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Interesting safety article
Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 11:54 am
by priapismic
Here is a link to an article by Fred Rau, former editor of Motorcycle Consumer News, as it appears in the current (September) issue in his regular monthly Contact Patch column. Fred makes a case for an innovative safety program currently in use by the HSTA (of which I am a long-time member), and suggests that motorcycle clubs incorporate some version of this program. Read and discuss:
http://www.calhsta.org/library/MCNSept2007-FredRau.pdf
Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 7:17 pm
by Caroanbill
I applaud this initiative ... however, the fact that it gets such a wrap shows you folks have certainly got a different culture ... you'd find a small minority of casual riders without decent gear over here (that's Australia, and I daresay in Europe or the UK), but it's the exception, not the rule.
The Aussie riding community - riders associations, rally-goers, clubs and even the popular riding roads and hang-outs, all sport ATTGATT or something close to it. Anyone who sees her or himself as a serious rider would regard someone who disavows safety gear as an idiot. This wasn't always so - if you compared the relative level gear 20 years ago with today, you'd see a vast increase in acceptance.
Helmet laws two decades ago garnered noisy but insignificant protests, which have long since burbled into silence. You'd be more likely to hear one squid say to another "if you've only got a hundred dollar head, get a hundred dollar helmet" (good helmets being $500+). Seat belt laws are also simply part of the landscape, no big deal.
Funnily enough, the acceptance of helmet laws seems to have been a catalyst for a stronger safety culture - and it coincided with the advent of armoured road gear, all-weather fabrics etc. Perhaps its because the cruiser market is a late addition to our riding scene - the base biker culture is more about riding experience than look-at-me attitude.
Who knows? I'm glad ATTGATT is the norm here, for whatever reason.
Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 1:26 am
by Boxerboy
I've been riding here in Oz since 1981/2 and it's almost always been an ATGATT CULTURE. yES, THERE WAS THE INSIGNIFICANT oops... protests re: helmets, but anyone I know that rides is ATGATT conscious and always has been.
The only group I would see not following ATGATT is the "outlaw" Harley crowd who continue to use the minimalist approach to safety. Our HD population is small however, when compared to NA.
Occasionally in summer I do see the thongs/singlet/helmet combo...it just makes me cringe.
Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:33 am
by rdsmith3
I took a safety course shortly after I bought my BMW in 2002 (new) and BMW reimbursed me for the cost of the course.