The ignorance we're up against

August 26, 3:20 PMMotorcycle ExaminerKen Bingenheimer

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A typical biker wearing eye protection

Do you ever wonder where some people left their brains? Does it ever amaze you how people who have never been on a motorcycle in their lives nevertheless believe they know more about it than we do?

Two excellent cases in point can be found in the magazine put out by Colorado AAA, Encompass. Now, bikers don't often think about AAA in regard to motorcycling because they don't offer road services fitted to our needs. But in the last couple issues AAA has been thinking about us and I for one want them to know we appreciate it. 

For example, in the July/August 2008 issue of Encompass there was an article entitled "Look out for motorcycles." This well written piece gave good advice for motorists, including one issue near and dear to all our hearts, "Consciously check for motorcycles in your blind spot before changing lanes." They also had some suggestions for motorcyclists.

Then we get to the folks I referred to at the start. Also in the July/August issue, a member had written in with this bit of wisdom:

I was horrified to learn that there are absolutely no laws in Colorado to restrict children from riding as passengers on motorcycles! An adult who carries a child on the back of a motorcycle is choosing to risk that child's life. Even a small bump can throw a child off the bike into the path of the cars behind.

The letter writer goes on to "fervently" urge AAA to lobby to put a stop to this. Did I miss something? Has there been a rash of kids falling off bikes and getting run over. Or might it be that parents value the lives of their children and take effective measures to ensure their safety if they take them with them on their motorcycles? Urging AAA to lobby in this regard seems to be a solution in search of a problem.

Then we had more fun in the letters column in the September/October issue of Encompass. Several people wrote in expressing their appreciation for the article, and one wrote in response to that earlier letter, stating her belief that there is no reason for the government to get involved. So far so good.

However, there was another letter from another member who had this to say:

In the Travel Tips & Trends column under tips for motorcyclists you say that "Eye protection is essential." It is my understanding that under Colorado law, eye protection is required. Less than 50% of motorcyclists conform to this law.

Excuse me? I don't know about the person who wrote this letter but I look at every bike I see on the road. And in more than 20 years of motorcycling I'm not sure I've seen even three people who were not wearing eye protection. I mean, come on. Getting hit in the face by bugs and debris is not a maybe thing, it's a question of how many times it's going to happen today. And in my years of riding I've been hit squarely in the lens of my glasses by some pretty big bugs. Heck, if I wasn't wearing eye protection I might not have two eyes today. On top of all that, I'd say that half the biker you see out there are wearing helmets and most helmets come with visors. And then there are those of us who wear glasses when we ride so we can see to drive.

I couldn't take this lying down, so I wrote my own letter to AAA, and maybe they'll publish it in the next issue. One thing I said was to propose a simple test. Pay attention to every biker you see for a week and count how many are not wearing eye protection of some sort. I told them I am confident the number they will come up with after a week will be 0. Zero.

It's when legislators pay attention to people like this, who shoot their mouths off on matters they know nothing about, that we end up with bad laws. That's why I belong to the American Motorcyclist Association. They fight to protect our rights when these know-nothings find a receptive ear. And by the way, I also belong to AAA.