What is safer

[opds9091]

I have been in and out of the hospital for a while. I have started to ride again and i noticed that i feel comfortable on a bike then a car. I feel more alert on my bike but being in a passenger seat or driving i feel.....weird. As far as the way i feel i would rather be on a bike where I'm alert and in control, where as in a car i feel confined and helpless. So with that said let's see how you feel.

 

[necrotimus]

I voted in a car because no matter how in control you feel you are you are not in control of others. If you get hit you are safer in a car.

 

[damnpoor]

I feel safer in a car because I have that cage around me. On the bike I'm very aware of other people who can smash into me or what would happen if I screw up in a turn and go down. In the car you can kinda zone out and not pay too much attention to what's going on.

So to answer your question I say I feel safer in my car but I drive safer on my bike.

 

[lattin25]

I feel the same way. As far as being in control and more aware of my surroundings I feel safer on a bike. I have a better field of view with no blind spots. A motorcycle is also much easier to slip through hazards with than a car, say squeezing between a sidewalk and car that didn't see you.

However, there are situations where I feel safer in a car. I would feel safer in my car taking a corner and hitting a patch of sand. I feel much safer at night in a car.

If I were to get in an accident, I would rather be in my car than my bike. The dangerous part of wrecking on a motorcycle is not only what you wrecked from, its are you going to slide into a tree or fencepost doing 50 mph?? Or if you were in an accident in your car, what if you were trapped in the car helpless?? Its strange, sometimes you would be better off being on a bike in an accident, other times in a car. You never know whats going to happen.

 

[FZTofer]

So to answer your question I say I feel safer in my car but I drive safer on my bike.

Ditto :thumbup:

 

[abacall]

Definitely more aware of my surroundings on the bike, but the steel cage is unbeatable for protection from the masses of people who should not be driving.

 

[Denver_FZ6]

In car, unless gf is driving, then it's a toss, heh.

After a week of commuting to work on bike, then getting into gf's Volvo S40, almost get a claustrophobic feeling, along with poor visibility.

 

[rsw81]

I definitely feel safer in the car for multiple reasons:
1. More room for error. You go into a turn a little hot in a car, all you have to do is pull the wheel. Get into a turn a little hot on the bike, much harder to correct.
2. I am equally as aware of my surroundings in my car as on my bike. For those of you who argue you "ride safer than you drive" need to just drive better.
3. Protective Cage - enough said
4. Better braking distances in the car than the bike.


As for the fun factor, I love driving my car. I have a 2004 Acura RSX Type S that is a $hit load of fun to take into the canyons and tear through a set of tires. My only gripe about it is that it is a high performing front wheel drive car that doesn't come with a limited slip differential. That to me is stupid, it needs one desparately.:spank:

 

[rsw81]

In car, unless gf is driving, then it's a toss, heh.

Ditto bro! My girl is like a deer in headlights when something happens in front of her.:ban:

 

[FZTofer]

Ditto bro! My girl is like a deer in headlights when something happens in front of her.:ban:

Another Ditto, my GF is the kind that will nag you to death when your driving... but she drives 100x's worse then I ever will... lol

Women... :spank:

 

[b.konstadinos]

I voted in a car because no matter how in control you feel you are you are not in control of others. If you get hit you are safer in a car.

+1 :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

[paul1149]

I think the poll should have included the option, Depends on the situation. Sometimes I like the total visibility of the bike in traffic. But when the environment is challenging - wind, Winter, excessive night riding, etc - the car is the way for me to go.

I also find that far and away most drivers give my bike wide berth, but it's the 1% you have to watch out for.

That said, I often pray while I ride, so after I do my best, whatever happens happens.

 

[opds9091]

I should have given it more consideration, there are mother natural problems, this is just a basic poll excluding or including weather factors. With all that said all conditions normal.

 

[paul1149]

No problem. Sometimes it's hard for me to answer polls because I tend to think on all sides of issues.

BW,
p.

 

[Scab]

Strange. I feel more comfortable on the bike.

Not necessarily safer, but I feel more comfortable.


I don't know what that means...

 

[DefyInertia]

In the car for sure!!! No question.

 

[cv_rider]

Interesting question and responses. I'm shocked that there are people who feel safer on the bike. I've only been riding a little over a year with about 5k to my name, but I still have a very strong sense of mortal danger each time I get on a bike. When I get back from commuting 30 miles through congested freeway traffic, I often think "thank god I survived that" even if nothing unusual happened. I often feel perhaps like a soldier who completes their patrol in Iraq does - you weren't really expecting to get fired upon, but you knew there was a distinct possibility you might not make it back. Sometimes my thought process when going out for a joyride is "should I risk my life for a little bit of fun in the twisties?" Maybe I spend too much time reading about crashes on this forum, but I'm really highly aware of the danger of riding. I can tell by attitudes of others that this seems a little unusual. I'm hoping that over time I settle down into a comfortable-and-alert mode that most of you seem to be in. I'm not sure I can be a long-term rider if I continue to have this level of anxiousness.

 

[Brandad]

Strange. I feel more comfortable on the bike.

Not necessarily safer, but I feel more comfortable.


I don't know what that means...

+1

I see two different questions going on here. I'm safer in a car, but bored, thus anxious. So definitely more comfortable on the bike.

As far as the poll, being the driver vs the passenger is also very different. I have a much smaller level of comfort as a passenger. Guess I don't like giving up that much control of my destiny.

 

[Botch]

The main drag between my residence and my workplace has been under construction this past year. Despite the new potholes and loose gravel, I feel safer on the bike than I do in my new Toyota truck. Why? When the lanes narrow down in the construction zone, my truck suddenly feels too WIDE to fit! It's an odd feeling, not one I've felt until I started riding. I'm not worrying when on the bike (and I know this is purely an emotional response; the truck is safer, no matter what). :shrug:

 

[steveindenmark]

OK lets re-phrase the original question.

"Another vehicle is going to run into you. Would you feel safer in a car or on a bike"?

The car is my answer to both. A car gets me from A to B in the most practicle way if it is raining, I have luggage or wearing a suit etc. My bike is for fun.

I feel comfortable with both of them.

Steve