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DECEMBER SAFETY TIP RESPONSE
I enjoyed reading the “ safety tips ” article in the December issue of the
HeartBeat written by Mike Phillips , especially the myth about “ loud pipes saving lives .” You see , my brother and I have had a “ cordial argument ” for a while now concerning this “ myth .” He ’ s a firm believer that the best tool for avoiding an accident is to have loud enough pipes that the other driver will notice you . His pipes are loud but not “ obnoxiously loud .” I admit ; you can hear his bike much better than my purring BMW !
I believe that it ’ s more important to be seen rather than heard : and my reasoning is this . These two methods depend on a driver ’ s senses ; either hearing or sight , the ears or the eyes . One is absolutely required to drive
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safely , the other not so much . Yes , hearing is important but not necessary for safe reactions . On the other hand , if the driver doesn ’ t use his eyes , it ’ s impossible to drive at all ! I haven ’ t heard of too many testimonies of riders knowing for sure that their loud pipes were the reason an accident was prevented . I ’ m sure there are some , but I have a personal testimony that proves sight supersedes sound !
When I ride with a group , I usually wear my CMA vest , but I almost always wear my neon-green CMA mesh vest when I ride alone . I originally bought it because I noticed that bicyclists who wear neon colors could be seen much farther away than those with no reflective wear . On a ride one day , I was coming out of a town in a line of cars . I saw up ahead a vehicle that had been sitting for a while , waiting to turn into the
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traffic . As I approached , the woman slightly jerked into my lane but immediately stopped as I passed where she was . While I waited at a traffic light down the road a ways , she drove up next to me in a turn lane , rolled down her window , and said , “ I didn ’ t see your bike …. but I saw that green vest !” That proved to me that it was worth every penny that I paid for it , along with the fact that I know my Lord rides with me everywhere I go , and HE saves lives also !
I believe BOTH methods work . ( I have a loud horn on my Beemer !) But I hear from some that “ you don ’ t look too cool in that bright vest .” That may well be , but my thought is that I may not look cool , but I AM seen ! God bless .
Pete Bullis Revelation Riders # 669 , Utica / Rome , New York
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03⎪FEBRUARY 2022⎪www . cmausa . org |