Motorcyclist Hit By Driver

"Motorcyclist Hit By Driver"

We've all seen the headline and cringed. Recently there were two motorcycle riders killed by drivers in a 12 hour span in Tucson, AZ. Not only that, Tucson has seen more motorcycle riders killed by from January to June of 2016 than all of 2015.

On June 24, 2016, a group of riders in Tucson took to the streets to heighten awareness of motorcycle riders. They staged a protest on a main drag with huge signs covered with slogans and names of the dead riders.

I wonder if this will do much to impact the cagers of Tucson. Will they remember tomorrow? Will they even care?

Cagers killing motorcyclists isn't anything new.

In 1969 my Daddy was cut off by a cager who was making an illegal left turn. He was badly injured, spending a month in a coma and a year in a hospital bed in traction, most of that year in our home. He had multiple injuries including a broken spine, a shattered left ankle, a torn scrotum and the loss of a testicle.

He lost his testicle.

Most men find that to be the worst injury my poor Dad sustained. He was lucky to survive the crash, especially considering his only "gear" was a good pair of boots.

He was determined to continue riding afterwards which was the source of many fights between my parents. Because of the injured ankle he could never kick his kickstarter again with his left foot, so he did it with his right. (His buddies gave him a hard time about it, but he didn't give a shit.)

Surprisingly, he recovered well, except for that ankle. Through my childhood, some of our closest moments as father and daughter were spent removing his boots. When he came in to door I rushed to hug and kiss him and follow him to his recliner to pull his boots off and massage that ankle.

At the time of his accident I was only 4 years old. My entire life I've been aware of the notion that cagers don't look for motorcycles when they are driving.

It wasn't until I started riding my own bike that I started to believe that cagers just don't care. We aren't more important than their phones, their GPS, their hamburger, their coffee and especially their time and attention.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not bitching about this fact. I'm clearly aware of this fact (Yes! This is a damn FACT!) and I still accept the danger as part of riding. It's not a fact that I can change but I sure commend those who want to try.

When non-riders say, "Be safe on that motorcycle!" or something along those lines, I always respond with the same phrase.

"Watch for motorcyclists and that will help to keep me be safe."

Help me out by adding a little fuel to my bank account. My ebook, "Rude Biker Chick: Lessons From My Daddy" is available for purchase here. If not for you, buy a copy for a friend. The woman in your life will love you for it. Thanks!