| Subject: |
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THE BIGGER THEY ARE ... THE HARDER THEY HIT |
| Name: |
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John Del Santo |
| Date Posted: |
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May 5, 08 - 7:29 AM |
| Email: |
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mcbwaycool@yahoo.com |
| Message: |
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From: John Del Santo [mailto:mcbwaycool@yahoo.com]
Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2008 8:42 PM
To: Bruce@LdrLongDistanceRider.com
Subject: Re: May is Motorcycle Awareness Month ... But Not for SUV Drivers
THE BIGGER THEY ARE … THE HARDER THEY HIT
by John Del Santo
Here’s some News… numbers of motorcycle registrations have been rising steadily; more than ever before. Now here’s some good News… the number of motorcycle accidents has been falling steadily; less crashes, less injuries, and less property damage-only crashes. And now for some bad News….For the past six years motorcyclist fatalities have been on the rise. The numbers don’t seem to go together ! …What’s Up?
In reading a Special Report by Wendy Moon published in Motorcycle Consumer News [July 2004], She shows that the rise in numbers in motorcyclist fatalities is in direct relationship to the rise in sales of Light Truck Vehicles (which includes Sport Utility Vehicle’s). The sale of LTV’s / SUV’s started to rise dramatically in 1998, which was the year the motorcyclist fatalities began to increase. In 2002 there were three average autos to each one Light Truck Vehicle (or SUV), and yet the number of motorcyclist fatalities are almost equal in number during collisions with LTV’s / SUV’S or automobiles. A motorcyclist is 2 ½ times more likely to die in a collision with an LTV.
The amount of physical damage done to a motorcyclist is greater in a collision with a Light Truck Vehicle for several reasons; Instead of the (average) auto bumper colliding mostly against a motorcyclists body below the belt, breaking hips and legs, an LTV’s bumper is much higher…high enough to make the initial strike to a motorcyclist into the area of the thigh, waist and torso, creating a much more likely chance of internal injuries. In years gone by, people would describe a collision that happened when a bike ran into the side of a car as: “yeah, the biker flew right over the car.” If we run into the side of a much taller SUV, we’ll probably just smash dead-on into the side of the vehicle. The Light Truck Vehicle or Sports Utility Vehicle weighs more than an average auto, creating more foot-pounds of force when striking something, and most vehicles that are considered an LTV or SUV have a rigid-steel frame-rail delivering a much more solid hit than the Unibody-crumple-design of modern autos.
Now, most of us could drive one of these vehicles forever and never run over anybody. The problems occur when someone who has been driving a small auto for most of their lives, now gets into one of these big status symbols and doesn’t realize that along with taller and higher and wider comes a great increase in Blind Spots !! And a greater increase in their responsibility to other motorists. They can’t see us approaching as well, and totally lose sight of us when they get close… it would certainly be a nice if the people who bought these vehicles were informed of their dangers, and learned how to drive them properly and safely.
So, these big vehicles are here to stay, until they are made extinct by rising gasoline prices or the whims of fashion. Therefore it is our responsibility to ourselves to recognize the blind spots all around these vehicles and not spend any longer than necessary around them and be ready to let them know with our lights or horn that we are there, and be ready to move OUT of a blind spot on a half-seconds notice if the driver seems not to see you, or if the vehicle seems ready to move towards you. The right-rear wheel area of an SUV is an especially high target area… and when stopping in a line of traffic, it’s not a bad idea to stop off to one side of the lane where you are not quite as much of a target, and where you can scoot out of the way if you see someone in the mirror who seems not to be slowing.
we motorcyclists can protect ourselves against damage by the drivers of these big Light Trucks and SUV’s by being Alert and Aware ! |
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