles, when it comes down to it, we're all just prey animals. Some of us won't survive the lifestyle we've chosen. None of us will survive life. Do we cavort like bunnies in the fields, or hide in caves and fear the light for its risk of an early end? I'm gonna go play, sensibly and reasonably, but I'm not gonna be left wanting at the end with regrets for something I wanted to do and didn't.

The guy in the wheelchair left wondering about his 38 years on the bike, and if he would trade it back in for the use of his legs, hit hard and close to home. How anybody could not be shaken to their foundation by watching that is beyond my comprehension. But then, I log on this morning to find out that one of our members is in intensive care and fighting for his life due to an illness. You just never know.

I tend to believe that my bike actually helped save my life. If I hadn't been on it and only ten minutes from an emergency room the day I learned I was deathly allergic to bee stings, things might not have turned out so good for me. Now, after a two-plus year course of desensitizing injections, I am much more resistant to the venom and equipped to handle the next sting. Bee stings cause an average of about 100 deaths per year in the U.S. I would have easily been a statistic if I was camping or fishing and not on the bike and close to emergency care.

One thing I know for sure is, when I'm on that magnificent stallion, whether for pure recreation, running errands, riding for the PGR or commuting to work, I really feel alive. I can't say that about the cagers I pass along my way. Transportation has become the ultimate video game, with very real risks and rewards, and no do-overs.

Truths:

1. Moto-biking is risky.

2. We're all dying.

Choose your path and act accordingly....

 

[twistedcricket]

Truths:1. Moto-biking is risky.

2. We're all dying.

Choose your path and act accordingly....

+1

I've ridden in the rain, some sleet, some snow... While in the snow/sleet I turned on my flashers and I was well under the posted speed limit. I pulled off when I could and waited. For rain, I prefer to stop if I can... and I'll stop riding in the rain if it's getting dark.

welcome back JB

 

[Bearly Flying]

He told me he knew he was going to die soon, but he wanted to tell me something important , he said that he had no regrets for the things he had done in his life, he had however regrets over the things he didn't do and always playing it safe. he then told me not to put away everything for a rainy day because some times the need for the things put away for a rainy day never come. It was 5 years later my wife died at 39 from a brain tumor. All the 401k's , 2nd investment house , motorhome , IRA's were just dust in the wind to me.

All Bullshit aside,,,,, This is exactly what I went through, Just over one year ago....... You can listen to all the Safety Nazi's about the dangers of riding,,,, wearing this helmet or that....... This gear or that,,,,,,,, Eat this food,,, don't smoke that.... Buckle up......BULL F%*KING SHIT,,,, when your time is up.... Bingo.......

Somewhere on this forum there is a saying,,,,, Everybody die's, But have you really LIVED........

I know I haven't...... Yet...... :diablo: