Bike safety a two-way street 
A recent fatal crash reminds us of the dangers of riding a motorcycle
CANDY PALMATER 
The Daily News
This week, another motorcycle fatality happened, and everyone is talking about motorcycle safety as a result of it.
This issue is very similar to crosswalk safety, in that both sides have responsibility for making the roadways safe.
I grew up in a Harley Davidson dealership, which was incredibly fun.
The downside, however, was the late-night calls that would come to the house asking my dad to go pick up a bike after an accident.
Two accidents stand out in my mind.
A young man named Danny did odd jobs around my dad’s shop in order to pay for his motorcycle. His parents didn’t want him to buy it, because they were worried about his safety.
But he assured them he would be a safe driver. And he was.
Car at fault
One summer evening, he was out for a ride at about 6:30 p.m. He was driving within the speed limit in the right position on the road and travelling west.
A woman travelling east on the same road, either failing to see him or ignoring him as a vehicle, made a right-hand turn, cutting him off. Her licence place cut his throat and he died at the scene.
On another summer night a few years later, my brothers were out riding with a number of their friends.
One of the riders, Butchy, decided to throw caution to the wind and open up his throttle.
It was dark and they were on winding country roads.
Butchy was in the back of the group of riders when he increased his speed and started to pass the group.
By the time he passed my brother, Sid, he was travelling so fast, he was just a streak going by. Clearly, he was “hot rodding.”
My brother just shook his head and continued to drive. The group cleared a few sharp turns and hit straight road. They realized they couldn’t see Butchy’s tail lights anywhere ahead of them.
The group doubled back, watching the side of the road. They saw the lights from Butchy’s bike in a field. He had outrun his headlight and not seen the turn in the road. He and his bike were crumpled in the middle of the field. He had died instantly.
These two stories demonstrate how lack of caution either by the biker or the motorist can result in death. Unfortunately, due to the vulnerable position of a biker, with no protection except for a helmet and leathers, it is the biker who usually pays the price.
It always angers me when I see cars making turns or pulling out into traffic in front of motorcycles. A motorcycle is a vehicle, just like a car, and it should be treated as such.
Dangerous biker
It makes me equally angry when I see a motorcycle being driven irresponsibly. Just a couple of days ago, on Hollis Street, a man on a motorcycle passed me on the left, between my car and the cars parked on the side of the road.
I was one car in a string of cars in my lane.
If any of us had swerved a bit to our left, within our own lane, we would have crushed him against the cars parked on the side of the road.
The bottom line is that motorcycles, bicycles, cars, trucks and pedestrians have to share the roadways.
We are all responsible for one another’s safety whether we realize it or not.
If we all took that responsibility seriously, and concentrated on what we were doing, instead of multi-tasking or zoning out while on the roadways, then our streets, highways and byways would be a safer place for all of us.
 "Larry (Road Dogg) Patterson was killed in a crash Friday morning.</p>")
