Letters to the Editor
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some real statistics on motorcycle racing
Yeah, that's right. It’s valid to compare auto racing to motorcycle racing. After all, the roll cages, head and neck braces, and on-board fire suppression systems in race cars don't make any difference. Falling off a bike and rolling or sliding across the pavement at 50 to 100 miles an hour and maybe hitting a barrier is just like a car wreck in a roll cage. You've convinced me.
Why is it so hard to admit that racing a motorcycle is taking a big risk with your life? Clearly, the risk is much larger than flying on a plane (very, very small) or eating an extravagant meal. How can you compare those things with a straight face? Also, when you look up statistics you need to discriminate between an absolute rate of death and a relative rate of death. Many more people die of cancer or falling down than in motorcycle crashes because everyone is at risk for cancer or falling down, but only the small segment of the population who rides a motorcycle can die from that. Finally, you can’t compare statistics from one form of racing to another.
Please don’t label me as some sort of risk-adverse nutcase. I think riding a motorcycle on the road is a perfectly reasonable risk to take, skydiving and rock climbing too. I just think that sports that are as extreme as motorcycle racing are not for people who will leave behind a distraught spouse and children. Marriage is a serious commitment, a sharing of one’s life with another. Is it really too much to ask your spouse not to hurtle his or her body around a racetrack on a motorcycle at 100 miles an hour? Can you really label the author with the B-word for doing so? Seriously?
You really don't think that motorcycle racing is dangerous, or more dangerous than riding on the street? Take a look at this NIH-published research article on motorcycle road racing on the Isle of Man: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=8406760&dopt=Abstract
It took me two minutes to find that study.
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Who asked Mike?
Mike in NM seems to think I need him to lecture my husband on how to be responsible to me. Who asked him?
If I wanted a boring husband 30 years ago, I would have found one.
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Name change
That name change thing didn't work. The post to Mike was supposed to be from Mrs. Silverback. We're not buying a second subscription.
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Just Goes to Show
Mike, you just did the best job ever to prove your ignorance. The Isle of Man TT is widely acknowledged to be the most dangerous motorcycle race in the world (followed closely by the Dakar Rally) for the simple reason that it does NOT take place on a closed, purpose-built track, but rather a series of narrow public roads, complete with light poles, stone walls, trees, and hedges--things you don't find on a regular race track. I (and everyone else) wasn't talking about the TT. People who know racing (not you) would know there is a vast difference between the Daytona 200 or the Italian GP at Mugello and the Isle of Man--in fact, Neil Hodgson *lives* on the Isle of Man, and thinks the people who race it are completely out of their minds.
Oh, and by the way, I said in my post that my statistics weren't scientific, and NOWHERE did I (or anyone else) say that bike racing isn't risky. What we're saying is that different people have different views of that risk, and that you and your ilk are not the arbiters of those decisions. It's my life, my husband's life, Neil Hodgson's life, the wine-sipper's life--if you dont' want to race bikes, then don't. But don't use your very sketchy knowledge of the sport to attempt to preach from your cushy life from on high.
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The point of my letters is not to lecture anyone
The point of my letters is not to lecture anyone, but rather to counter the many early and rather nasty letters where Salon readers accused the author of breaking her husband's spirit. So, I've mearly being pointing out that motorcycle racing is dangerous, much more so than responsible riding on the street. I've also tried to point out that maybe if you are married, you should think about what your death or serious injury while engaging in a hobby or sport would mean to your spouse and children.
I know a widow who lost her husband to hangliding. He had been hangliding for 25 to 30 years. He was extremely knowledgeable and experienced in the sport. She supported him in his pursuit. Then, one day, he fell from the sky while his friends and wife watched. 5 years later she is still heartbroken and most of his friends gave up the sport. I'm guessing that she wouldn't mind it if he had been just a little less exciting and daring.
You shouldn't give up on Salon because of my letters! When has any magazine, TV program, song, or movie ever made you passionately think about life like this story has? Be mad at me if you want, but Salon.com is something that deserves your support.
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Response to Mike_in_NM
I don't know where you're getting your facts, but riding on the street is _much_ more dangerous than riding on a track. As others have said, your statistics about the Isle of Mann TT are an attempt to twist the truth, because the Isle of Mann TT is raced on city streets. The deaths occur because they hit hard objects like curbs, buildings, and railings. In these conditions, your protective gear is much less likely to help you.
As has been repeated before, on a track there is enough runoff in every turn to ensure that you won't hit any hard objects. Any hard objects are covered with 4 feet of AirFence to safely absorb the impact. And any other concerns are taken care of by your gear. Racers are required to wear form-fitting leather suits with approved armor and back protectors, as well as approved helmets. It really takes a complete lapse in concentration or a freak accident to get seriously injured on a track. Additionally, there are ambulances and EMTs literally one minute or less away on a track, with corner workers watching the entire track for downed riders. Compare this to the street, where if you happen to crash alone, it could be a long time before someone calls 911 for you.
While I'm not a racer, I take part in organized "track days", which let me ride my motorcycle on the track in a controlled environment. I recently crashed at roughly 50mph, and walked away with a sore rib. I didn't have a scratch on me otherwise. Had I crashed on the street, I would have likely hit a curb, and of course run a good chance of hitting a lightpole, car, or having a car hit me.
And comparing motorcycling to hangliding doesn't bring anything to the debate - if you have a mechanical failure while hangliding, there's a 95% chance that you'll be dead. If you have a mechanical failure while motorcycle racing, there's a 95% chance you'll be fine.