Fatal Motorcycle Accidents Shuts Down Atlantic
[nggallery id=”45290″ template=galleryview] A motorcyclist was killed this morning at around 7 a.m. when he (we assume) was struck by a taxi heading east on Atlantic Avenue between Hoyt and Bond Streets. As of 9:30 this morning, Atlantic Avenue was shut down in both directions between Smith Street and Flatbush Avenue, causing a series of…
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A motorcyclist was killed this morning at around 7 a.m. when he (we assume) was struck by a taxi heading east on Atlantic Avenue between Hoyt and Bond Streets. As of 9:30 this morning, Atlantic Avenue was shut down in both directions between Smith Street and Flatbush Avenue, causing a series of reverberating traffic jams on all the major thoroughfares in the area.
“You can’t expect motorists to suddenly put down their Blackberries and become more aware of what’s going on around them.”
No. We shouldn’t expect drivers to obey the law. Why would we ever want to do that?
Since I think I started all this with my comment that the most dangerous thing about motorcycles is the people who ride them (an inappropriate comment in the context of this thread, I now realize) I thought I’d weigh in again.
While it’s true that a very large percentage of motorcycle crashes involve motorists not yielding the right of way, the fact is that there are also a lot of single-vehicle collisions where only the rider is at fault.
And my comment really had to do with the irresponsibility of too many riders. The overwhelming majority of crashes involve one or more of the following factors:
1) An unlicensed rider, riding on a learners permit or just a drivers license;
2) A rider who has never taken any safety instruction;
3) An intoxicated rider.
When a rider is operating a bike unsafely, one or more of these factors is likely to be at play. And by unsafely I don’t just mean excessive speed or weaving through traffic. If you’re not fully focused on what you’re doing and taking account of the cars around you and how they might encroach on your travel path, you’re not riding safely.
You can’t expect motorists to suddenly put down their Blackberries and become more aware of what’s going on around them. You’re the one who will come out badly in a collision, so it’s incumbent on you to ride defensively and account for the likelihood that clueless motorists will imperil your life. Blaming the motorist is of very small consolation to the family of the deceased.
re. my 3.54 post, in my former job, and former country, we used human brains for research and for the anatomy classes. What I’m stating there is based on what we were told on our first visit to the suppy lab.
squardrive – you must be using the same glue as me
oh, and ditto: my toupee is firmly in place. Thanks though.
“On the other hand, I had the corned beef hash AND the sweetened grits for breakfast today”
yes, exactly! I may think it’s stupid to eat poorly, but here’s the difference: if you die of a stroke tomorrow i won’t start chirping about how your diet was stupid and irresponsible when the news is announced.
Wber – it doens’t defy logic – you are making way too many assumptions.
Motorcyclists are often ideal as organ donors because, unlike non-seatbelt wearing car-drivers, they frequently die from head injuries while the major transplantable organs are intact. The car drivers not wearing seatbelts often have major internal organ injuries.
@WBer: Surely you’re not arguing that being killed because another car ran into your motorcycle is better than being killed because you wipe out on your motorcycle all by yourself? Or that the former situation shouldn’t be considered when evaluating the risks of riding motorcycles because dying that way isn’t the rider’s “fault”?
Ditto – read my next sentence: “Yes, motorcyclists have higher fatality rates than drivers, but the biggest danger to motorcyclists is cars”. The number of fatalities directly relates to Wasder’s claim to have “heard that a huge percentage of organ donations come from motorcycle riders who have lost their lives on the road.” That statement simply defies logic (unless you assume that the ONLY organ donors are drivers and motorcyclists AND that motorcyclists sign their donor cards 10 times more than drivers). Sorry – I took Wasder literally.
As for Wasder’s opinions on motorcycling (and skydiving and mountain climbing), you’re free not to get on a motorcycle. Just please remember my other statistic – a majority of motorcycle fatalities are caused by drivers on four wheels (or more). As they say – motorcycles are everywhere, be aware!