Girls Write Out
Tuesday, May 26, 2009

MOTORCYCLE INSANITIES
I like motorcycles. Really I do. Even though my first experience with one ended up in me knocked unconscious after hitting a fence. So what I'm about to say takes into count the fact that my son, son-in-law, two brothers, a sister-in-law and uncle all own Harley Davidsons. Well one brother owns a Harley. I think Rick and Mary have Hondas. They're very cool as they go parading by. My Dave has even mentioned he might like to have a tricycle type Harley with a side car for me.

But can someone explain to me why they escape the laws the rest of us have to abide by? I live in a small town on one of the main streets. Motorcycles rumble down this street all the time. LOUD enough to shake the windows and drown out the TV at the most crucial part. It's enough to make me stand by the side of the road with a 2 x 4. A car with loud pipes would get cited by the police for noise violation but not the motorcyclists. And we keep getting more and more rules about buckling up in the car yet a cyclist doesn't even have to wear a HELMET! What's up with that? Is there any rational explanation for why the laws are so lenient with the bikes? I don't get it at all.

You realize I'll likely get flack about this post from my family, right? LOL Anyone else annoyed by this inequitable state of affairs?

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Colleen Coble  
posted at 8:44 AM  
  Comments (9)
 
 
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9 Comments:
At 10:00 AM, Blogger hotcoffeenow said...

Add to the list their disregard for speed limits and safety on the highway. OTOH, my dog is enamored of them - when we're out for a walk and one goes by she'll sit down and watch it until it's out of sight. lol.

cheryl

 
At 10:39 AM, Blogger Colleen Coble said...

Too funny, Cheryl!

 
At 11:26 PM, Blogger Cathy Shouse said...

Motorcycles scare me because of all the horror stories from E.R. doctors about wrecks.

Yesteday I saw a man with a little boy on back. It was in a very rural area but sometimes that can be the worst. People don't pay as much attention.

This little boy looked about 5 and did have a helmet but he had on a tank top and shorts. I could only imagine how wounded he would be if there were an accident.

What about the rules that kids have to have car seats but you can throw them on back of a cycle?

 
At 9:50 AM, Blogger Beverly said...

Good morning, Colleen! Can't help you out, here, sorry.

I will share for the fun of it that my brother rides a Honda for leisure. When I was going through cancer treatment, I flew from Texas to Illinois to have twin pictures taken with him (he's bald...15 years older than me, but everyone has always said we look exactly alike. I couldn't resist the photo opp! LOL)

Anyway, I had him take me for a ride, and it was fun, as long as I could distance myself from the reality of "what if's!" What a great feeling to feel the wind blow through my...um....helmet. :-)

BTW, referring back to Diann's post, I also read Same Kind of Different as Me, and got to listen to the authors speak at the university my husband works at. It is an amazing story (a lot hard with the part that intersects with my situation noted above--but still amazing).

 
At 10:27 AM, Blogger Rachel Overton said...

Not all cyclists are negligent. My honey rides a Honda, and he is the most careful rider ever, I think!

I used to ride with him before we had our daughter, but I don't anymore. Riding is fun, but we are well aware of the dangers. Of course, my daughter is now almost 15, and is she looking forward to getting her driving permit? Not as much as she's looking forward to her motorcycle license. HA!!! They are going to have to do some HEAVY talking to get me to agree to that one! But I just raise my eyebrows and kind of grunt when they talk about it. I'll save the energy for when the time comes.

But a huge amount of danger for cyclists is not from themselves but from the people in cars who absolutely don't see and don't respect--and don't care--that there are people on those bikes. Yes, the stupid cyclists drive me crazy. But so do the people in cars who pull out right in front of motrocycles. Or pass another car with a bike right there in the other lane. Cycling requires defensive driving 100% of the time.

I can't beat the fever, so I pray every time they leave the house.

 
At 10:27 AM, Blogger Rachel Overton said...

Wow! That was a long post. Sorry!

 
At 10:29 AM, Blogger Colleen Coble said...

That's TOO funny, Beverly! I wouldn't be able to pass up a photo op like that either. :-)

And Rachel, all my family members are safe motorcyclists. But WHY do bikers make the bikes so LOUD? LOL

 
At 7:21 PM, Anonymous Mary Rhoads said...

OMG Colleen! What are you saying?!! First of all, Rick & I ride Yamahas. 2nd, loud pipes save lives....lots of people don't see a motorcycle even if they are staring straight at it. And third, no matter how hard they try to make you believe it, the government cannot fix it so everyone can live forever. Helmets, seatbelts, cigarettes, gun control, should ALL be personal choices. Good ideas?? Some are, but what are you going to do when good ole uncle Sam makes you get micro chipped to protect you from all the evil? Will that be a great idea to make you safe? Anyway, the pros and cons are, of course, endless, but it is my life, and I want to be in charge of how I live or, how I die---NO HELMETS FOREVER!!!!

 
At 7:44 PM, Blogger Colleen Coble said...

You were NOT SUPPOSED to see this, Mar! LOL This is my dear sister-in-law, friends. The one close as a real sister. Okay, loud pipes do not have to be THAT loud. LOL Live in my house for a while and tell me about the pipes. :-)

I agree it should be our choice. But so should seatbelts! So don't understand why WE have to listen to Uncle Sam but motorcycles don't! LOL

 

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The Authors
Kristin Billerbeck
Kristin Billerbeck is a proud Californian, wife, mother of four, and connoisseur of the irrelevant. She writes Christian Chick Lit; where she finds need for most of the useless facts lulling about in her head.

www.KristinBillerbeck.com

Colleen Coble

Colleen Coble writes romantic suspense with a strong atmospheric element. A lovable animal of some kind--usually a dog--always populates her novels. She can be bribed with DeBrand mocha truffles.

www.ColleenCoble.com

Denise Hunter

Denise Hunter writes women's fiction and love stories with a strong emotional element. Her husband says he provides her with all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too.

www.DeniseHunterBooks.com

Diann Hunt

Diann Hunt writes romantic comedy and humorous women's fiction. She has been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, chocolate, her dog, and well, chocolate.

www.DiannHunt.com

Hannah Alexander

Cheryl Hodde writes romantic medical suspense under the pen name of Hannah Alexander, using all the input she can get from her husband, Mel, for the medical expertise. For fun she hikes and reads. Out of guilt, she rescues discarded cats. She and Mel are presently taking orders from four pampered strays.

www.HannahAlexander.com

 
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