I See Motorcycles

A couple of months ago, I was in traffic behind a guy pulling a trailer. It was that standard "I'm hauling motorcycles, or a 4-wheeler, or maybe a Legends car" kinda enclosed trailer, with stickers all over it. One of the stickers was "Start Seeing Motorcycles" or "Start Seeing Motorcyclists" (honestly, I forget). Turns out, this is part of some campaign by the National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators, and on the surface it seems like a good idea. The problem I have with it is that it seems to place the blame for all of the bad things that happen to motorcyclists on automobile drivers.

To be fair, motorcycle versus car almost never comes out in the favor of the motorcycle. But...

I see motorcycles. I see motorcycle riders. Oh, the things I see. I see them whipping in and out of traffic, splitting lanes, passing on the shoulder, travelling significantly faster than traffic, not wearing helmets, and just generally being asshats.

And I've heard all the arguments, and they're usually the ones that justify some particularly unsafe behavior by motorcyclists. "I can't wear a helmet because it restricts my vision or hearing". You know, I'm pretty sure that's a simple matter of helmet design. There's no helmet design that will give you that "wind rushing through your hair" feeling, which is of course, the real issue. When I see a helmetless motorcyclist, my first thought is, "I hope they're an organ donor". As for the actual splitting lanes, speeding and creative passing, those of course are the reasons why you get a motorcycle. Sure, you tell your wife you're getting it for the fuel economy, but really, it's just because by doing those anti-social things, you can get down the road faster than the poor cattle in cars. But you're doing it on a vehicle that offers you absolutely zero protection in the event of a wreck. Nimble or safe. When it comes to motorized transportation, you really can't have both.

So, since I already see motorcycles, I'm thinking of my own bumper sticker. How does "Stop Being a Motorcycle Asshat" sound?