Words of Wisdom From David Hough - Part 7
More words of wisdom from David Hough:
Q: What can we do as a community to make motorcycle safety a wide-spread phenomenon not just among riders but among drivers as well; short of forcing evey driver to ride a motorcycle for a month just to see what its like.
In UK they have billboards alerting drivers to the presence of motorcycles on the road. I believe I've even seen the actual traffic sings; I've never seen a traffic sign in US that alerts drivers to the presence of motorcycles. Can something like this be done.
A: The common assumption among motorcyclists is that all those "cage" drivers are stupid and blind, and out to get us. We get that from the famous Hurt Report of 1981, where three-quarters of all "motorcycle" crashes in the Los Angeles area were crashes with cars, and most of those crashes were the fault of the car driver. That's no longer true. Today about half of motorcycle crashes are collisioins, and half of those are the fault of the motorcyclist, not the driver.
We also have more knowledge about the psychology of how people see things, although motorcyclists in general haven't been paying much attention to the psych researchers. In a nutshell, people who don't see a motorcycle probably won't see a motorcycle sign. if you want to avoid collisions, ride like you were invisible. Or, to put this another way, take responsibility for whatever happens. Pay attention to the situation, and don't let yourself get taken out by a driver who is drunk, aggressive, or talking on the phone. Controlling the bike is only half of the equation. The other half is controlling the situation.
Unfortunately, that's one of our problems with current training: the emphasis is on physical control skills rather than mental skills.
Q: Since you helped create MSF curriculum, do you feel that its getting watered down. (submitted by Bob S., Saratoga,CA)
A: It's true that I had some involvement in MSF curricula, but the situation was much different back in the formative years of the MSF. The staff was much more open to discussing things with experienced riders and journalists. And we could have good dialogue because most of the staff members were experienced and often skillful riders. Whenever I found myself in the Irvine, CA area, I would stop by the offices, visit with one or more staffers, and usually be invited to ride to lunch. We would share our knowledge freely with the MSF, knowing that we were helping them to help motorcyclists.
For instance, we had ah, "juiced up" a BBP course in the Seattle area. When the MSF curriculum manager found out, she called the safety coordinator and asked if this were true. "Yes", he responded, "Do you want us to stop?" "No," she said. "Keep on doing it, but write it down for us." As it happened, they sent up a staffer to audit what we were doing, and many of our ideas turned up in the Experienced RiderCourse.
Since then, the MSF has become like an ingrown toenail, unwilling and unable to have dialogue with others who might have something to offer, and increasingly depending upon the limited motorcycling expertise of the staff. Like any of us, they write about what they know--which at this time is more about instructional design, and less about motorcycling. So, the new MSF courses are much slimmer and more "touchy-feely" than the old courses. Some have called this "dumbing down" because the courses seem to be getting easier and easier to pass.
I'm not outraged that the courses are slimmer and easier to pass. But I'm sad and frustrated that the national organization whose job it is to come up with solutions to reduce the carnage is neither accomplishing that task, nor talking openly to the motorcyclists--the "subject matter experts" who would be quite willing to volunteer their knowledge on behalf of the nation's motorcyclists.
Q: I think what I would most want to know would be how bikers are able to ride for so far and for so long without having saved up much money beforehand." (Submitted by Beau G, Seattle, WA)
A: I have a much different style of travel than some of the really long distance guys, such as Greg Frazier. Greg travels as economically as possible, riding a secondhand nondescript machine and often camping out. I travel less often, but when I go I prefer to travel at a more comfortable level, sleeping on cushy beds, and having nice meals. But I'm also a bit frugal. For instance, in Europe and the UK, there are thousands of "Bed and Breakfast" places--essentially the spare bedroom made available when the kids left home. They are comfy, but cost less than the typical US motel.
Q: What can we do as a community to make motorcycle safety a wide-spread phenomenon not just among riders but among drivers as well; short of forcing evey driver to ride a motorcycle for a month just to see what its like.
In UK they have billboards alerting drivers to the presence of motorcycles on the road. I believe I've even seen the actual traffic sings; I've never seen a traffic sign in US that alerts drivers to the presence of motorcycles. Can something like this be done.
A: The common assumption among motorcyclists is that all those "cage" drivers are stupid and blind, and out to get us. We get that from the famous Hurt Report of 1981, where three-quarters of all "motorcycle" crashes in the Los Angeles area were crashes with cars, and most of those crashes were the fault of the car driver. That's no longer true. Today about half of motorcycle crashes are collisioins, and half of those are the fault of the motorcyclist, not the driver.
We also have more knowledge about the psychology of how people see things, although motorcyclists in general haven't been paying much attention to the psych researchers. In a nutshell, people who don't see a motorcycle probably won't see a motorcycle sign. if you want to avoid collisions, ride like you were invisible. Or, to put this another way, take responsibility for whatever happens. Pay attention to the situation, and don't let yourself get taken out by a driver who is drunk, aggressive, or talking on the phone. Controlling the bike is only half of the equation. The other half is controlling the situation.
Unfortunately, that's one of our problems with current training: the emphasis is on physical control skills rather than mental skills.
Q: Since you helped create MSF curriculum, do you feel that its getting watered down. (submitted by Bob S., Saratoga,CA)
A: It's true that I had some involvement in MSF curricula, but the situation was much different back in the formative years of the MSF. The staff was much more open to discussing things with experienced riders and journalists. And we could have good dialogue because most of the staff members were experienced and often skillful riders. Whenever I found myself in the Irvine, CA area, I would stop by the offices, visit with one or more staffers, and usually be invited to ride to lunch. We would share our knowledge freely with the MSF, knowing that we were helping them to help motorcyclists.
For instance, we had ah, "juiced up" a BBP course in the Seattle area. When the MSF curriculum manager found out, she called the safety coordinator and asked if this were true. "Yes", he responded, "Do you want us to stop?" "No," she said. "Keep on doing it, but write it down for us." As it happened, they sent up a staffer to audit what we were doing, and many of our ideas turned up in the Experienced RiderCourse.
Since then, the MSF has become like an ingrown toenail, unwilling and unable to have dialogue with others who might have something to offer, and increasingly depending upon the limited motorcycling expertise of the staff. Like any of us, they write about what they know--which at this time is more about instructional design, and less about motorcycling. So, the new MSF courses are much slimmer and more "touchy-feely" than the old courses. Some have called this "dumbing down" because the courses seem to be getting easier and easier to pass.
I'm not outraged that the courses are slimmer and easier to pass. But I'm sad and frustrated that the national organization whose job it is to come up with solutions to reduce the carnage is neither accomplishing that task, nor talking openly to the motorcyclists--the "subject matter experts" who would be quite willing to volunteer their knowledge on behalf of the nation's motorcyclists.
Q: I think what I would most want to know would be how bikers are able to ride for so far and for so long without having saved up much money beforehand." (Submitted by Beau G, Seattle, WA)
A: I have a much different style of travel than some of the really long distance guys, such as Greg Frazier. Greg travels as economically as possible, riding a secondhand nondescript machine and often camping out. I travel less often, but when I go I prefer to travel at a more comfortable level, sleeping on cushy beds, and having nice meals. But I'm also a bit frugal. For instance, in Europe and the UK, there are thousands of "Bed and Breakfast" places--essentially the spare bedroom made available when the kids left home. They are comfy, but cost less than the typical US motel.
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