[plemer]

My doctor buddy told of a room in the hospital called the Cabbage Patch, full of braindead people who absolutely will die but can’t be let to die yet. Who is that room full of?

Consider that the fatality rate is roughly 30 times higher per mile for motorcycles vs cars.

I fully understand the freedom of the open road riding on a metal stallion - I’ve genuinely never felt anything else like it.

But it’s really god damn dangerous. Let’s not kid ourselves.

[diggan]

> Consider that the fatality rate is roughly 30 times higher per mile for motorcycles vs cars.

I guess it's worth asking, what country? In Spain, I think it's closer to ~10x, probably because we're very used to motorcycles driving all around us all the time. But still, riskier, no doubt.

I'm guessing that numbers come from the US in some way or similar? Watching dashcam footage sometimes, I keep seeing people riding motorbikes in the US without helmets, something I almost never seen in Spanish traffic, I can only recall seeing that once in my life, and it's really uncommon to ride a bike without a helmet here.

> But it’s really god damn dangerous. Let’s not kid ourselves.

Agree, I'm not trying to convince anyone of otherwise. But lets have nuance as well, riding a motorcycle isn't the same everywhere, especially where motorcycles are really, really commonplace in daily traffic.

[hilbert42]

"I keep seeing people riding motorbikes in the US without helmets, something I almost never seen in Spanish traffic, <…>, it's really uncommon to ride a bike without a helmet here."

In many countries it's illegal to ride without a helmet, where I am the cops would catch you in an instant.

[theshackleford]

> I guess it's worth asking, what country? In Spain, I think it's closer to ~10x

From what I've been able to gather, it looks to be closer to 20-23x on a per kilometer basis.

[hilbert42]

I love motorcycles and it's years since I've been on one. Despite their convience and other virtues I won't own one as I reckon I'm not competent enough to drive one safety—despite having an excellent safety record with four-wheeled vehicles.

Agreed, they're 'god damn dangerous' but where does that '30 times' figure come from? Where I am the generally accepted figure is seven times (or it was when I heard the figure a while ago).

Edit: for years I've thought that if motorcycles were a new invention they'd never be licensed these days. That they still are is historical legacy upheld by riders and the industry that makes the machines.

[buran77]

> I'm not competent enough to drive one safety

Underestimating your abilities in any vehicle is a good way to stay safe. In my encounters with motorcycles in traffic, as pedestrian, cyclist, or driver, even in those short few seconds while our paths cross, the motorcyclists almost always put themselves in some dangerous situation (cyclists do it even more often I'd say, but at lower speeds).

Every time I talk about this to acquaintances who ride they explain that "I do this all the time but it's fine because I know what I'm doing". Everyone is an above average driver or rider but drivers have a metal box filled with airbags. Motorcycle riders often play Russian roulette with 5 bullets in. Blaming another for when your luck finally runs out in on par with the belief most hold that they are above average.

[literalAardvark]

If you factor in rider error and rider behaviour the rates are much closer.

It's just that most riders can't ride worth a damn, 95% of the riding information on the internet is dangerously wrong, and most of us also often ride recklessly because we're on a motorcycle to have fun in the first place.

[Mawr]

Let's get our assumptions straight. Are you talking about riding or "riding"? What's "the freedom of the open road" an euphemism for? Doing 100 mph? Lane splitting? Racing on public roads? Yeah, that is dangerous.

[carlosjobim]

And how old are those motorcycle riders who suffer serious accidents? There's your answer.