Missing Sense of Caution

Starshine, if your father is having all these motorcycle accidents, it’s time for him to sell the bike [“Cycle-wary,” 5/18/10]. No use going on until he gets killed, and please don’t allow your son to ride with him. The man is dangerous to himself and others. How about a motorcycle safety course? There are also various cycle safety books and videos.

But if he is indeed accident-prone, I suspect that there may be something organically really wrong—eyesight, reflexes, missing sense of caution? I’m 71, started riding when I was 15 (another country, where a license wasn’t required), and have ridden through the years, except when my children were growing up. I’ve always owned motorcycles, sometimes two or three, right now a BMW K100. I’ve never had an accident.

Never. Close calls, yes. Good luck? Probably. But I’m also really, really careful, an automotive rider (don’t try anything on a bike that you wouldn’t do in a car), and probably the Cowardly Lion of the local motorcycle scene. I’ve ridden in Japan, Europe, the Middle East; and have always, always taken pains to stay safe. Sometimes the safety concerns become a drag, I admit. However, I’m still alive, and uninjured, and still having fun.

I’m concerned about safety, and now I’m concerned about your father. He should sit down and tally things up: What am I doing wrong? Is it worth it?—Des O’Neill