Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Are you a better cage driver because you ride a motorcycle?

I feel I'm a better cage driver because I ride a motorcycle. I ALWAYS CHECK FOR BLIND SPOTS BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT. What do you say?

Probably, I always look for people that might pull out in front of me, ready on the brakes at intersections. I drive professionally so not sure how much is bike related or just having seen everything, especially the aftermath.

I think motorcyclists are better drivers overall. We are used to being very vulnerable while on the bike so we develop a heightened situational awareness that carries over to driving cars and trucks. I also keep a special lookout for motorcycles and have occasionally moved into a position to be between them and a careless driver.

No doubt riding a bike makes one more effective, no matter what the vehicle being operated might be. That said, I have nothing but distain for those who do dumb things on a bike in traffic.

I think we could take it one step farther. I think if you learn to ride in the dirt when a kid you are a better rider on the street. It teaches you skills to get out of a situation you wouldn't have if you never rode in the dirt.

Yes, very true. Even MTB's help.

I agree about riding in the dirt first, it is a different skill set, but elements of it can be adapted into street riding. I would like to add that riders need to constantly work at practicing existing riding skills and acquiring new ones. Thinking about possible riding situations and actively practicing a riding solution. There is a ton of stuff that happens out there, totally out of your control, What do you do about? You have factions of a second.


To the original question: I would like it think so, but I do not have a mini van to practice my inattentive driving in.

I think riding made me a better driver. Now, I think my truck is making me less so. It's got a ton of features that cover my ass when I get lazy. Riding keeps me very aware of my surroundings and paying attention to other vehicles. When driving, I can count on my truck to tell me when my blind spot is occupied, so I don't even have to turn my head. It tells me when I wander over to a lane line. It slows me down when I come up on another car.

I like that it has my back. I'm getting older and am glad to have all that safety stuff. I haven't yet screwed up when riding because my motorcycle didn't warn me. I guess if that happens, I'll have to sell the bad influence truck.

I think riding a motorcycle helps to make us more aware on the road but as mentioned above the computer assisted driving of new vehicles is taking away some of that and the longer the break from the MC (ie. us northerners) the higher the chance those skills will diminish. Almost clipped a guy on a bicycle in a parking lot last fall, Either I saw him then forgot I saw him (common cause of accidents) or didn't see him and started to pull out into the main exit road, he swerved around me.

Age can also affect ones observational skills so if you see the classic "old guy in a hat " driving a cage (which may be you or me) steer clear. LOL

Agreed, I think taking away the cage makes us more aware of of our surroundings.

Sure.

The only reason I was allowed my first bike back in '71 was because a co-worker of my mom (a former motor officer) told her that motorcycle riders become better car drivers. So, yeah. I learned defensive skills that have served me well for a long time. Forget the car, watch the driver and the front wheels.

Not counting an off-road crash caused by a dog's teeth locking onto my calf, I've ridden/driven about 1,000,000 miles (all vehicles) and never an at fault accident. I guess I could count pulling into my overcrowded, poorly organized garage last week when my foot slipped off the kickstand as I was putting it down. I lost control of the bike as it leaned into a stack of drywall against the wall and I was pinned. I managed to get myself out, but wasn't able to lift the bike back up standing on the "wrong" side. Thank God for good neighbors. Whew!

Absolutely. Although one can exhibit questionable behavior on a bike. Channel Dwight. As on a motorbike I’ve been known to Lane split, do hole shots. Rolling stops etc. lol.

I was just telling my daughter (who's a fairly new driver) that I'm a better driver because of riding....so, yes. way more aware of what's happening around me, and way more patient for things to happen - like people crossing or cars turning, etc.