You’ve seen those yellow roadside signs with the motorcycle silhouette and the words “Share The Road.”
I get the admonition. I try like the dickens to share the road with all vehicles.
Then this happened today: My wife and I were tooling west on Plains Boulevard in Amarillo when a dude on a souped-up Harley came roaring by, exceeding the posted speed limit by, oh, maybe 20 mph. The sound startled my wife and me. He roared by.
It brought to mind a question my wife has asked many times over the years: Why are automobile motorists asked to “share the road” with motorcycle riders when so many motorcyclists seem unable or unwilling to drive respectably?
Good question.
I get the concern she’s expressing here. How often do we see motorcyclists darting in and out of traffic, switching lanes suddenly, often driving — as the fellow on that big ol’ Harley — much faster than the speed limit?
Now the motorcycle rider lobby wants the rest of us to “share the road” and give them proper respect?
I don’t need a sign campaign to remind me of the need to treat all motorists with respect. I only hope to witness a bit more respect paid back in return.
Granted, the vast majority of motorcyclists seem adequately respectful to those of us who drive cars and trucks. I am guessing most car-and-truck drivers respect motorcyclists as well.
While I’m on a rant, allow me one more observation.
The “Share The Road” campaign reminds me of the signs you see on the back end of 18-wheel trailers, which tell motorists “If I can’t see you in my rear-view mirrors, you’re following too closely.”
Interesting, yes? These warnings come from the world’s premier tailgaters, the drivers at the wheel of vehicles that need many times more distance to stop than Mom and the Kids in the minivan.
Oh, the hypocrisy of it all.
Agreed. But it is not just motor bikes… It is also road bikers!! It blows my mind how unsafe and oblivious many (I know not all, but the majority) road bikers are while biking. My town is very bike friendly with clearly marked designated bike lanes on 90% of the roads, and yet hardly any of the bikers stay in their lane. They weave in and out from their lane into the car lane, ride the white line, and often just ignore their lane in general! They run stop signs, red lights, never signal, and – my biggest pet leave bc it is SO DANGEROUS – turn left without signaling or looking behind them to see if there is a car. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to slam on my brakes because of a biker turning in front of me with no warning. I agree with this author completely – I do not understand why the share the road campaign is one sided.
Lots of bad guys on the road. This “sharing the road” business has to include everyone. Maybe one day they’ll come up with a campaign to admonish reckless two-wheelers to do the same. Thanks for your comments.