Sabotage

By Alison Green
Published on March 17, 2009
article image

The infamous staged photo of a supposedly
drunken member of the Boozefighter Motorcycle
Club at the Hollister, Calif., rally, 1947

This is probably the quickest way to make myself unpopular with the motorcycling fraternity – but please, persevere and read on. Even if you have never had a beer, someone you know may become a statistic in this category in the very near future.

I am not a safety expert of any sort – but I do try to be a conscientious and safety-aware rider.  My involvement as an instructor with the Canada Safety Council Gearing-Up program (equivalent to the MSC Basic Rider Course) has had the added benefit of keeping me on my best behaviour and reinforcing safe motorcycling habits.  I do believe that responsible and defensive riding attitudes and skills can reduce the likelihood of motorcycle-involved crashes.   But collectively we, the motorcycling culture, are sabotaging our own safety and shooting ourselves far too often.   All of our safety training, skills practice and defensive riding strategies go out the window if we take so much as one drink!

And drink we do – and ride.  

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