Motorcycles are gaining popularity in the Philippine market due to its fuel efficiency and its capability to bring one to different parts of the metropolis amid notorious traffic jams particularly during rush hours. Government expects that as much as 1.2 million motorcycle units will be sold in the Philippines in 2012, a significant jump from the estimated sales of 700,000 units released in the country in 2008. As the number of bikers rises, however, the number of motorcycle-related accidents is likewise expected to grow.
Accidents have been a common occurrence in many busy roads in the metropolis and data showed that in 2009, six of every ten accidents involve a motorcycle. I personally have nothing against motorcycle riders for some of them are just being practical considering the spiraling gas prices; many think that two wheeled vehicles are a viable solution. But for me, safety is a major concern and so I appreciate what MMDA has recently done – designating motorcycle lanes on Commonwealth and Macapagal Avenues.
The following tips may actually help bike riders to avoid road mishaps:
1.Wear a helmet. Aside from the fact that a traffic officer can issue you a ticket for violating a Land Transportation Office rule on wearing a helmet, driving a motorcycle without a safety headgear puts you at risk of getting injuries from minor bumps to serious contusions.
2. Use safety gears. Elbow and knee guards don't just make you look tougher and more masculine, they also provide protection from scrapes and cuts in case you slip on the road.
3.Practice road discipline. The national highway is not a racetrack. Road courtesy must be observed at all times to prevent arguments and accidents on the road.
4.Ensure your bike's road-worthiness. Make sure that your motorcycle is in good condition before you take it out on the road. Conduct a standard check on the handlebars, controls, oil and fuel level, brakes and other major motorcycle parts before taking off.
Looking at the above preventive measures, one can't deny that accidents, many of which are fatal, still happen and so I recommend this last tip:
5. Use only motorbikes with airbags. The alarming number of accidents involving motorbikes brought me this idea of incorporating a new and important safety feature in motorcycles. Motorcycle crashes and fatalities leading to injuries or even death can be mitigated with the use of airbags. If they have been quite successful in car driving as an additional safety feature, I don't see why it cannot be used in motorcycles as well.
My idea is to have the airbag placed in three strategic locations: there should be one placed in the steering well to protect the upper body including the head of the driver and one for each side of the motorcycle to protect the knees and the body if ever the driver would have to hit the concrete road.
I could imagine that in some cases the victim may actually be thrown away and far from his two-wheeled vehicle especially in terrible crashes which may render the airbag useless. To solve this, I also intend to add a safety belt, quite similar to what we use in cars so that in the event of a crash and the airbag deploys, the belt would prevent the driver from hitting hard objects and the cushion would reduce the impact significantly, thus saving one precious life.
We have seen many times, how motorcycle accidents ruined many lives especially those who were left behind by the poor victims. The long list of victims including the untimely death of famous personalities like Jay Ilagan and Ric Segreto, is continuously taking more names in it. We can't afford to close our eyes and ignore this serious problem. Safety is at stake and lives must be protected. 3
I have been blogging on these issues in my cycling blog (prof)
I have been blogging on these issues in my cycling blog (prof)
Hi James: One of my pet peeves are mc that buzz you by 3 mm, and big bikes using national road (where we bike) running at 200 kmh. Wow
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