As bikers from across California flock to Hollister for this
year’s unofficial Independence Rally, it’s a good time to review
basic rules of motorcycle safety
n By Kelly Savio Staff Writer
Tim Neely should be dead. He has been in three major motorcycle accidents and any one of them could have killed him, making him living proof that motorcycle safety is key for bike riders and for regular motorists.
“The first one was in 1979, and that’s the one that messed me up the most,” said Neely, who is from Santa Rosa and is visiting Hollister for the unofficial Independence Rally. “A drunk ran me off the road. He was trying to pass me when he saw a car coming toward him, so he came back into my lane really fast. Unfortunately, I was using the lane, so he ended up running me off the road and down into a ditch. I sheared off part of a tree with my left ribs, so I broke a bunch of ribs, and when I flipped off my bike I broke my ankle in 56 different places, and it hasn’t ever been right since. But so what? I love what I do. I love riding my bike.”
Years later, a 17-year-old boy made a sudden left-hand turn in front of Neely. He crashed into the boy’s car at 55 miles per hour, face-planted on the hood and slid over the roof of the car.
“I made it through that one because I saw it coming and I was able to stand up so I could clear my dash when I went over the bike,” said Neely, a member of the Wind and Fire motorcycle club, as he sat at a table in Johnny’s Bar & Grill in Hollister. “But you know, I walked away from that one.”
The third major accident happened when an elderly driver didn’t see Neely coming and pulled out right in front of him, again flipping him over his bike, slamming his tail bone on the fender of the car and hurtling him to the road.
“I saw that one coming, too, and even though I couldn’t avoid it I was able to slow down so that when we hit, I wasn’t going too fast,” said Neely, shaking his head. “I’ve been riding since 1961, and I learned real quick that you’ve got to be aware when you ride. When you’re not aware, that’s when bad things happen.”
San Juan Bautista resident Manny Chavez agreed that awareness is the key to staying safe on a motorcycle.
“I do a lot of talking to myself – I say, ‘I see that car up there, and his light is going to turn green so he’s going to be turning,'” said Chavez, 57. “I talk to myself about what I see on the road, about when I should turn, about where the cars are around me. You can’t let yourself get distracted.”
Other things Chavez recommends to stay safe when driving a motorcycle include wearing a helmet approved by the Department of Transportation (DOT), wearing chaps and leathers or at least long sleeves and jeans to protect your body in case of a fall, and doing a bike walk-around to make sure all the lights and signals are working.
“You know, a lot of people get annoyed when someone on a motorcycle revs their engine, but that’s not just to be cool,” Chavez said. “That’s to let you know he’s there. It’s hard for a motorcyclist to honk his horn, and it’s a lot easier to rev the engine. It’s just to say, ‘Hey, I’m here and want to make sure you see me,’ or ‘Hey, traffic is slowing down suddenly, don’t hit me.’ Sure, some guys make their pipes too loud, but mostly guys use their pipes to make other drivers aware.”
From the standpoint of the California Highway Patrol, helmets should be the top priority for motorcyclists who want to ride safely, said Chris Armstrong, the public affairs officer for the Gilroy/Hollister-area CHP office.
“If a motorcycle is involved in a collision, there’s not a whole lot of protection,” Armstrong said. “Look at Ben Roethlisberger, the football player. He got into a motorcycle accident and he died because he wasn’t wearing a helmet. If he had been, he wouldn’t have had the same kind of injuries. When he crashed, he had a lot of facial and head injuries. It’s very important that motorcycle riders obey the California helmet law.”
Most collisions involving motorcycles usually occur when the motorist makes a left-hand turn in front of the motorcyclist, Armstrong said. There have also been many incidents lately when a motorcycle begins to pass a line of cars, not realizing that the first car is going to make a left-hand turn, which ends up in a collision.
“Motorcycle riders need to be aware that the majority of automobile drivers don’t see them,” Armstrong explained. “A lot of times, drivers of vehicles are making their turns thinking they have the right-of-way, so the motorcycle needs to be careful any time they’re going through an intersection or they’re going to make a turn or pass a vehicle. Even if the motorcycle has the right of way, they need to be extra cautious before proceeding. They just have to be careful.”
Who’s responsible for being alert?
The responsibility of motorcycle safety falls on the shoulders of bikers and motorists alike, said Mike Mount, spokesman for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. When bikers and motorists share the road, accidents can be avoided. To do that, both groups need to focus on different aspects of driving, Mount explained.
Motorcyclists:
1) Need to get trained and licensed to properly operate a bike.
2) Must wear protective gear for safety.
3) Must ride unimpaired, without the influence of drugs or alcohol.
4) Must ride within limits of skill set.
5) Should be life-long learners by taking refresher courses and taking classes each time they upgrade their bikes.
Motorists:
1) Should know that roughly two-thirds of crashes involving motorists and motorcyclists are the motorists’ fault.
2) Must be aware of motorcyclists and watch for them.
3) Should avoid distracted driving, such as fiddling with the radio too long, eating or talking on a cell phone.
For more information: California Motorcyclist Safety Program at www.ca-msp.org
Motorcycle Safety Foundation at www.msf-usa.org
