Zen and the Art of Organdonorcycle mechanics...Ben Rothlesberger - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

Zulu451 · 06-13-2006, 07:10 PM

I know that several of the people here on this board, (in particular Miguel) are big motorcycle fans. Now that Ben Rothelesberger will be riding the short bus for the next year influence you riding a motorcycle without a helmet?

Trauma (accidents or intentional) is the single largest cause of lost productivity years, economic impact and death among young men and women.
It is also the one of the lowest funded areas by the NIH as far as research goes. This is because it is (in most cases) a disease process of the poor, uneducated and unrepresented. There is no ribbon that we proudly display on our cars to raise trauma awareness... What color would that be? Stool brown, urine yellow, a horrid menagre of colors that represent stool, urine and blood? This and fat people...see my avatar...are the largest burdens on our healthcare system and society.

IMO: If you want to ride a motorcycle, you must have a signed organ donor card, and health insurance. You can be the best rider, but you are subject to the whims of the SUV driving soccer moms who will run you down like a dog in the road. I have seen marvelously injured people from motorcycle accidents, and it is never the driver of the SUV that gets it bad.

fusnik11 · 06-13-2006, 07:16 PM

I've thought extensively about this over the past couple of weeks as I am a frequent rider and ride generally without a helmet.

I've had friends die on bikes, I've seen the tragedies on tv, and still I have been unabashed at my no helmet wearing preference. With the impending marriage I have decided helmet riding is a must and I am thinking I am going to sell my road bike. I might buckle one day soon and buy a bike as I have been riding since a child, but if I do I will probably buy a piece of crap as to use it strictly for transport to and from work.

MikeWaters · 06-13-2006, 07:24 PM

I rode a motorcycle for 3 years during med school. I rode it everywhere. Streets, freeway, road trips. Never put it down, always wore a helmet.

A couple years ago I was going to buy a bike, but my wife talked me out of it. She was right. It was hard to justify the fun of riding a motorcycle when you look at the odds of injury and death.

For those people that choose to ride and choose not to wear a helmet--I have no sympathy for them. The relative risk of head injury and death among those not wearing a helmet must be astronomical.

I can get better thrills for less cost (i.e my life).

When I did rounds in surgery, I would with my team, try to guess what type of rider each motorcyclist was: Harley or "Jap-bike". They of course could never tell me.

Robin · 06-13-2006, 07:57 PM

I ride a lot. It is pretty much my only form of transport in Los Angeles. I ride with a helmet, and never see anyone riding without one, though some of the half-helmets are basically a thin shell of plastic that might hold your brains in, but will absorb very little impact.

The facts of riding are simple --

1. Most riders will NOT get into a life-threatening wreck.
2. Most riders will NOT sustain debilitating injuries.
3. In Los Angeles, riding a bike guarantees forty extra minutes of family time every day I commute.
4. My motorcycle is saving me hundreds of dollars each year at the pump (55mpg)
5. My motorcycle does way less damage to the environment than a single-passenger car stuck in gridlock.
6. Riding is fun.
7. Freeway riding is one of the safest places to ride a bike, because there are no intersections (so I learned in my riding safety course). Most of my commute is on the freeway.

I don't know about the rest of you, but for me, in Los Angeles, riding a bike is a no-brainer. The guaranteed time I gain with my son and wife are extremely important to me. Sure there is a higher risk of fatal injury, but the GUARANTEED family time, imo, is the more sure bet.

The factors change from place to place. I enjoy 365 days of riding weather in L.A.

MikeWaters · 06-13-2006, 08:01 PM

this speaks for itself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_Safety

Quote:

Motorcycles have a far higher rate of crippling and fatal accidents per unit distance than automobiles. According to the US Highway Safety Authority, in 2002 20.9 cars out of 100,000 ended up in fatal crashes. The rate for motorcycles is 66.7 per 100,000. 2004 figures from the Department of Transport in the UK, indicate that motorcycles have 121 deaths or serious injuries per 100 million vehicle kilometers, compared to the corresponding figure of 2.6 for motorists.

A national study by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATS) found that:

* Motorcycle rider death rates increased among all rider age groups between 1998 and 2000
* Motorcycle rider deaths were nearly 30 times more than drivers of other vehicles
* Motorcycle riders aged below 40 are 36 times more likely to be killed than other vehicle operators of the same age.
* Motorcycle riders aged 40 years and over are around 20 times more likely to be killed than other drivers of that age. [1]

According to 2005 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA, 4,008 motorcycle occupants were killed United States roads in 2004, an 8% increase from 2003. [2]

Additional data from the United States reveals that there are over 4 million motorcycles registered in the United States. Motorcycle fatalities represent approximately five percent of all highway fatalities each year, yet motorcycles represent just two percent of all registered vehicles in the United States. One of the main reasons motorcyclists are killed in crashes is because the motorcycle itself provides virtually no protection in a crash. For example, approximately 80 percent of reported motorcycle crashes result in injury or death; a comparable figure for automobiles is about 20 percent. [3]

Robin · 06-13-2006, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

this speaks for itself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_Safety

They sure do. According to those stats, I have a 1 in 1500 chance of getting killed or seriously injured.

If God walked up to me and said, "I am thinking of a number between 1 and 1500. If you guess my number, I will turn you into a slobbering pickle that will have to be tended to by your wife and son for the next twenty years. If you guess any other number, I will give you two weeks of uninterrupted family time to spend with your wife and child every year for the rest of your life. In addition, I will give you $500/year to spend on a vacation, so that you can do something nice during that family time."

My answer = "69." God would NEVER pick 69, right? I mean what would God be telling the world if He picked 69?

Robin · 06-13-2006, 08:55 PM

Hmmm... I guess that statistic is per year. So If I ride bikes for the next thirty years, I have to pick a number between one and 50.

So I can't pick 69?

Archaea · 06-13-2006, 09:13 PM

Go ahead keep riding and don't use a helmet by the way, Faith just asked you to increase your life insurance and thanks for signing the living will. She won't use it often.

Robin · 06-13-2006, 09:15 PM

Hmmm... I guess I should do the math for the per/km unit, since I ride more than most people.

8000 miles/year = 13,000 km/year.
121 deaths/100,000,000km = 1 death/830,000 km.

830,000/13,000 = 64

Hmmm... so each year I have a 1 in 64 chance of serious death or injury? Not so pretty. Multiply that by 30 years of riding and I have a 50:50 chance of making it out alive. Now considering that most accidents happen in the early years of one's riding experience (right now for me), I would imagine I have a significantly higher chance than 1 in 64 of getting into an accident now than later.

Well it is all certainly food for thought.

MikeWaters · 06-13-2006, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robin

Hmmm... I guess I should do the math for the per/km unit, since I ride more than most people.

8000 miles/year = 13,000 km/year.
121 deaths/100,000,000km = 1 death/830,000 km.

830,000/13,000 = 64

Hmmm... so each year I have a 1 in 64 chance of serious death or injury? Not so pretty. Multiply that by 30 years of riding and I have a 50:50 chance of making it out alive. Now considering that most accidents happen in the early years of one's riding experience (right now for me), I would imagine I have a significantly higher chance than 1 in 64 of getting into an accident now than later.

Well it is all certainly food for thought.

Every motorcyclist I have talked to (in person) has laid their bike down at least once.

I'm the exception among the people I have been around. I had several near-misses however.

Most likely it won't be your mistake that kills you. It will be the other guys.

06-13-2006, 07:10 PM	#1
Zulu451 house-elf 3rd class Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 386	Zen and the Art of Organdonorcycle mechanics...Ben Rothlesberger I know that several of the people here on this board, (in particular Miguel) are big motorcycle fans. Now that Ben Rothelesberger will be riding the short bus for the next year influence you riding a motorcycle without a helmet? Trauma (accidents or intentional) is the single largest cause of lost productivity years, economic impact and death among young men and women. It is also the one of the lowest funded areas by the NIH as far as research goes. This is because it is (in most cases) a disease process of the poor, uneducated and unrepresented. There is no ribbon that we proudly display on our cars to raise trauma awareness... What color would that be? Stool brown, urine yellow, a horrid menagre of colors that represent stool, urine and blood? This and fat people...see my avatar...are the largest burdens on our healthcare system and society. IMO: If you want to ride a motorcycle, you must have a signed organ donor card, and health insurance. You can be the best rider, but you are subject to the whims of the SUV driving soccer moms who will run you down like a dog in the road. I have seen marvelously injured people from motorcycle accidents, and it is never the driver of the SUV that gets it bad.

06-13-2006, 09:13 PM	#8
Archaea Assistant to the Regional Manager Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: The Orgasmatron Posts: 24,338	Go ahead keep riding and don't use a helmet by the way, Faith just asked you to increase your life insurance and thanks for signing the living will. She won't use it often. __________________ Ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα

06-13-2006, 07:16 PM	#2
fusnik11 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,506	I've thought extensively about this over the past couple of weeks as I am a frequent rider and ride generally without a helmet. I've had friends die on bikes, I've seen the tragedies on tv, and still I have been unabashed at my no helmet wearing preference. With the impending marriage I have decided helmet riding is a must and I am thinking I am going to sell my road bike. I might buckle one day soon and buy a bike as I have been riding since a child, but if I do I will probably buy a piece of crap as to use it strictly for transport to and from work.

06-13-2006, 07:24 PM	#3
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	I rode a motorcycle for 3 years during med school. I rode it everywhere. Streets, freeway, road trips. Never put it down, always wore a helmet. A couple years ago I was going to buy a bike, but my wife talked me out of it. She was right. It was hard to justify the fun of riding a motorcycle when you look at the odds of injury and death. For those people that choose to ride and choose not to wear a helmet--I have no sympathy for them. The relative risk of head injury and death among those not wearing a helmet must be astronomical. I can get better thrills for less cost (i.e my life). When I did rounds in surgery, I would with my team, try to guess what type of rider each motorcyclist was: Harley or "Jap-bike". They of course could never tell me.

06-13-2006, 07:57 PM	#4
Robin Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 961	I ride a lot. It is pretty much my only form of transport in Los Angeles. I ride with a helmet, and never see anyone riding without one, though some of the half-helmets are basically a thin shell of plastic that might hold your brains in, but will absorb very little impact. The facts of riding are simple -- 1. Most riders will NOT get into a life-threatening wreck. 2. Most riders will NOT sustain debilitating injuries. 3. In Los Angeles, riding a bike guarantees forty extra minutes of family time every day I commute. 4. My motorcycle is saving me hundreds of dollars each year at the pump (55mpg) 5. My motorcycle does way less damage to the environment than a single-passenger car stuck in gridlock. 6. Riding is fun. 7. Freeway riding is one of the safest places to ride a bike, because there are no intersections (so I learned in my riding safety course). Most of my commute is on the freeway. I don't know about the rest of you, but for me, in Los Angeles, riding a bike is a no-brainer. The guaranteed time I gain with my son and wife are extremely important to me. Sure there is a higher risk of fatal injury, but the GUARANTEED family time, imo, is the more sure bet. The factors change from place to place. I enjoy 365 days of riding weather in L.A.

06-13-2006, 08:55 PM	#7
Robin Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 961	Hmmm... I guess that statistic is per year. So If I ride bikes for the next thirty years, I have to pick a number between one and 50. So I can't pick 69?

06-13-2006, 09:15 PM	#9
Robin Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 961	Hmmm... I guess I should do the math for the per/km unit, since I ride more than most people. 8000 miles/year = 13,000 km/year. 121 deaths/100,000,000km = 1 death/830,000 km. 830,000/13,000 = 64 Hmmm... so each year I have a 1 in 64 chance of serious death or injury? Not so pretty. Multiply that by 30 years of riding and I have a 50:50 chance of making it out alive. Now considering that most accidents happen in the early years of one's riding experience (right now for me), I would imagine I have a significantly higher chance than 1 in 64 of getting into an accident now than later. Well it is all certainly food for thought.