ABSTRACT

In the mind of the general public, riding a motorcycle involves certain inherent dangers. Riding differs from driving in some of its basic characteristics. For example, the motorcycle rider sits “outside” in the real world, not “cocooned” inside an enclosed space as with virtually all other road vehicles. In addition, motorcycles with a constant or increasing velocity (i.e., those not slowing down) will remain upright with no immediate control inputs from the rider. However, for some phases of operation, active balance is required. This contrasts with virtually all other road vehicles, which remain fundamentally stable, independent of the driver’s control actions. These nuances of motorcycle operation are poorly understood by most of the traveling public, who rarely ride powered vehicles with less than four wheels. Because of the large differences between motorcycles and regular enclosed vehicles, the rider faces a spectrum of environmental and collision hazards generally not encountered by most car drivers. At the same time, the motorcycle rider involved in collisions is usually less culpable than the other drivers involved. In consequence, there is a circular reinforcement in which unfamiliarity is aligned with the perception of danger that subsequently discourages ridership.