Running Late
Take The Car
By: James R. Davis
It's a beautiful day. Weather is perfect, traffic is light, you are home and need to get someplace ... soon. You are late.
The bike is agile and you're sure you can get there faster on the bike than you can by taking the car.
Don't.
The last thing in the world you should consider doing is taking the bike in this scenario. That would be a prescription for minimizing the odds of arriving at all. This is the kind of situation that, on the surface, appears to be an ideal time to take a bike, yet it is a perfect example of a situation that can get you in over your head and into an accident in the blink of an eye.
When you are running late you will take chances that are just plain stupid. (Been there. Done that.) You will tend to drive a bit too fast. You will tend to try to make that yellow light that you wouldn't dream of trying at a more rational time. You will pass traffic that needn't be passed, and probably follow too closely before you do so.
"I can make it" fills your mind - hope, rather than fact, that inspires a 'little more' risk taking.
T-boning a vehicle in an intersection or getting slammed to the ground after overshooting a curve might inspire a 'Just my luck' thought - possibly your last one. It's anything but luck if you put yourself into the situation.
Running late? Take the car.
Better, make it a practice to be a little bit early rather than a little bit late. This is one habit that can save you grief - big time.
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(James R. Davis is a recognized expert witness in the fields of Motorcycle Safety/Dynamics.)
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