Motorcyclists and motorcycling are surrounded by myths and misconceptions to the point where very few people know the facts so lets see if we can see past the myths and expose some of the truth. I guarantee that even if you are a rider you will be surprised.
Bikes are dangerous This is of course the most common of all. The one we have all heard countless times so lets look at the facts and see how dangerous they really are.
According to the statistics supplied by the PNP Traffic Management Group and the LTO for the period 1999 to 2003:
Motorcycles are 36% of the national vehicle population and average 1 accident in eight years. Tricycles are 20% of the national vehicle population and average 1 accident in every six years. Trucks are 10% of the national vehicle population and average 1 accident about every 9 months. Cars are 33% of the national vehicle population and average 1 accident every 8 months. Buses are 1% of the national vehicle population and average 1 accident every 4 months.
A common site on SLEX. Public transport vehicles without lights
The above figures show that buses have around 24 times more accidents than motorcycles, cars have around 12 times more accidents than motorcycles, trucks slightly less than cars, etc. OK, I hear you say, but if you have an accident on a bike aren't you much more likely to be seriously injured or killed? In short the answer is NO. The fatality figures per accident are Motorcycles 1%, Cars 2%, Trucks 2%, Buses 3% and Jeepneys 3%. So you are twice as likely to be killed in a car or truck accident than a motorcycle accident and 3 times more likely to be killed in a bus or jeepney accident than in a motorcycle accident.
If my very poor mathematics are correct these very reliable and accurate figures indicate that you are 24 times more likely to be involved in an accident riding a bus and 3 times more likely to be killed in the bus accident so that means you are 64 times more likely to be killed riding a bus than riding a motorcycle. You are 12 times more likely to be involved in an accident in your car and twice as likely to be killed so you are 24 times more likely to be killed riding in a car than riding on a motorcycle. Lets leave the reasons why the above actually makes a lot of sense to another issue and move on.
Motorcycle group riding in standard group formation on NLEX
Bikers weave through traffic Short answer - yes. Long answer - the alternative is worse.
When traffic is queued at traffic lights or moving very slowly it is common to see bikes slipping through the traffic up to the front. Sometimes they may even get stuck in front of you sitting in your car before a gap opens up and they are gone. What really upsets the car driver is that he/she is stuck in the traffic while the biker just slips through and away. When you are driving your car in heavy traffic and there is a gap big enough for you to move forward do you sit still while listening to the inevitable racket of horns behind you or do you move forward? Why are bikers branded as undisciplined because they move forward rather than block traffic?
So what should riders do? Stay in line taking up the space of a car? I wonder how much longer the traffic queues would be and how much longer it would take the car driver to get to his destination if we did that? It would be like adding 36% more vehicles to the traffic.
While it may be frustrating sitting in a traffic queue while bikers zip past, the alternative would be far worse for everyone. That is why most developed countries actively promote motorcycles because they reduce congestion and pollution while freeing up parking spaces. London, England has a toll to enter the city center but motorcycles are exempt. Some cities in Europe even have parking spaces with free chains to lock up your bike. The simple fact is that more bikes means less traffic for everyone, including those who still drive their cars.
A common hazard on busy roads. Jeepneys blocking multiple lanes waiting for passengers.
If you are what we call a cager (a cage is any enclosed vehicle), next time you are stuck in traffic watching the bikes zip by, try to imagine what the traffic would be like if we all stayed in lane, or used our cars because if we have to sit in the queue we might as well do it in air conditioned comfort. Our protective gear is extremely hot in this climate when not moving so standing still under the sun is not a good thing to do. To put things into perspective also watch the jeepneys and buses who swerve across multiple lanes, even in fast moving traffic. They will stop across multiple lanes, let passengers off in the middle of the road, swerve into you as you pass, etc. Aren't they many times more dangerous than a bike slipping through the gaps? They certainly cause a lot more traffic problems for you. The dangerous antics of tricycle, jeepney and bus drivers are simply so common that people don't even notice it. About 80% of public transport vehicles even advertise in lights their contempt for the law with illegal, dangerous, and non-existent lights.
gente, estos datos no son de Estados Unidos son de sun site que les posteare la direcciona en estos dias, Entiendo q el estudio lo hizo un tipo de las Filipinas pero aun asi tiene contenido q nos puede aplicar si analizaramos de cerca el mismo
Myths and Misconceptions
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