MAG / Motorcycle Action Group

[Ian Frog]

5 minutes ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

So far the MCN has done the better job than MAG on setting the world on fire

I was struggling to think of anything MCN has done well !

Thank you for that.

Cheers

Ian

[skyrider]

2 minutes ago, Ian Frog said:

I was struggling to think of anything MCN has done well !

Thank you for that.

Cheers

Ian

probably that's why it's known as more crap news 

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, Ian Frog said:

 

I believe Lembit Opik of Cheeky Girls fame is part of their lobbying committee. 

Cheers

Ian

 

He is indeed, along with Colin Brown. 

[Marino]

I wouldn’t ride without helmet but I am not supporting idea of mandatory helmet. Maybe it can be my decision to risk or not. As long I don’t endanger others.

[Bender]

6 minutes ago, Marino said:

I wouldn’t ride without helmet but I am not supporting idea of mandatory helmet. Maybe it can be my decision to risk or not. As long I don’t endanger others.

You may not be endangering others but someone has to come and pick up the bits of skull and face and goo.

[Ian Frog]

2 minutes ago, Marino said:

I wouldn’t ride without helmet but I am not supporting idea of mandatory helmet. Maybe it can be my decision to risk or not. As long I don’t endanger others.

As long as it is ok for the paramedics and hospital staff to choose whether or not they choose to treat you !

As someone who has covered a lot of miles without a lid I will happily confess I wouldn`t entertain it now even in country`s or climates that might not favour there use.

I have read the medical reports from the states that highlight additional injuries caused by the weight of a helmet and rotation/friction impacts on neck muscles and bones but given that evidence I am sorry but much as I hate compulsion I am wearing one.

I will support your right to protest but I think you are wrong.

Cheers

Ian

[Bender]

1 minute ago, Ian Frog said:

As long as it is ok for the paramedics and hospital staff to choose whether or not they choose to treat you !

As someone who has covered a lot of miles without a lid I will happily confess I wouldn`t entertain it now even in country`s or climates that might not favour there use.

I have read the medical reports from the states that highlight additional injuries caused by the weight of a helmet and rotation/friction impacts on neck muscles and bones but given that evidence I am sorry but much as I hate compulsion I am wearing one.

I will support your right to protest but I think you are wrong.

Cheers

Ian

The estimate from the US states that do have compulsory lids, it saved over 1800 lives in 2017 alone, another 800 would have survived had the other states enforced it.

[Marino]

8 minutes ago, Bender said:

You may not be endangering others but someone has to come and pick up the bits of skull and face and goo.

That’s why we pay service to pick up the bits. Maybe they could benefit from my organs

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

47 minutes ago, Ian Frog said:

As long as it is ok for the paramedics and hospital staff to choose whether or not they choose to treat you !

As someone who has covered a lot of miles without a lid I will happily confess I wouldn`t entertain it now even in country`s or climates that might not favour there use.

I have read the medical reports from the states that highlight additional injuries caused by the weight of a helmet and rotation/friction impacts on neck muscles and bones but given that evidence I am sorry but much as I hate compulsion I am wearing one.

I will support your right to protest but I think you are wrong.

Cheers

Ian

Fortunately the NHS treats people regardless of how stupid or risky the thing they do is, even something as daft as riding a motorbike or playing the majority of sports. That’s freedom. 

[KiwiBob]

1 hour ago, Marino said:

I wouldn’t ride without helmet but I am not supporting idea of mandatory helmet. Maybe it can be my decision to risk or not. As long I don’t endanger others.

I've been hit on the helmet by debris thrown up by cars and trucks that would probably caused me to crash had I not been wearing a lid! .. Had I crashed who knows what/who I may have hit! .. I would say you do endanger others by not wearing a helmet.

[KiwiBob]

1 hour ago, Bender said:

You may not be endangering others but someone has to come and pick up the bits of skull and face and goo.

I've been to plenty of RTC's over the years! .. It's not very pleasant!

[Bender]

9 minutes ago, KiwiBob said:

I've been to plenty of RTC's over the years! .. It's not very pleasant!

I've unfortunately came across them by virtue of spending alot of time on the road, they certainly are anything but pleasant.

 

I was second on the scene to one just before xmas, woman trapped in car, she drove straight into the tracks of a giant combine, her car had just come to a stop in the hedge, little fiesta was obliterated, farmer tried talking to her while I ripped battery off, no idea if she was OK, I waited till police came and blocked one Road off, I've seem some bad ones with fatalities, it's not something I would like to attend on a daily basis.

[onesea]

I have had the chance to chat to a fair few paramedics they seem to agree. 

Safety gear saves lives, 30mph you start losing skin degloving etc rapidly on a road surface.

After the basics, lid skin coverings, padding on back and relevant corners. 

The rest comes down to luck... none have been said any brand leather or textile works better.

Then they seem to have a similar views on cyclists and helmets.

Cars and seatbelts.

Edited January 4, 2021 by onesea

[Tiggie]

It still sticks in my mind what the instructor taught me when I did my CBT at 19.

 

Before we had even got to touch a bike she had us all squat down and run the back of our hand across the car park ground. 

 

When we stood up she simply said something like " now imagine doing that at 40mph, that's why you wear safety gear" 

[Bender]

8 hours ago, onesea said:

I have had the chance to chat to a fair few paramedics they seem to agree. 

Safety gear saves lives, 30mph you start losing skin degloving etc rapidly on a road surface.

After the basics, lid skin coverings, padding on back and relevant corners. 

The rest comes down to luck... none have been said any brand leather or textile works better.

Then they seem to have a similar views on cyclists and helmets.

Cars and seatbelts.

Funny, folk will support the right for others to not wear safety gear, but condemn using a cooker in a tent, yet one is statistically more dangerous than the other.

[dynax]

It comes down to perceived risk, I know the roads where i live and can risk assess the conditions, I know that if I chose to ride into the town centre the risk is minimal if I went a certain route, other routes would be a higher risk.

Most people base their opinions on their locality and what happens around them. A typical example is motorway riding, going down the M1 to London is going to be more hazardous than taking the M180 to Grimsby, people assume that everything is the same which it isn't.

Edited January 5, 2021 by dynax
missed a 0 from the M180

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Perceived risk is an interesting thing. A mate used to work on high tension power lines in Australia. The point came where they were issued with new safety gear, everything insulated. Accidents rocketed.

 

I think newer drivers who learn to drive in modern cars which are so insulated from actual road contact have no clue of the risk factor. 

[dynax]

2 minutes ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

Perceived risk is an interesting thing. A mate used to work on high tension power lines in Australia. The point came where they were issued with new safety gear, everything insulated. Accidents rocketed.

 

I think newer drivers who learn to drive in modern cars which are so insulated from actual road contact have no clue of the risk factor. 

This is why the accidents happen too much emphasis on wearing protective gear, people wrongly assume they will be safe.

[Mr Fro]

I'm aware of MAG and have know a few members over the years.

 

Some of the things I've seen them getting all pissy pants about have been ridiculous and the members I've known have been overbearing, small minded, power tripping cretins.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

56 minutes ago, Mr Fro said:

I'm aware of MAG and have know a few members over the years.

 

Some of the things I've seen them getting all pissy pants about have been ridiculous and the members I've known have been overbearing, small minded, power tripping cretins.

Sounds like some beekeepers I know. Whatever people get passionate about has the ability to turn some of them into nobs. People just need to understand that there are always two ways of looking at things.

 

My way, and the wrong way.

[S-Westerly]

15 minutes ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

Sounds like some beekeepers I know. Whatever people get passionate about has the ability to turn some of them into nobs. People just need to understand that there are always two ways of looking at things.

 

My way, and the wrong way.

Bit like politics really.

[S-Westerly]

1 hour ago, dynax said:

This is why the accidents happen too much emphasis on wearing protective gear, people wrongly assume they will be safe.

I believe its a statistic that most RTC's happen within 5 miles of a person's home. If that is the case it would indicate that familiarity with the road means jack.

[Gerontious]

2 minutes ago, S-Westerly said:

I believe its a statistic that most RTC's happen within 5 miles of a person's home. If that is the case it would indicate that familiarity with the road means jack.

that's about familiarity and an expectation that the journey you've made a 1000 times will be the same today as it has been every other time. as a consequence you're more likely to be on auto-pilot, distracted by other more important things, like that text alert you just heard.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

2 minutes ago, S-Westerly said:

I believe its a statistic that most RTC's happen within 5 miles of a person's home. If that is the case it would indicate that familiarity with the road means jack.

Some of that may be due to the average journey being less than 5 miles anway, but I heard this said years ago and I believe it is still pretty much the same now. 

 

I would suggest however that it is not quite true that familiarity with the road means jack - I think it does have some significance. In my experience familiarity with the road can encourage people to be less vigilant and observant. Years ago when I lived in Oxford we used to travel up the A34 before the motorway was built. It was a horrible road. Those who didn't know it didn't overtake very much. Those who really knew it didn't overtake at all. Those who thought they knew it tried to overtake quite a lot. It was rare to make the trip without being held up somewhere with an accident.

[OldEssexMan]

I'm a member and have been for some years. No, I don't share their keeness for camping rallies that seem to be peopled by heavy metal fans but I do like the idea of an organisation that appears to be well-run, on democratic lines, that is actively scrutinising legislation for anti-motorcycle bias. Most of the bias is down to ignorance, many drafters of new rules, regulations, etc, just don't consider motorcycling as important, we are a minority after all, and MAG raises our profile to the point where legislators mindsets may change. OK, if you don't agree with this, nobody is forcing you to join but I welcome their efforts on our behalf, even if some folk see it as naff or unwelcome. There ain't nobody else doing it, I love riding and would hate to see it ground down.

OK, many see their objection to compulsory helmets as unwanted and illogical. I, for one, have no problem with it but I always wear one out of choice. It was the legislation that provided the impetus for the Group to be formed and if they see it as part of their raison d'etre then so be it. Good luck to them and long may they continue.