Video Transcription:
11th Annual Motorcycle Safety Ride in Springfield Missouri
David Ransin: We’re here today for the 11th Motorcycle Awareness Ride and I’d like to hear some of your thoughts on why motorcycle awareness and safety is so important. Chad?
Chad: Just to keep everybody safe. Everybody just needs to pay attention. Look out for one another. Put down the phone, things like that. There’s a lot of bikes on the road these days. You just gotta put down the phones and keep your eye out.
David: Very good.
Man 1: Yeah. I’m like him. These kids riding these cars…they don’t look at bikes or anything running down the road. They’re too busy on the phones. This is my first ride so it’s gonna be interesting and it’s gonna be something to learn.
David Ransin: Well, good. Welcome. I’m glad that you’re here and we look forward to having you back next year right?
Man 1: Mm-hmm.
David Ransin: That’s great. April, what are your thoughts?
April: Kind of the same thing. Mine’s being mindful about…you know, it’s a lot harder for a bike to stop than it is a car because that it involves a lot more sliding. So being more aware, you know, if you try to cut them off. It’s a lot more different than being in a vehicle, so, mindful going around the motorcycles and being where they’re at, so.
David Ransin: Well, besides watching and putting the phone down, what advice do you have to give?
Man 2: I mean, I’m gonna go with them too. Recommendation, I mean, these new cars nowadays are soundproof. They also got a lot of blind spots. There’s a lot of things you need to be aware of that, I mean, a motorcycle, you know, as big as my motorcycle is, I mean, it hits that blind spot on a car. You might wanna look twice, three times, four times before you pull out because anything can happen. And you don’t wanna take anybody’s life or hurt anybody. Nobody wants to. But technology nowadays is advancing faster than we ever can. So, I mean, so many distractions already. You got DVD players in the dash, you got GPS hanging on the window, you’re putting makeup on, you got your car, you got kids in the back yelling. I mean, there’s just so many distractions already. Just, you know, if we all show the road and, you know, be in this together we’ll all go home to our kids and be safe.
David Ransin: Well, you mentioned something that’s really important to me. Everybody’s heard, “Look twice.” And I try to tell people, “Look a third time. It only takes, maybe, two more seconds and it doesn’t cost you anything at all.”
April: Not one mirror.
Man 2: Stop to look. That’s what kills me…is that if you’re not stopping or looking, you’re moving too and you’re looking, you may be moving the same blind path that I am too. So you may not be able to see me because you’re creeping forward, just a couple of inches a minute. I mean, that’s enough to where you could just keep that blind spot going. So, I mean, it definitely is stop and actually look, because if I’m moving and you see me then we’re good.
David Ransin: David, what are your thoughts?
David: I think we need to teach them to look for motion. If everybody in a car is looking for a car, look for motion, you’ll see us. That’s what we want.
Interviewer: Have you had any close calls?
David: A little here and there, but nothing extravagant.
David Ransin: Good. Good. Glad to hear it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, guys.