For those who do not know, an incident occurred in Aurora, Illinois this past weekend including both motorcycle riders and a driver. From news sources and experiences from my friends, there have been many contradicting stories. Either the riders were at fault or the driver was. Well, here is my perspective of what happened...
A large group of motorcyclists took part in a large cruise this past weekend. When driving down Galena Boulevard in Aurora, a driver became frustrated and took it out on the large group. No one really knows what happened to tick off the driver, but he is claiming that someone kicked his tire and was talking to him.
Regardless of the situation, the way the driver acted was irresponsible, in my opinion. During the summer months, groups and groups of riders take the streets to go for a cruise. Some of them are reckless and some are not. For that one rider that may have interacted with the driver, ended up making the driver put other lives in danger, including his own.
With a group that large, individuals in the group and out of the group both need to be responsible and courteous to one another. The cruise happens every year, growing larger and larger in size. And everyone needs to act accordingly. One way to solve this is be alert of one another. Know when these meets are going to happen and look around you to see what the population of both the groups and the rest of the road are. From the GoPro video a rider posted on Facebook, the driver swerved into the opposing lanes and cut off people in those lanes and the riders around him.
About a half a mile later, the riders were questioning him and his actions. At that time, he put everyone's lives in danger. Running over multiple bikes, riders, moving into oncoming traffic, jumping curbs and speeding; I see as irresponsible as a citizen. (Only time I see this as appropriate is when you or your vehicle is on fire, and it definitely wasn't.)
Now of course, the news coverage is blaming the riders for creating a scene and making an issue for this man who put everyone in danger. Sorry, news coverage, but I disagree. I was not there but I saw multiple videos, talked to people who were there ,and have come to the conclusion that the way the driver reacted was absurd. If it was really that big of a deal, the driver could have taken side roads to get to his destination or wait until a responsible time to pass the riders. But am I expecting a driver to do this? No, because sadly, no one respects one another anymore, even if their actions put everyone else in danger. The drivers and riders were responsible for the outcomes they received. No sides should be taken and charges should be pressed accordingly. From damage to property, to reckless driving, to speeding, everything should be filed.
But my question is, why are sides being taken when there is visual proof of the incident? What is the underlying problem here, impatient people or lack of respect?
At the end of the day, everyone wants to come home to their families alive and safe. So as a PSA to anyone and everyone reading this, please take precautions when you are driving. Whether you are on a bike or in a car, you need to recognize hazards and others around you. You are responsible for your decisions and any consequences that may come with them You are only as safe as the worst driver on the road, so do everything you can to not be that driver.
Be Safe, Drive Smart
-D
