Ed on ... I Don't Like It

You both had to know I would jump on this one pretty quickly right?  Another of the genes I probably got more of than both of you, since I've kept my motorcycle license active even though I haven't owned a motorcycle since we lived in Hawaii.

Here's my take.  

I do believe there is some genuine increased safety that comes from having a loud bike.  If you're loud then it's another of the senses that other drivers can use to know you're there.  But here's what's interesting ... why doesn't the rule apply to anything else?

1. Cars and Trucks - increase their safety by making them loud.  I'm sure that would cause a stir!  Put a loud device on every hybrid car in the world.  Why?  Because damn they are quiet!

2. Bicycles - yep, put something on cyclists and their bikes that emits a disturbing noise so everyone knows they are out there.  huh?

3. Deer - why don't we start tagging deer with a device that when moving beeps once every second and when stationary doesn't beep at all?  That way we'll kill way less deer because maybe we'll know they are over that hill before we can see them. 

So the premise is good but the application is bad.  That's my issue.  The premise of course is "utilize all of a driver's senses to aid them in reacting to all others who share the road".  Ok, I get that.  

So two closing comments.  First, Marc maybe you and your buddies were ahead of their time drilling holes in the mufflers of mopeds to make them sound "cool".  Wonder if the safety argument would have worked with Mom and Dad?  Second, maybe instead of noise we could make all motorcyclists stink really bad, like a skunk.  That way you can smell them coming ...

Utilizing one of Marc's favorite phrases ... THAT'S RIDICULOUS!  Exactly.