Why We Wear Gear

[Duc L'Smart]

Seriously, gear up. Sounds like Jim's co-worker is in for a long, painful recovery. Hope it's speedy & complete

Please be safe out there...

[Taz Duc]

I bought a pair of chaps the other day - how do you like yours, TazDuc?  Not to be morbid, but do you know of people who have crashed with chaps?  Did the chaps provide enough protection?

I've seen so many cruiser riders with chaps, thought I'd add them to the summer repitoire.  The ones I've got are very thick so in addition to abrasion resistance, I figure they'll work on bugs and flying gravel as well.

The thicker the leather. the greater protection to your skin from anything that can cause damage to exposed skin.  I do know the older you get, the less your skin can bounce back.

I have not met anyone yet who has crashed or maybe they just haven't brought up the subject.  I got the medium weight chaps back in Nov to help keep me warm, but also found out they block the wind and caught the bugs which to me is worth it.  Plus I think chaps are HOT looking.    I picked up a light weight pair the other week for summer because I want that extra layer of skin.  I came to this conclusion a month ago when we only went down the road for dinner on the Ducs and in the parking lot I dropped Daisy Duc trying to make a very slow turn.  If I didn't have my chaps on, 1) I would have burned my leg and 2) would have damaged the paint.  I got a good bruise on the butt and leg, but they saved Daisy and she came out with only a nick on the ends of the lever/throttle.

I read an article a little while back and it talked about crashes and injuries.  Head and knee injuries toped the list, so getting leather riding pants with knee protection is next on my list for when I ride the Duc more.  I'm sure the possibilites of flying off the Hog and banging a knee up is just as high as on the Duc, but for now I'm willing to take that risk.  Down the line if I get spooked, I can always throw on knee pads under or over the chaps.

We see all types of bikers on all different kind of bikes with little to no gear and well that is their choice.  I worked in a hospital long enough to see what happens to the human body in a crash and I'll do what I can to stack the deck in my favor.  I would like hubby to wear chaps too, but he thinks they look gay on guys.  I think they look sexy, but in the end it is his choice not mine. 

[shadowcougar1]

Even a full helmet is not enough.  Get a good one.  Don't be like Andre was a couple years back and be cheap on gear... look for ones with high impact ratings.

OK, I am stepping down from the soap box.

[never2loud]

Thanks for the reply Dar.  The chaps I've got go all the way around the leg and have a single long zipper on the outside.  No seat or front, but good, thick leather everywhere else.   I'll wear the chaps over my kevlar jeans.  Not intending to replace my "usual" leather/armored riding gear with the chaps, just gonna slip 'em into the rotation.

And now, more on topic, a picture that I posted on TOB a while back:



Several years ago someone on Two Wheeled Texans crashed at highway speeds then skidded down the freeway on his face.  Aside from this total right-off of a really nice helmet, there were no other injuries   

And just one more bit of semi-useless trivia: motorcycle riders are three times as likely to have a crash,

A) In the first six months of riding, and/or
B) After the first two years of riding.

Hmmm...

[♣ McKraut ♣]

and don't something like 60% of all motorcycle accidents happen to riders that have been drinking?

i'm just throwing in random unverified statistics...

[fastwin]

Then there is the whole out of nowhere comes a wild animal thing. Forty three years of riding two wheeled motorized vehicles then BOOM... out of freaking nowhere. What are the odds? Wear your stuff... all of it, all the time. Hell, my neck still hurts even writing this.

[WonderBoy]

This comes direct from a report published by the NHTSA, or National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.  This report's research was conducted over a 4 year span from 2001-2005, and here are the findings.

1) Findings based on two-vehicle motorcycle crash trend (2001-2005) data:
• Among fatal motorcycle crashes, nearly 55 percent of the crashes were multivehicle
crashes -- crashes involving a motorcycle and another vehicle (one or more).
• Of the motorcycle rider fatalities from multivehicle crashes about 90 percent were
from two-vehicle crashes, involving a motorcycle and another vehicle.
• An overwhelming majority (more than 85%) of the motorcycle riders killed in twovehicle
crashes were crashes involving passenger vehicles.
• Among the fatalities in two-vehicle crashes involving motorcycles and passenger
vehicles, 90 percent were operators of motorcycles, 8 percent were the passengers
of motorcycles and the remaining 2 percent were occupants of passenger vehicles.
(2) Findings based on characteristics of two-vehicle motorcycle crashes in which the motorcycle
operator was killed from 2005:
• In nearly three-fourths of these crashes, the role of the motorcycle was recorded as
the striking vehicle.
• Alcohol involvement among motorcycle operators killed was almost 2.5 times the
alcohol involvement of the passenger vehicle drivers involved in these crashes.
• Nearly one-fourth (24%) of the motorcycle operators killed in two-vehicle crashes
involving passenger vehicles, had an invalid license at the time of the crash compared
to 8 percent of the passenger vehicle drivers.
• Of the motorcycle operators who were killed in these crashes, 27 percent were
speeding at the time of the crash compared to 4 percent of the passenger vehicle
drivers.
• Of the front-to-side crashes involving motorcycles and passenger vehicles, where
one vehicle collided with the other at right angles, in 78 percent of the crashes the
role of the motorcycle was recorded as the striking vehicle.
• In 55 percent of the head-on two-vehicle crashes involving motorcycles and passenger
vehicles, the role of the motorcycle was recorded as the striking vehicle.
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590 3
• In 68 percent of the rear-end crashes involving motorcycles and passenger vehicles,
the role of the motorcycle was recorded as the striking vehicle.
• Of the motorcycle operators killed in two-vehicle crashes involving passenger vehicles,
49 percent had a previous driving violation recorded on their license at the
time of the crash.
• For the passenger vehicle drivers involved in two-vehicle motorcycle crashes, 35
percent of the driver-related factor was failure to yield right-of-way compared to
only 4 percent for motorcycle operators.
• There were 1.5 times as many two-vehicle motorcycle crashes involving passenger
vehicles in 2005 during weekends than during weekdays.
• More than 90 percent of the two-vehicle motorcycle crashes involving passenger
vehicles occurred on non-interstate roadways (in both urban and rural areas).
• Of the two-vehicle motorcycle crashes involving passenger vehicles, nearly 6 out of
10 occurred on urban roadways.
• More than 70 percent of these crashes occurred from May to October, which correlates
to the peak motorcycle riding season.
• In 13 percent of the two-vehicle motorcycle crashes involving passenger vehicles,
braking was reported as a crash avoidance maneuver by the motorcycle operators.
• Twenty-eight percent of the motorcycle operators killed in two-vehicle motorcycle
crashes involving passenger vehicles were in the 20 to 29 age group, followed by 21
percent for the 40 to 49 age group and 20 percent for the 30 to 39 age group.
• Of the motorcycle operators killed in these crashes, 97 percent were males and 3
percent were females.

[WonderBoy]

Something else rather sobering:

Google "the hurt report" and read what you find.  WOW.

My prayers and thoughts go out to the injured and her family and friends.  It really sucks to have to learn a lesson like this first hand.

Just like Lisa said...ATG/ATT.

*edit* here's a good link to the report: http://www.clarity.net/~adam/hurt-report.html

[LYD]

Jim any update on her?

[BarneePhife]

Jim any update on her?

There was an update about her 2 days ago.  It sounds like her recovery is going as expected.

...her primary doctor told her that she is healing very nicely, however its still going to take time. She will be seeing an orthopedic for her hands, her right one has a broken bone and the left has a large amount of road rash (this one hurts her the most).  She is able to get up and move around some, but she has gauze wrapped around both hands all the way up her arms and walks around with her arms out.

[LYD]

Thanks! Wish her the best!

[hiero]

hmmm, that reminds me, any way we could get in touch with the couple that we found crashed out on 337 sunday?   The thought came in my mind to give them my number to let us know how everything went, but I didn't think about it until we were on our way back... 

[Duc L'Smart]

hmmm, that reminds me, any way we could get in touch with the couple that we found crashed out on 337 sunday?   The thought came in my mind to give them my number to let us know how everything went, but I didn't think about it until we were on our way back... 

I was thinking about them myself... I doubt a hospital or Leakey EMS would release personal (including health) info. Prolly didn't make the news anywhere.
Hoping for the best...

[Duc L'Smart]

Found (read "stole") this somewhere-



Link to larger version-

http://homepage.mac.com/metcalfe/Misc./PhotoAlbum38.html

[fastwin]

You could probably check with the local DPS, Sheriff, Constable or police depending on who showed to work the accident. I believe you said that you were there when they arrived... right? They don't have the HIPPA law problem that medical help has. If you track down the right office you could probably pass your info on to the officer that worked the wreck and if he's half way decent he could pass it along to the couple. The OK State Trooper that worked my accident was unbelievably nice and helpful to both Jennifer and my brother who picked up the bike. He went out of his way to meet my brother to give him my boots, jacket, helmet, gloves and my CHL pistol I had with me.

Hopefully the officer in charge would pick up on the sincere concern and help with the contact. He should know who you guys are since you were there.