Why dont more people ride bikes? Why is there a general...

[MGJohn]

otolith said:

Of course it is wrong, but I don't think anyone other than you has said that. It's called a "strawman" or "aunt sally" argument, where you misrepresent a point of view in order to knock it down. Like, for instance, when accuse people of thinking Rovers are the only cars that ever break down, despite nobody having made such a claim.

People have said the risks are higher, and that is true.



http://www.dft.gov.uk/adobepdf/162469/221412/22155...

Was about to respond appropriately but, I think you took the whole 100% content of my post all too seriously. No crime in that.

Signed ... SA-S. (Strawman Aunt-Sally) .... formerly known as MGJohn...

croyde said:

.
So as a car driver, bike rider, cyclist and a pedestrian, I've got no fooking chance.
.

Got it in one! That possibility is always there.

I think otolith could produce a pie chart or graph to demonstrate that very probability ....
..

[CarbonM5]

I admire bikes as pieces of engineering excellence but I have no desire to ever own one because I find being sat in a nice comfy car seat, having a good dose of acceleration slam you back into your seat (without wearing a crash helmet) satisfying enough.

[otolith]

MGJohn said:

I think otolith could produce a pie chart or graph to demonstrate that very probability ....
..

I should struggle to find somewhere to steal one from

[darkyoung1000]

I was pondering the same and I think it's mostly to do with the weather.

People are put off by having to kit up in case it rains rather than just throwing on a helmet & going (I'm including scooters and pushbikes in the OPs question). You only have to look at the amount of fair weather cyclists let alone fair weather motorcyclists to see how much people are put off by a little bit of rain.

There is also a perception that YOU WILL DIE THE SECOND YOU GET ASTRIDE ONE OF THOSE MACHINES! Statistically the risks are greater, but I still stick to my argument that there are idiots using all forms of transport, its just that the ones in cars tend to survive their mistakes more.

Those who pass their DAS, buy a superbike and head for the twisty bits at maximum speed with little regard for themselves or others are not going to last long. By contrast, riding defensively, taking extra training and not treating the throttle as a digital device means you can go a long way safely. The consequences of your mistakes are higher, but because of this you tend to learn from them more rapidly!

I think that all drivers would benefit from taking a CBT - my driving and riding (push and motorbike) all improved dramatically once I had my eyes opened to the other side.

As to comfort and capacity - I rode back from Falkirk to York 10 days ago with everything I needed for a 2 night stay and a fencing competition in a little over 4 hours. No more discomfort than sitting in a car for the same amount of time would be (and more fun to boot).

Cheers,
Tom

[MGJohn]

darkyoung1000 said:

I think that all drivers would benefit from taking a CBT - my driving and riding (push and motorbike) all improved dramatically once I had my eyes opened to the other side.

Cheers,
Tom

Agreed. Over the years, car only drivers I've discussed this with rarely agree.

[MC Bodge]

I'd be interested in more of a breakdown of the statistics about accidents (location, conditions, type of incident, type of bike, 'profile' of rider: mileage, usage, experience etc.).

Believe it or not, people who ride bikes are not an entirely homogeneous group beyond actually riding bikes.

[Efbe]

otolith said:

Of course it is wrong, but I don't think anyone other than you has said that. It's called a "strawman" or "aunt sally" argument, where you misrepresent a point of view in order to knock it down. Like, for instance, when accuse people of thinking Rovers are the only cars that ever break down, despite nobody having made such a claim.

People have said the risks are higher, and that is true.



http://www.dft.gov.uk/adobepdf/162469/221412/22155...

those statistics don't make sense.

everyone in the uk is a pedestrian. if this was correct then 100 times more people would die at the side of the road than in cars.

[Alfanatic]

Efbe said:

otolith said:

Of course it is wrong, but I don't think anyone other than you has said that. It's called a "strawman" or "aunt sally" argument, where you misrepresent a point of view in order to knock it down. Like, for instance, when accuse people of thinking Rovers are the only cars that ever break down, despite nobody having made such a claim.

People have said the risks are higher, and that is true.



http://www.dft.gov.uk/adobepdf/162469/221412/22155...

those statistics don't make sense.

everyone in the uk is a pedestrian. if this was correct then 100 times more people would die at the side of the road than in cars.

It means that you're roughly 6 times more likely to be killed while walking 1 km than you are to be killed while driving 1 km.

With this statistic, it's important to consider that the time that the pedestrian is in transit for the 1km journey, and thus at risk of becoming an RTA statistic, is much longer than it would be in the car. In other words, it's not just that they're more vulnerable, it also means that you get more time to knock the pedestrian off.

So I'd say that doing it by distance travelled possibly doesn't favour walking.

You could instead run the numbers by hour in transit rather than distance travelled, which might make the numbers a bit closer, but I'd expect that, firstly, the pecking order would still be the same, and secondly, that, this being a statistic, both numbers will be as correct and as meaningless as eachother.

[FellowPazzini]

I don't ride them because I don't want to turn into a complete arse. I don't like to generalise people but I will on this occasion, 70% of bikers I see generally brake the road rules in 1 way or another and/or are by far drive way too aggressive. It's funny how small and fragile they are and yet they seem to have the complete opposite opinion of themselves.

Just my opinion though

[otolith]

Efbe said:

those statistics don't make sense.

everyone in the uk is a pedestrian. if this was correct then 100 times more people would die at the side of the road than in cars.

You are assuming that on average people travel as far on foot as they do by car. I don't think that is remotely likely.

[Risotto]

FellowPazzini said:

I don't ride them because I don't want to turn into a complete arse. I don't like to generalise people but I will on this occasion, 70% of bikers I see generally brake the road rules in 1 way or another and/or are by far drive way too aggressive. It's funny how small and fragile they are and yet they seem to have the complete opposite opinion of themselves.

Just my opinion though

I guess the problem is that people feel over-confident until the accident involves them rather than a mate of a mate. A reckless car driver involved in an accident might realise they drove like an arse and decide to be more sensible in future. A biker in the same situation may also reach the same conclusions but, sadly, if they're sailing through the air towards a tree at the time, they're unlikely to be able to put their resolution into practice.

Edited by Risotto on Wednesday 8th June 21:38

[MadRob6]

I'd love to have a bike but the main reason I don't is other road users. I see enough crap on the roads in a car with people paying absolutely no attention or just not understanding why certain rules on the road exist so flaunting them.

One example is a corner on the way back from my parent's house. 3 times I've rounded that corner to encounter some idiot who couldn't be arsed to turn a steering wheel to follow the road and cut across so when I round the corner they're aiming right at me! This wouldn't be so bad if they were to then steer away from me but they seem to be in such a daze that they just carry on as if I wasn't there leaving me no option but to take to the grass verge.

The other reason is my Dad would go ballistic if I got a bike. He used to be a keen biker himself but almost lost a leg whilst waiting at some traffic lights when some idiot in a car ploughed straight into him and punting him off the bike.

Still oneday I'll probably get one but will only ever use it when the roads are quiet which is the best time to be out on them anyway.

[Willy Nilly]

How many of the people that don't ride bikes because "they are too dangerous" smoke? Or are too fat? Or drink too much?

They are not for everyone, for sure, but be sensible, watch what you are doing and all should be well.

[Terminator X]

I don't ride through concern that some car driving lunatic pulls out from nowhere & kills me! Cars are faster than bikes in the twisties anyway

TX.

[Buzzkill]

Every time I get serious about learning I hear some form of horror story that puts me off. I think I'm probably now permanently put off the idea after hearing the last - a head being torn off and friends of the person having to witness it. It's other drivers I don't trust, not myself.

[6potdave]

Baryonyx said:

I don't ride bikes because I value being able to walk and live. If you have a big off on a bike and you're lucky you'll die instantly. If you're not, you'll die slowly or be disabled for life.

I don't believe that I'd ever be so daft as to overexert the bike and kill myself, but the legions of fkwit motorists in this country make me realise that being on a bike is not a good place to be. After all, how many times has someone driving a car, bus or lorry failed to see you in your car? Now imagine how much more often that will happen when you're on your bike.

There are a couple of lads I work with who have just passed their test andwent out and bought Kawasaki 600s, and they regularly talk of doing 130mph or more when riding from Newcastle to Seahouses. How long, I wonder, until one of them is dead or maimed. No experience, no road sense, no chance. Mind you, when one of them fks up I expect the other one will pack in too.

Well said! After spending quite a lot of time visiting my grandma in a nursing home and witnessing what life is like when you lose all your faculties I would rather enjoy the time I have and if it goes wrong so be it. Biking has a bad press and everyone knows someone who has injured (or worse) themselves on a bike but there are also many people who ride all their life and get away Scot free. You only live once!