Un-Easy Riders

There was a fatal accident for me to cover today. The least surprising aspect? It involved a motorcycle.

In my job as SuperCommuter, this marks the 5th time I've been dispatched to the scene of a fatal accident, and the 5th time it involved a two wheel vehicle. Again, not surprisingly, the person on the two-wheeler was the person under the sheet.

I don't know the circumstances behind today's accident, so I don't know who's at fault. I'm getting to be a pretty good judge of who the safest drivers are, as I now spend 6-7 hours on the road each day. Topping the dubious class of dangerous drivers? The motorcyclist. Not a day goes by that I don't see them weaving through traffic thinking, "ooh, that was close". Certainly, you've been involved in a freeway jam only to see a motorcycle or scooter drive between your vehicle and another. Considering how little protection they have, choosing to use such dangerous tactics has given the motorcyclist a runaway lead in the race to die.

The thrill of driving a motorcycle is a fever I never caught, and is something I continue not to understand today. Especially in this Vegas heat. It looks incredibly uncomfortable. You need to wear pants. You have to wear a helmet. It's loud. You have to floss bugs out of your teeth at the end of the journey. Where's the thrill? It's just you and the open road? Nonsense. When I'm out there in my Nissan Maxima, and "Summertime Girls" from Y&T comes on my iPod, I'm able to shut out the world just as well as any biker. And it's all in air conditioned comfort.

Plus, chances are I won't be involved in the top story if I get in an accident. Unless I hit a motorcyclist.

UPDATE: The motorcyclist has been ruled at fault for running the red light.