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ON article...impaired riding-Its about time!

B

bmdubyou

Guest
"is it REALLY a good idea to get all screwed up and then go for a motorcycle ride?"

I'd like to thank Mr Friedle for an excellent article of the perils of riding while impaired. I would assume the question he poses would be rhetorical but at the same time...look at the figures he notes; alcohol is a factor in 44% of single vehicle motorcycle fatalities. When will we learn?
I agree that we need more alcohol-free riding events and rallys (and that doesnt mean free beer)!
 
I have no problem with Rallies having alcohol. The problem is people who haven't figured out mixing the two is no good. Temptation is not a reason, it is an excuse, IMO.
We actually lost a friend, because he left camping for more beer. I see no problem with keeping plenty for people that want to stay put.

R.I.P Art.
 
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It still comes down to personal responsibility. I drink at rallies. But I also park my bike at Rallies. Other people want to ride. People should be able to make their own decision.

Also having the Beer Garden is a great "Town Square" so to speak as the amount of people I bump into there at a rally is huge.
 
I'll pile on this one. I keep riding and drinking separated. Either one is entertaining enough on its own, assuming of course, that we are talking about drinking with pleasant company, and not getting solitarily smashed. That, I have no interest in.
 
My personal policy is "zero tolerance" of alcohol when riding.

Then the latest ON has an article about all the great biker bars you can ride to around Gillette WY.

Many group rides I'm invited to participate in always start and end at a bar.

Alcohol at a rally, when the bike is parked for the day, is no big deal. But what about "pub crawl" rides that all seem to be such an important part of many organized group rides?
 
Impaired riding???

No matter HOW MANY TIMES we've all made the choice to ingest alcoholic beverages and drive :drink, it's NEVER a smart choice.

My personal thought on this is as follows - if I'm in the car and have had a beer or a glass of wine (or two), it's not a smart thing to drive while there's alcohol in my system. Stupid enough BUT I DON'T HAVE TO BALANCE THE CAR WHILE DRIVING IT!!!! How much MORE STUPID is it to ingest alcohol and RIDE?!?!? :dunno I can't calculate the number...
 
My personal policy is "zero tolerance" of alcohol when riding.

?


+1.

On occasion I'll meet up with friends for dinner and I'll take the bike. No matter how tempting it is to have "just one beer" I never do if I have to take the bike home. Too many things going against us when we ride- might as well keep on top of what we CAN control.
 
I'll second the zero tolerance for alcohol and riding.

There's enough going on to keep you busy on the roads, adding alcohol is asking for trouble.

Once the anchor is down, have at it.
 
:violin Yep!! 56% of the dead riders were stone cold sober... Some were killed by stupid car drivers,, But allot were killed because they couldn't ride very good but too much ego got in the way........Drinking and driving within limits is fine..Just know your limitations... Plus the stats are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination.... If you drink one (1) beer ride to the corner light, stop to wait for the green, have an air head (brainless) idiot run over you from the rear and its considered a alcohol related accident... And POOLLEEEZ!! No "Well I would have moved up or jumped off or whatever some super hero's can do......

Just the other day on one of these elitist forums it was brought up as to the astronomical number of people killed last year due to alcohol,, like 42,000.......
If anyone would have bothered to look, that wasn't so bad....Consider that in your state right now at least 22% of the cars on your roads have no insurance or license..... But back in the 70's there were 50,000 + dieing on the roads every year with allot less people here........

So if you think just because you don't drink and drive, or smoke, or don't eat fatty foods and exercise regularly your going to live forever...... I got some really shocking news for you,,,,,,,,,,,,:nyah Oh I forgot......Diversity.............Pete
 
Many group rides I'm invited to participate in always start and end at a bar.

Alcohol at a rally, when the bike is parked for the day, is no big deal. But what about "pub crawl" rides that all seem to be such an important part of many organized group rides?

I did a "poker run" with a local group, last year. Another Airhead rider invited me up. We were the only BMW's... the rest were other brands; all cruisers. When I got there at 11, there were already people downing a few beers... some more than a few. Then they split into groups and we went to the first location. At least 1 more beer there, then to another... more beer (probably 2, on average). I dropped out at that point and went home. I hadn't been drinking with the rest of them, BTW. I probably would have left sooner, but the two BMW's were leading the pack... for some reason we kept getting WAAAY ahead of everyone else. Still, I wasn't feeling too safe with them around me, and didn't want to witness an accident. I didn't attend this year, of course.

It's amazing that club has been around since the 40's or earlier.
 
I'd venture a guess that many of the riders who are drinking and riding are likely much of the same crowd that rides sans ATGATT. One reckless behavior reflects a general attitude towards saftey and thus other reckless actions are more likely. Of course this is just speculation based upon my observations.

I have no issue with alcoholic beverages associated with rallies. I quite enjoy those sorts of refreshments at the end of a days riding. In fact, I am quite partial to it. But ONLY after the riding is done.
 
+!

My personal policy is "zero tolerance" of alcohol when riding.

Then the latest ON has an article about all the great biker bars you can ride to around Gillette WY.

Many group rides I'm invited to participate in always start and end at a bar.

Alcohol at a rally, when the bike is parked for the day, is no big deal. But what about "pub crawl" rides that all seem to be such an important part of many organized group rides?

I'll drink to that lol:hungover

cheers

Denis
 
"Drinking and driving within limits is fine..Just know your limitations..."

Drinking and driving is not fine. People kill each other when they do so...THats why its illegal! People get alcohol in their system and they do NOT know their limitations. When its avaliable at rallys & functions people will drink themselves into stupidity. It seems most of you on here are an exception but let me ask this...why do we need beer to enjoy an activity?
 
It's a personal choice......

To me there is a big difference between having a few beers and getting behind the wheel of a 5000 lb SUV or jumping on a 600 lb motorcycle. While both situations are inviting disaster, the potential for doing harm to others is far greater in a car than on a bike. That being said, I believe we all have a responsibility to avoid behavior that endangers others, but if you are a solo rider and you want to stop at the local biker bar and have a few beers, do so at your own risk.

As far as beer at rallies, the vast majority can enjoy the social camaraderie without pushing it too far.
 
Addiction

To me there is a big difference between having a few beers and getting behind the wheel of a 5000 lb SUV or jumping on a 600 lb motorcycle. While both situations are inviting disaster, the potential for doing harm to others is far greater in a car than on a bike. That being said, I believe we all have a responsibility to avoid behavior that endangers others, but if you are a solo rider and you want to stop at the local biker bar and have a few beers, do so at your own risk.

As far as beer at rallies, the vast majority can enjoy the social camaraderie without pushing it too far.

Concur.

To paraphrase a Jackson Browne lyric, "does it take a strong mind to take it? or a strong mind not to take it?"

From alcohol to pot, from prozac to valium, from endorphins to adrenaline, our culture promotes the life style and quest of that constant "feel good" feeling. Whether getting "high" on the Lord, or popping a "blue pill" to enhance and prolong intimacy, or carving turns and twisties at the absolute edge of your motorcycle's capability, the thrill and excitement of these experiences quench the spirit and seduce the soul.

...But at what price?

Clearly, some people write checks that their body and abilities can't cash. For others, too much of everything is barely just enough. While others, even one toke takes them over the line.

So much for the sense of satisfaction, and what people are willing to pay for a peek at bliss.

From the mystical to magical, to experiencing moments that will be forever fondly burnt into your memory, who can say, or judge, how you spend or squander this treasure we call life?

For me, it's all about that sense of freedom and a constant celebration of adventure and discovery. Here for a good time, not for a long time, some questions take a lifetime to answer.

Fortunately, for us that ride motorcycles, the joy of finding that elusive answer challenges our judgement each and every day. :drink

FWIW

J.K. :wow
 
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Proper "license-Endorsements"?

I cannot argue with the wisdom of not drinking at all before or during a motorcycle ride. I began this for myself some years ago. This is one of the reasons that I like the Beer Tent idea at the national. I don't drink to excess there, but not having to ride afterwards and the reasonable price compared to that at most "festivals" works well for me. As well as the whole social aspect of the thing.

I question the defining of the lack of "proper license-endorsements" by 24% of fatally injured riders as a major contributing cause in their demise. As pitifully easy as it is to obtain a "license endorsement" I just don't know how the lack of one can be classified as a Major cause.

We might assume that someone who had tried but failed to qualify for one was unfit for the roadway, or that a scofflaw who just didn't care enough to bother to get one may have been a careless sort in any case, but as a major cause in a fatal accident, I think that is using an awfully broad brush.

These days some dealers are teaching motorcycle operation, which if successfully completed qualifies one for a "License-Endorsement" . Never mind that the dealer has an apparent vested interest in these students passing so that they will purchase & ride the motorcycles that he sells, or the student buys one expecting his friendly dealer to see that he passes the class.

Since the typical state test centers around rubber cone slaloming, stopping at a painted line in a parking lot & tooting ones horn, I suppose that if one of these "student performance objectives" could be shown to have led to the accident then lack of a proper license might be properly shown as a cause.

Inviting disaster, whether to others or ourselves is just plain stupid.
 
:violin Yep!! 56% of the dead riders were stone cold sober... Some were killed by stupid car drivers,, But allot were killed because they couldn't ride very good but too much ego got in the way........Drinking and driving within limits is fine..Just know your limitations... Plus the stats are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination.... If you drink one (1) beer ride to the corner light, stop to wait for the green, have an air head (brainless) idiot run over you from the rear and its considered a alcohol related accident... And POOLLEEEZ!! No "Well I would have moved up or jumped off or whatever some super hero's can do......

Just the other day on one of these elitist forums it was brought up as to the astronomical number of people killed last year due to alcohol,, like 42,000.......
If anyone would have bothered to look, that wasn't so bad....Consider that in your state right now at least 22% of the cars on your roads have no insurance or license..... But back in the 70's there were 50,000 + dieing on the roads every year with allot less people here........

So if you think just because you don't drink and drive, or smoke, or don't eat fatty foods and exercise regularly your going to live forever...... I got some really shocking news for you,,,,,,,,,,,,:nyah Oh I forgot......Diversity.............Pete

so is your point that since we're all going to die anyway, what's the problem with drinking and riding?
or is your point that 44% of solo vehicle fatalities weren't actually alcohol related, so it's not really something to worry about?
or is your point that since fewer are dying on the roads now than at some point in the past, that any who die now as a result of mixing drinking and riding are still somehow "ahead of the curve" and should feel like they were blessed with an extended life?
so... what the hell was your point?

yes, know your limits when riding. water, gatorade, fruit juice... but not alcohol. those are your/our limits.
after the vehicle is parked for the day/night... party as much as you want. jsut don't plan on operating a transportation sytem that is any more complicated than "one foot in front of the other". sometimes, even that is pushing the limits beyond reasonable.
 
i'm a boozer, i love camp beers, i love kicking back and having a few (and sometimes a few too many) with friends.

never got the temptation to mix it with riding though.


rally procedure:

wake-up till late afternoon is ride time
dinner till sleep is drink time

what is so hard???

if you don't drink you get to ride all day and night!


maybe i can preach to the choir some more?
 
For many, knowing when and when not is a difficult issue to deal with, because defenses rise up if you ever have been told by a loved one that maybe you might have a problem determining prioirties when it comes to imbibin' the booze. Who are we to tell them! it's an outrage! they can ride just as well after a few beers, a few shots...

For some, the act of boozin IS the fun. For the rest of normal people, boozin enhances the fun your having!The "normal" seem to understand that riding and drinking is not cool.

Sometimes totally normal people loose it the older they get; they used to have their priorities straight, then slowly, very slowly john barley corn raises his nut brown head...
 
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