That's the opinion of Dave Mathena, of Meridian, Mississippi, based on his letter to the Meridian Star Newspaper back on April 6, 2006....
That's the opinion of Dave Mathena, of Meridian, Mississippi, based on his letter to the Meridian Star Newspaper back on April 6, 2006.
He quotes...
Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that there are far more people dying in cars than on motorcycles. Why not outlaw cars? Wouldn't we save more lives if cagers wore helmets too?
If eating hamburgers and french fries cause people to have heart failure, why not outlaw them too?
His letter actually produce several published replies...
Michael Sumrall wrote: "So shouldn't we address the real issue and have better auto drivers? Are we willing to outlaw the young and old drivers because they cause the majority of accidents?"
Gayle Dew wrote: "Outlaw motorcycles? Why can't we outlaw or banish stupid people?"
Syndi Knibbe wrote: "This kind of mindset is one of the major causes of motorcyclist accidents - the attitude that we somehow deserve to be run over because we're out there doing something we shouldn't be."
Alex Fleury wrote: "One of my favorite riding shirts says, "I REFUSE TO TIPTOE THRU LIFE ONLY TO ARRIVE SAFELY AT DEATH." I don't ask you to agree with my life's choices, but I do ask you allow me to live my life as I choose."
There were many other responses, but I won't summarize them all.
This is the kind of elitist attitude that we bikers have to deal with. People who hate motorcycles, who try to pass laws making it difficult for us to ride, and telling us they're doing this because we're too stupid to know better.
He quotes...
I am confident that even the cheapest, lightest, plastic-made car protects its passengers more than the safest motorcycle. So why should we allow the iron horse to ride?At first I thought it was a commentary on all the motorcycle safety laws. But it doesn't appear so. It seems that Mr. Mathena is quite adamant that motorcycles ought to be outlawed.
Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that there are far more people dying in cars than on motorcycles. Why not outlaw cars? Wouldn't we save more lives if cagers wore helmets too?
If eating hamburgers and french fries cause people to have heart failure, why not outlaw them too?
His letter actually produce several published replies...
Michael Sumrall wrote: "So shouldn't we address the real issue and have better auto drivers? Are we willing to outlaw the young and old drivers because they cause the majority of accidents?"
Gayle Dew wrote: "Outlaw motorcycles? Why can't we outlaw or banish stupid people?"
Syndi Knibbe wrote: "This kind of mindset is one of the major causes of motorcyclist accidents - the attitude that we somehow deserve to be run over because we're out there doing something we shouldn't be."
Alex Fleury wrote: "One of my favorite riding shirts says, "I REFUSE TO TIPTOE THRU LIFE ONLY TO ARRIVE SAFELY AT DEATH." I don't ask you to agree with my life's choices, but I do ask you allow me to live my life as I choose."
There were many other responses, but I won't summarize them all.
This is the kind of elitist attitude that we bikers have to deal with. People who hate motorcycles, who try to pass laws making it difficult for us to ride, and telling us they're doing this because we're too stupid to know better.
