I guess motorcyclists are good for something?

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Motorists need to take it easy on rain-slicked highways
Dr. Tom Gross



MY DAILY commute lasts about 40 minutes, closer to an hour if there is traffic. There is always traffic. OK, let's say it's an hour. On a typical day, I'll be passed by at least 20 motorcyclists, exercising their discretion to "split the lanes" when traffic conditions permit.
This morning was the first rainy day since April. Interestingly enough, there were no motorcycles. Is this because motorcyclists are afraid of getting wet? Hardly. The complete absence of motorcycles was not due to the light rain, but was due to the total lack of traction which accompanies the first rain of the season. During the first rain, the road gets so slick, that you might as well be driving on Jello.

Lack of traction is deadly to the motorcyclist. The road gets so slick that it is very difficult to keep the bike underneath you, where it belongs, rather than next to you as you slide down the road, between the lanes, on your leathers. You can be riding along, and suddenly you are down.

Motorcyclists can feel the loss of traction, as the bike handles very poorly. Automobile drivers cannot feel this loss of traction so acutely, and may be oblivious to it. Add to this risk, the usual chaos of a morning commute with people on their cell phones, eating breakfast, grooming themselves in the rear view mirror or even reading the newspaper, and the risks of surviving the morning uninjured become higher than is usually acceptable.

Motorcyclists also know to beware of a higher number of motor vehicle accidents on the first rainy day, and they'd rather not be the only meat in a Detroit steel sandwich. Motorcyclists know this, and many of them leave their bikes in the garage until a few downpours have washed away the summer's accumulation oil, dirt and antifreeze.

If you are not a motorcyclist, why should you care? Well, think of a motorcyclist as the canary in the coal mine. Just as when the miners watch the canary for signs of environmental toxicity, when the motorcyclists are nowhere to be seen, you should be concerned. When the motorcyclists think that the road is too slick for a two wheeled machine, this is also a warning to drivers of the four wheelers.

This morning the tailgaters were out in full force, right on my bumper. I know of a few accidents that have occurred already today. In Sonoma County, one vehicle turned a corner too sharply and rolled five times, before landing upright, looking as though it had been chewed up and spit back out. The driver had major head trauma from banging his temples repeatedly against the door post. Another driver skidded and slid sideways into a tree. There was a rollover not too far from here.

The roads are wet and very slippery this time of year. You need to leave more room between yourself and the vehicle in front of you. Your car will not handle in the manner to which you are accustomed.

Remember also that other people's cars will not handle the same either. You need to be ready for the guy ahead of you to start spinning out of control. You need to be ready for the guy approaching the stop sign on your left, who might hit his brakes and skid right into your driver's door.

It will be his fault but your car. His airbag will inflate, but yours won't. His airbag will not protect you. You'll go to the hospital, but he won't. He'll be in the wrong. You'll be in the right. Maybe even dead right.

Slow down. Stay alert. This is a very dangerous time, but it does not last forever. Soon, the motorcyclists will be out, and you will know that spring is just around the corner.



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Dr. Tom Gross is the emergency medical services director for the Novato Fire Protection District. His column appears every Monday.



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