Riding motorbikes, not cheating death.

We've all done it. Whether driving a car or riding a motorbike, we've all done it. Done what? We've all had one of those situations where we did something wrong which could have ended badly but it didn't. It could be going through an orange traffic light and realising it was too late as you watched the light turn red. It could have been missing the stop sign and going straight through an intersection. It could be turning a corner with too much power and ending up on the wrong side of the road.

We've all done it.

And most times nothing happens.

But this year for too many people on bikes, something did happen, and when it happens on a bike it doesn't end well.

A couple of days ago three bike riders died in 12 hours in completely separate incidents in Victoria. I don't know what the circumstances were fully, but it would seem that in at least two of them, rider error meant a terrible outcome for the rider, their families, and for other road users. Motorcycle riders are too well represented in the road toll in Victoria this year. At least half of these were unlicensed or on a stolen bike or both. 

You can't just jump on a bike and believe you won't get hurt. You might. Or worse.

Now I know that most people don't ride motorbikes or scooters, at least not in Australia. The danger here is that those in cars can easily forget there are bike riders on the road just driving to work or to an event somewhere. Most of us aren't racing or trying to set a best time on a freeway or even chasing thrills. We're just riding.

Please keep an eye out for the riders.

Riders, be wise in how you ride. Are you wearing solid black? Why? Are you lane splitting above 30kmh? Then you are breaking the law, and scaring the bee-geebers out of everyone else. 

Here is my riding prayer:

Lord, give me the wisdom to ride safely, and the courage to ride confidently. Amen.