How dangerous are bikes?

How dangerous are bikes?

Author
Discussion

Nels0n

235 posts

180 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
quotequote all
Depends on your skill level - if you're a bit thick and oblivious to danger then they're dangerous but if you're above average intelligence with the ability to anticipate others' actions then they're relatively safe.

carmadgaz

3,201 posts

182 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
quotequote all
catso said:
From the day we are born, we are all dying - live with it...
Life is dangerous. 100% of people who are born die.

off_again

12,249 posts

233 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
quotequote all
Ridden thousands of miles in the last few years (averaging 8k a year - which is relatively high) and not dangerous.

I have have incidents, situations and a few close calls - but have had the same with cars too. But on bikes I have enjoyed most of it (apart from the parts where I got utterly soaked, cold or both). Not ridden for the last 7 months due to relocation - missing it terribly....

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
quotequote all
I stubbed my toe wheeling mine out of the garage last week. Lethal, I tell thee.

Mastodon2

13,818 posts

164 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
quotequote all
Crossflow Kid said:
I stubbed my toe wheeling mine out of the garage last week. Lethal, I tell thee.
Similarly, the first time I ever sat on a bike I somehow managed to pin my foot to the ground with the kickstand. A ZX-6R weighs a bit. A hidden danger of motorcycling that I was never warned of.

Clinton Baptiste

657 posts

181 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
quotequote all
carmadgaz said:
Life is dangerous. 100% of people who are born die.
Really? I didn't know that, thanks.

LuS1fer

41,083 posts

244 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
quotequote all
I once dropped a Gold Wing GL1000 at 80mph along a dual carriageway and cracked a bone in my hand. Technically, I am dead.

I think as long as you are always a thought ahead of the cars, you're fine. it's not that hard as most car drivers are brain dead while driving so you have to look ahead and plan for them. I think the hardest thing is threading through traffic but the most dangerous part of biking is a dark lane, ste headlight, potholed road and a profusion of wet leaves. You can't avoid what you can't see.

mitzy

13,857 posts

196 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
quotequote all
If you keep asking yourself how dangerous everything is you would never walk out of you front door.

Throw caution to the wind
Just get it bought

moanthebairns

17,918 posts

197 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
quotequote all
I can't believe this has actually been treated with serious responses. I mean fk me really!

next up, how tall is a china-man

carmadgaz

3,201 posts

182 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
quotequote all
moanthebairns said:
I can't believe this has actually been treated with serious responses. I mean fk me really!

next up, how tall is a china-man
Yeah he's a really nice chap too silly

Clinton Baptiste said:
carmadgaz said:
Life is dangerous. 100% of people who are born die.
Really? I didn't know that, thanks.
Very welcome, every day is a school day around here wink

Master Bean

3,517 posts

119 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
carmadgaz said:
moanthebairns said:
I can't believe this has actually been treated with serious responses. I mean fk me really!

next up, how tall is a china-man
Yeah he's a really nice chap too silly



I think the joke is how(Hau) high(Hai) is a chinaman?

Jakarta

566 posts

141 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
I was chnanging the sprockets on my bike once with a cheap socket set.
Inevitably it slipped off and I mashed my hand into the swingarm with all my might.
I nearly cried a little bit, left the bike as it stood and went to try and play Xbox to take my mind off the pain.
It didn't work and was hundreds of times more painful than the three bike crashes I've had.

The nail came off about 3 months later when I was pulling in the messenger line during a RAS between HMS Enterprise and RFA Flippetyflipflop and I've never had as much as a bruise when crashing.





Prof Prolapse

16,160 posts

189 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
moanthebairns said:
id say its safer than smoking and drinking but not as safe as taking eckies.
Agreed. Perception of risk is not the same as true risk.

Ecstasy is a funny point and I mention this a lot at work. As a society we tell children it is dangerous when actually they are more likely to die from the paracetamol we give to them as babies. Not sure how we expect them to respect authority after that one. That said you start doing five Garys's a night with cocaine and booze three times a week you can't expect your life expectancy not to drop.

Same is true of bikes I think. No more dangerous than a tin of biscuits on its sidestand.

sc0tt

18,032 posts

200 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
moanthebairns said:
in 2011

79,100 people died in England from deaths caused by smoking
8,748 people died from alcohol-related deaths
6 people died from Ecstasy-type drugs

id say its safer than smoking and drinking but not as safe as taking eckies.

But I mean come on to fk, who dies of eckies, I took 5 vallies one day, fell asleep at the football, drunk for 16 hours, I was that tired I went to the strippers for a seat, then took 4 eckies to perk me up and downed a pint of wine and all I had was a 2 day hangover.
You and I would get along on a night out

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Prof Prolapse said:
No more dangerous than a tin of biscuits on its sidestand.
Biscuit tins have side stands?
Who knew?

ChocolateFrog

24,847 posts

172 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
DaveH23 said:
Bikes are 100% safe if riden within your limits.
That's clearly not true.

You can mitigate the risks from other road users to a degree but there are some situations that are unavoidable however observant you are or how defensively you ride.

BobSaunders

3,027 posts

154 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
ChocolateFrog said:
DaveH23 said:
Bikes are 100% safe if riden within your limits.
That's clearly not true.

You can mitigate the risks from other road users to a degree but there are some situations that are unavoidable however observant you are or how defensively you ride.
This. Depends on your acceptance of risk, and what mitigation you put into place to either transfer or reduce.

moanthebairns

17,918 posts

197 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Prof Prolapse said:
moanthebairns said:
id say its safer than smoking and drinking but not as safe as taking eckies.
Agreed. Perception of risk is not the same as true risk.

Ecstasy is a funny point and I mention this a lot at work. As a society we tell children it is dangerous when actually they are more likely to die from the paracetamol we give to them as babies. Not sure how we expect them to respect authority after that one. That said you start doing five Garys's a night with cocaine and booze three times a week you can't expect your life expectancy not to drop.

Same is true of bikes I think. No more dangerous than a tin of biscuits on its sidestand.
I suspect the 6 people who died that year did so from trying to dance in rhythm to trance music. I was obviously saved that night by the fact I can only dance the Gay Gordon's.

road_rager

1,091 posts

198 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
strange question....

more dangerous than driving a car for sure...however as others have said, as long you ride 100% brain engaged, keep a close eye on road conditions if you ride all year round, you should last at least a few years before being killed ;-)

Mr2Mike

20,143 posts

254 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
MadProfessor said:
I'm sure this has been done to death (no pun intended). However, I'm thinking of returning to biking. How dangerous do you really think biking is today? The figures hide too much information (e.g. recklessness of rider).
The skill/recklessness of the rider is the primary factor in determining how safe a bike is, so I don't see how the figures are hiding information?

If you are asking "how dangerous are bikes if you are a completely perfect rider", then clearly not very dangerous at all.