The thrill, the excitement, the pain and the agony

Friday's editorial had some heavy debating going on. You see the rule of law and justice are two very different things. The Law can only charge you based on the infraction, pattern and intent - civil remedies are supposed to put a bit of justice into life but do they - really?

Money doesn't bring home your loved one...nothing can.

Today's editorial is titled The thrill, the excitement, the pain and the agony - we will be discussing some racing but right now - let's talk about motorcycling in general.

In the news feeds again - pain and agony...

In Ontario, a 40 year old male from Puslinch Ontario is in critical condition after he failed to negotiate a corner and struck a sign.

Also in Ontario a 25 year old woman from Mississauga is dead after she lost control of her motorcycle for unknown reasons, crossed the centre line and collided with a vehicle.

In Dawson Creek BC - a rider was airlifted to the U of A with head injuries after a pick up and the motorcycle collided.

A 21 year old from Saanich BC was injured when he slammed into the back of a Volkswagen, he failed a breathalyser and had no drivers license.

In Mission BC a rider is dead after a crash with a car - no details available.

So - what do all of these crashes have in common?

Pain and agony for either the rider or their families or both.

The thrill and excitement of riding a motorcycle, like driving a car/pick up come with HUGE responsibility and potentially dire consequences.

The 21 year old who was riding without a license and under the influence - the article on his crash proves what I said the other day - laws do not always work. If you are suspended from driving, only respect, courtesy and a conscience prevent you from getting in a vehicle or on a bike and if your license is expired like this young man's was (he had 5 previous charges - none alcohol related) well, I am going to go out on a limb here and say I think he could not afford to pay the fines of the previous 5 charges...Did having an expired license prevent him from getting on a bike? From drinking and riding? Sadly NO.

Then there is the 25 year old gal who, for unknown reasons lost control of her bike and crossed the centre line - with out having seen the crash site - again I am going to go out on a limb and ask the questions... poorly maintained roads? Poorly maintained bike? Low tires? We may never know. All we know for sure is her family must be devastated.

The 40 year old rider who failed to negotiate a corner and struck a sign...was he too hot into the corner? Did he get target fixation? Again, we may never find out.

The other two crashes involving the Dawson Creek and Mission area riders - both collided with vehicles - left hand turns? We have no idea from the reports that are out as of right now...

Motorcycle safety and awareness begins with us - the riders. We need to be honest about our knowledge - at least with ourselves. We need to know that our tires are inflated properly and our machine is well maintained. We need to be aware, hyper vigilant of our surroundings and the people and objects around us. We need to ride our own ride and we need to respect ourselves first.

We are also car and pick up drivers for the most part - when we are in our cars and pick ups, vans and SUV's we need to exhibit the kinds of behaviours that we would like others to exhibit - that's been a tough one for me. I have learned to shut off the cell and not to road rage as much as I did when I was younger - I have learned to stay far calmer than ever - I still need to improve though - overcoming genetics and fundamental human flaws is an on going job. How about you? Do you think there is room for improvement when you are behind the wheel or the handlebars?

Laws and rules only work if people are willing to abide by them. Sadly, there are many who feel the law does not apply to them and they will drink and drive/ride, drive while under suspension all the while feeling like a victim instead of looking at improving themselves. Too many have no idea what the rules of the road are or feel they do not apply to them.

We all have choices to make, we all have areas of our lives we need to work on and improve - none of us is perfect. I hope that some day there is a magic pill one can take that will fill people with empathy, kindness, patience and tolerance, but until that day comes it is our job as human's to work at self improvement and growth - some will, some won't....

Like every day I would love the hear your thoughts - through honest and respectful dialogue we may find ways to impact driver/rider awareness and safety.

I hope to have my documentary on rider safety and awareness done today. It is a video filled with clips from my two trips across Canada and a strong message from a ton of riders...stay tuned because I think it will impact and touch a number of you - I know the creating of it has impacted me.

Speaking of videos, have you seen the videos I created from the Sturgis North VIP Ride for Breast Cancer Research or the Cape Breton Saddlebags and the Storming of the Fortress?

Just in case you haven't seen them here are the links.

The Sturgis North VIP Ride with Roger Goldammer, Chica and Kimmy Cruz

And the Cape Breton Video on riding with the Saddlebags and Storming the Fortress

I am an amateur but my skill is improving the more I do these kinds of things. I hope you enjoy them - I would love your feedback - I would like to get really good at this sort of thing.

In other news:
Riders Quest Magazine and their Ontario Ride Maps made the local Peterborough News

A Quebec teenager made history this weekend as SHE won the Honday CBR125R Challenge at Mosport International Raceway on Sunday. 14 year old Stacey Nesbitt od St Lazare QUE also won Saturda's race, and the two victories gave her the series championship.

Also in sports news Jordan Szokes stopped McCormick's winning streak

In Moncton NB, Moto Moncton appears to have been a huge success.

And in Ontario - Riders Against Hunger's first food drive has a roaring success as it supports the Eden Community Food Bank

There is a ton of other news out there so visit www.beltdrivebetty.com to get up to speed on the news that affects your life as a rider.

Please, ride like everyone around you is blind and can not see you and use respect with that throttle hand - remember, we have to share this world and our communities!

Belt Drive Betty -
Rider and Editor,
The Busted Knuckle Chronicles - Canada's only WEEKLY newspaper for riders