Oh Say Can They See?

First, hats off to AMA for a great article on vehicle automation (“Do Automated Vehicles Know We Are Here?” May issue)! To answer the question I yell at the top of my lungs: No! Cars cannot see! If you would like automation, take a train.

If this new and emerging technology is so good, then why do we have self-flying planes fall out of the sky? Why are the insurance companies not just giving away policies? More important, why are we still having motorcycle accidents because people do not see motorcycles?

As the article stated, one of the most common problems is the dreaded left hand turn. This injures many riders every year. People need to learn to look twice! It can and does save lives.

Riders also need to anticipate that motorists will try to kill you. I do not think anyone can program this into a microcomputer. Please ride safe. May is and will continue to be Motorcycle Awareness Month, but please be aware all year long.

Pete Campanella | ABATE Of New York

Debris Management

Hundreds, possibly thousands of riders come through Colorado each year, some passing through to get to better places to ride or just into the state to enjoy many of the great roads we have to offer. Many also come for the numerous off-road areas and races held throughout tracks in the state with trailers in tow.

One only has to travel the major interstates in the Denver metro area to realize that those signs “Colorful Colorado” take on a different meaning when you enter the front range urban areas. Roads are actually dangerous to ride. In addition to the bad pavement, the state has neglected to collect “colorful” debris that has either fallen out of trucks, cars or after a highway wreck.

Colorado has approximately six months of winter, but only about 25 to 30 days of actual snow, plenty of time for teams to clean up. Yet, when stuck in traffic, most notice the same tire, shoe or, even worse, metal chunks along the roadway day after week after month.

With millions of dollars spent in taxes and fuel fees nationwide on maintenance, how does your state address the problem?

As many know, the ride to the Black Hills is special, but do you also notice how clean the roads are kept in South Dakota, which also gets winter weather and, I suspect, a very small highway budget to pull it off.

If you ride through the Denver metro area, please watch out for the mounting debris. If you need to pull off, be very careful.

Rick Pavone | Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Riding To Overcome

I read with great pleasure Luann Ford’s story about her entry into riding (“Riding To Recovery,” May issue). There are so many great things in her article about struggling with emotions and overcoming obstacles both mental and physical that she speaks to many of us who have had such experiences in life.

She also overcame the great barrier of being a woman in a male-dominated sport. I give great credit to her son who encouraged her and helped her along the way. Without knowing it, she will be a role model for future women riders and make an impact on the sport!

Many people don’t realize that in motorcycling women make up the fastest growing segment in the market today. Women are still not treated equally as riders in the industry or even in a dealership showroom but stories like Luann’s will make a difference to all riders.

Thanks for sharing your story. Ride on, Luann Ford!

Patti Blaskovic

Cleveland, Ohio

Keep Your Eyes Open

The article in the May issue about automated vehicles inability to “see” motorcycles was interesting, but it is as irrelevant as all the clichés we constantly hear? “Open your eyes” … “Look for us.” As much brain power that we put into those, we are actually wasting effort by projecting our own safety onto others, hoping that someone else will take care of us.

Each and every one us has the ability to ride safely, but only if we ride smartly. Motorcycle riders have nearly as many distractions available as motorists have, and many riders choose to add those distractions to their rides. Bluetooth, GPS, communicators, talk to text, etc., all piped into a rider’s helmet are opportunities to miss something important. Rather than paying attention to their surroundings, and being strategic in their approach to riding, they become victims of their own negligence.

There are a lot of truisms that I use in my safety classes and briefings—truisms that riders should take to heart. First, live by the “Lug Nut Rule”: They with the most lug nuts, wins. Second, if you get in a fight with a car, you lose. Third, “They can’t hit you if you’re not there.” Don’t be there. Be somewhere else—wherever that somewhere else is. And quit worrying whether “they” can see you, because they can’t. All the clichés in the world won’t change that fact.

Vic “Doc” Moss

Las Vegas, Nev.