By Fernando Alcantara
Western Sun sports editor
Living in Southern California has its perks. Sunshine nearly year round, weather that rarely dips as low as the forties, entertainment options galore no matter where you live, and being the hub of fashion and entertainment. Southern Californians have access to some of the hottest spots in the country.
Great weather and exquisite lifestyle aside, California also has the worst traffic around and the problem itself seems to get worse and worse each year. It used to be just rush hour traffic on the freeways, now it seems it takes thirty minutes to get somewhere that is ten minutes away.
Our traffic problem is compounded by the number of deaths that are traffic related. Car accidents rate as the number nor does he have a Bluetooth on; his helmet doesn’t allow that.
A motorcyclist is definitely not eating; again, the helmet hinders that and thanks to the helmet, that motorcyclist can’t apply any makeup. A motorcyclist doesn’t have any children in tow, so, they are not parenting from the front seat, as my parents loved to do.
Riders are probably the only people on the road who are actually paying attention to the road in front of them and hopefully, behind them. A good cyclist knows when he is in the blind spot of a vehicle and trains himself to spot threats on the road.
A good motorcyclist will even wear proper riding gear and may have even come to terms with the fact that they may go down or be hit by a car. Most one reason for death among teens ages 15 to 20. Drunk driving being the first cause, not paying attention the second.
And inattention can be attributed to talking on the phone or texting while driving. Everyone is guilty of inattention, not just teens. Everyone has been guilty of talking on a cell phone while driving, or eating while driving or applying makeup while driving.
Everyone does something else while driving when the only thing they should be doing is paying attention.
Not motorcyclists, though. You know what a motorcyclist is doing when he is on his motorcycle? He’s paying attention. He’s not talking on the phone, drivers don’t even take into consideration that they may die on the ride home from work, let alone be in a car accident.
The average motorcyclist is basically a street warrior, fighting for his life in his quest to make it from point A to point B whilst the average driver is just a passenger in a vehicle that they happen to be in charge of.
Imagine a world where passenger-vehicles were prohibited to the use of every day citizens and that we all had to ride single person operated vehicles such as motorcycles or scooters and mopeds. Imagine how simple life would be.
No one would talk or text while on their motorcycles. No one would eat or conduct business while commuting. The lack of passenger space would cease the inattention that a passenger would bring to the driver.
The open space that you get from riding a motorcycle would force you to look over your shoulder as opposed to checking your mirror. Blind spots would no longer exist. Traffic accidents may never happen again and, dare I say? Traffic may become a thing of the past.
A world with no cars and only motorcycles would not only benefit society but, benefit the atmosphere as well since motorcycles are low emission vehicles and are the stingiest when it comes to fuel consumption.
My motorcycle gets over 50 miles to the gallon! Besides, riding a motorcyle is way cooler than driving a Prius. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Yet still, riders get a bad rap.
When people find out I ride a motorcycle, I have to endure a story of how that person knew someone who died from a motorcycle accident. When I ask if they knew how the rider died, I am told that the offending driver was not paying attention.
Unfortunately, I rest my case. Cars will never leave our society and most people are too deathly afraid to ride a motorcycle. So to you folks I plead: please stop talking on your cell phones, stop texting while driving, cease the applications of makeup or conducting business while driving.
The next time you get in your car, do what matters most: Pay attention and drive your car.
Your life depends on it, my life depends on it and your family’s lives depend on it. If you refuse to do those things, we should somehow find a way to refuse to let you drive your car.
