Hi-Viz Helmets and clothing

[VTEC2k8]

Being a night shift police officer, the 2 wheel vs 4+ wheel accidents that I've seen all had two things in common - motorcycle riding style, and cager "didn't see him."

First wreck, Harley vs car at a stop sign intersection. Both drivers were drunk, according to blood draw at the hospital. Harley ran stop sign, cager pulled out in front of him. Harley rider (well, his head) went through the windshield and the rest of him rocketed off into the bushes. Rider's helmet chin strap was a convenient carry handle for his severed head. Cager "didn't see him." Rider estimated speed: 50 mph, through a four way stop.

Second wreck, rider of stolen motorcycle sees cop sitting in a parking lot and whacks the throttle. Crests a hill just past the parking lot while a cager is pulling out of a gas station that lies just under the crest. Rider ended up in the back seat. Estimated speed: 100 mph cresting a hill. Cager had no way of seeing him.

Third wreck, rider of stolen motorcycle just ran from the police. Crests small (different from second wreck) hill while cager is pulling out of another gas station. Rider has time to lay it down, but it doesn't help. This time the cage was a small truck. There were two distinct impact points on the tailgate: one for the bike, one for the rider. Estimated motorcycle speed: 180 mph cresting a hill. Cager probably couldn't have seen him, but the distance of the wreck from the crest of the hill makes it questionable. Interesting note, I found the rider's patella about 25 yards away, in the median. When medics picked him up, he was like a bag of mush - there was almost no structural integrity left inside of him.

One rider had visible gear, two (I'll let you guess which ones) were wearing no motorcycle-appropriate gear at all.

I suppose the moral of this story is, it doesn't matter what you wear if you're being an ass. Personally, I don't have any hi-vis gear. Even after seeing these wrecks, I still ride like an ass occasionally. If wearing hi-vis gear makes you feel better, you might as well do it, but nothing will ever replace being a cautious rider.

[vfrcapn]

Nice. I know a paramedic who related a similar story about one of his first calls on his new job, 2 riders down in some roadside brush, single motorcycle accident. It wasn't 2 riders when they got there though, just an upper and lower half of one rider.

I keep that thought in my head when I crack open the throttle and ride like an ass. There's a time and place and I pick my spots. I know my Aerostich suit isn't going to keep me together if I wrap it around a light pole or tree at 90mph, and trees don't really care if I have on a hi-viz vest.