Seems awfully dangerous

Not motorcycling only, everything in the proximity of cars.

Fuck cars.

Would you say dragon fuck cars?
- Are the cars destroyed in the process?
- NO NO N
There is an anti-car community somewhere on Lemmy. Will look for the link.

Personally that's why I enjoy riding. It requires me to let go of the idea that I have overarching control of my life. Any day could be my last, and if today is my last day I'd like to enjoy it.

Part of me thinks this is insane, part of me gets it.
Riding my bicycle in the city is my version of it. While it is dangerous and initially I felt too afraid to enjoy it, eventually I came to the attitude that the adrenaline rush and requirement to be so focused is a feeling of being more alive than if I was half zoned out in a car because I could be half zoned out.
I've always said I would love a motorcycle if I could feel safe but maybe your perspective here is what I need.
- Agreed that it's insane. The way I look at it is that there is an inherent amount of danger in any activity. Doesn't matter how safe or dangerous something is, conscious acceptance of the risk is satisfying.
- Thirded. And it keeps me disengaged for a while. I need to unplug because of what my job was for two damn decades. Five years ago I would have to pull over for a call or text because I was on call 24/7.
  I certainly wouldn't answer that call if it were my last day on earth. Now I don't answer it while I'm on the bike.
Had the same attitude until psychiatrist said that it is suicidal behavior
- I struggle to see how it is suicidal. I define suicide as "trying to kill yourself." I don't see how accepting my mortality and not letting the fear of death get in the way of enjoying my life could be classified as suicidal.
- Get a new psychiatrist. There is a big difference between self destructive risk taking and the acknowledgment of the inherent mortality of our lives.
That's an interesting take. I enjoy riding due to the full control of my machine and piercing through the wind while zooming through the landscape. And the best part is when there's some nice curves to corner through. All of these reasons would only be enhanced with less cars on the road.
- Absolutely. There's a feeling of being more "present" in the world. It's more stimulating for your senses, which I think is ultimately why your brain rewards you for it with dopamine.

Motorcycles might be dangerous as fuck (but fun as hell) but this is a good time to mention that for just about all of us driving is, by far, the most dangerous thing we do every day.

Sure would be cool to have protected lanes for !micromobility@lemmy.world though

Literally the main reason I sold my motorcycle last year.

you know what else is crazy? That prison sentence you get after you run me over for negligent manslaughter.

If you're in Germany, a car is the best weapon to get away with murder since car drivers (especially the elderly) usually get only a slap on the wrist if they injure or even kill someone.
- I wouldn't be surprised, if even in america cars kill more people than guns.
- i thought america was bad with car laws.
  Apparently not.
Unless I drive away, a close friend can't even get insurance for her bike anymore, because a hit and run left her with a TBI, and she had to fight the insurance company to cover it.
- depends on how well that works more than likely, chances are you're going to end up killing someone eventually, if you do run.

Funnily enough this is sort of my argument for confident drivers arguing that they are safe when driving at speeds way over the speed limit. Like yeah, you won't crash in isolation. Like if this was a time trial, then sure, you would be number 1 in the world. But thats not driving. Driving with other people is more like mario kart. You can be the best driver in the in the world but all it takes is one green shell on their phone to not notice you and its all over.

green shell
This is what I'm calling them from now on.
Man, I absolutely love driving within the speed limit and seeing a big queue of would-be speeders gradually building up behind me.

I've been rear-ended while driving three times over the years. Two were minor, one totaled the car. I have to think that all three of those would have been exponentially worse if I was on a motorcycle instead of in a car.

- Legal where I live and it's fantastic. Love being first in line at every intersection and not having to worry about getting ran over.
  Buuut.... there is a fair number of drivers who like to yell at me to not cut in line... had one person drive on the sidewalk and around me onto the crosswalk and said "if you can cut, so can I." Super scary.
  I usually just say, "it's legal, learn to drive" but the "learn to drive" part makes a certain kind of driver so mad that it's not worth risking the road rage
I was rear-ended the third day after buying a motorcycle.
Now I have a habit of looking into the mirror before full stop

I ride a bike. I have accepted death.

Nothing triggers me more than motorcyclists. We moved from a big city in Germany to the countryside a couple years ago and I totally underestimated the amount of noise you guys make. On every sunny weekend, fat people in their mid-fifties dressed like sausages rattle along the country roads and wave at each other in a cool manner. Saturdays are annoying, Sundays seriously unbearable. We can't have a conversation in the garden, even deep in the forest you can hear the engines roar. They hang around on the benches, bus stops and at the petrol station, smoking and talking on their phones. Ambulances once or twice a day, rescue helicopters every other week. One time friends came to visit and greeted me with: "There was a motorcyclist lying on the crossroads". At the start of the season, two motorcyclists collided on a bend close to my home and both died. Casual! It was pretty quiet while the paramedics failed to save both of the fathers lifes.
Riding a motorcycle is such an embarrassing, reckless and mean-spirited pastime, it drives me insane. If I sell this house again, it will be because of you. I pray for a ban on driving on Sundays and public holidays and noise controls. Buy a racing bike, seriously!

As someone who does ride, I understand your perspective, but your proposal of banning motorcycles on weekends and public holidays would be only doing one thing: letting the rich fucks ruin your day on a weekday with their bobbed Harleys and tough-guy cosplay, while working-class people, who picked up the hobby, would yearn even more for fascism, because "tHoSe lEfTiEs wAnnA bAn eVeryThiNg".
But noise control - yes, please. You are on the streets, not on a track.
Motorcyclists are a major source of donor organs though. Due to the nature of the injuries one is most likely to suffer when in a motorcycle accident they often end up braindead. I’ve heard people who work in a hospital refer to motorcycles as ‘donorcycles’.
Maybe if electric motorcycles can become more popular the noise issue will lessen.
- I really hope so! Unfortunately, being VERY LOUD is important to motorcycle-men and part of their ridiculous sense of community and freedom. That's why I fear they will be one of the last to switch to electric motors.

as a motorcycle rider: I know. that's why i don't only need to pay attention to everything around me but also account for idiots

Back when I rode I just assumed they were actively trying to kill me. Worked pretty well considering I only ever hurt myself.

motorcycles are the helicopters of the road (don't sneeze!)

It is really annoying to sneeze in a helmet. It just bounces back in your face.
- FYI jet skis are much more dangerous than motorcycles.

Even worse, tiktok

Bloody hell people here present driving motorcycle or even bicycle as a big survival thingy. Wtf.

Never once feared for my life on bicycle. On the road never heard or saw about motorcycle crashes other than these where the motorcyclist lost control or did something stupid. Hell, people recommend getting motorcycle.

Now, this may be regional thing but in this case, how the hell is, let's assume, USA so bad with driving if most ya all spend most of your life driving?

If everyone is allowed to drive, you also have the incapable ones. The people able to drive properly aren't important and you don't notice them, only those that are dangerous. In other countries they are forced to walk or use public transport. This starts with harder to acquire license and ends with infrastructure.
- To add, we lack almost any kind of graduated licensing, both for two and four wheeled vehicles. You can get a motorcycle license (even a learners permit) and go out and buy a literbike built from the factory to go directly on the track. Likewise, you can buy a gigantic truck on a basic license and have no clue how to park it. These facts are both insane.
  "Motorcycle" licensing needs to start with a basic set that covers class III e-bikes and scooters/motorcylces up to 300cc or so (appox 40hp, or 3kW), and then you can work your way up.
I pedal bike to work and have close calls weekly with cars. Couple months ago I was in the bike path and a car came next to me and matched my speed and then came into the bike lane and drove me into the grass. I thought they were doing it on purpose but they were just confused following their GPS and drifted... Similar stories on my motorcycle. Lane splitting is legal where I live but people still yell at me saying I can't "cut in line" and I had one lady drive on the sidewalk and around me onto the crosswalk (at a red light) saying "if you can cut then so can I." It was kinda terrifying.
Where I live, everyone drives and everyone hates driving and hates other drivers, but they hate bikes and motorcycles more because out grouping or something. Only way to stay alive is to pretend you're invisible and not piss car drivers off.
Midwest USA if curious
- Gimmie a sec to grab my jaw from the floor. Yeah if I ever end in the USA I'm gonna make sure to avoid getting on two wheels. Where I live there is some hatred between bikers and drivers (two way), but not that point.
- I'm gonna assume you're actually in the GTA in Canada because there are no states in the Midwest USA where lane splitting is legal.
It's definitely an issue of distracted driving rather than a lack of skills to drive adequately. Because of our lack of public transportation options compared to where I'm assuming you live, most folks have to drive to do most things. They also have to do this at the same time as everyone else, which makes driving a shitty necessity and overall poor experience. Now we have computers in our hands and can do something more enjoyable than pay attention to the road while you're on your Thursday evening 1.5 hour commute home from work.
Personally I think that distracted driving violations should be treated the same way a DUI is.
- Fits with what the u/UnPassive wrote. Still terrible. And yeah, where I live we have quite good public transport, even if folk here tend to think it's not good enough. But overall where I live people seem to be more focused, maybe because a lot of them likes to speed a little bit too much, and that requires focus. Our traffic isn't that congested.
I've been hit 4 times in the past 2 years, all while I did everything absolutely correct. It's utterly amazing that I'm not dead.

@ThePicardManeuver ............. Wiping and wiping phone screen. Only to realise the speck is in the photo featured in this post.

We know and that's why most of us that care about our life we drive slow as well as stop even if it's a green light the rest well let's hope they have good luck or don't depending on what you wish for them!

Yes. Let's blame others around rather than the person making a cheap joke and acting like they are too cool to follow the accepted rules. Would we feel this way if they made a such a caviler statement about owning a gun? Would it work if were mocking nurses paying attention to administrating medicine?

Of course not.

It's the person on Instagram. If you can't care that the rider could be a mother or a father to a little kid, pull over and sell your fucking car and take a bus. You have the illusion of responsibility without actually thinking it's a cooperative event on a massive scale.

Sir this is a joke.
- Obviously. However people do sit on IG and not give a shit about people on motorcycles. And I have been hit while doing 70 from one of them. And I had a 3 year old at the time.
  So, maybe pick something better to be funny about. Because to some it won't ever be funny.
- I have a plate in my wrist and 9 pins. Luckily the person behind me stopped quick enough to save my life.