If I see this tired video posted to Usenet one more time, as it was again last week, I'm going postal. For those of you who may not be familiar, the link goes to a clip of a motorcyclist (and I use that word loosely in this case) making an uwise pass on Deal's Gap and going over a small cliff. It has subsequently become fodder for the anti-motorcycling crowd in recent months under the false conclusion that excessive speed caused the crash. Not so. Just watch the video for youself and then read some more.

The crash was plainly caused by panicking and failing to turn the motorcycle, not by excessive speed. Crossing the double-yellow was a bad idea, as well. Sure, that biker made an amazingly dumbass move, but speed had little, perhaps nothing to do with him crashing. Target fixation, panic, and a lack of skill are what caused the crash. Look closely and notice that the rider didn't even brake properly. He locked the rear wheel while at the same time under-utulizing the front brake. Typical of an untrained, unskilled rider. He had plenty of time, ground clearance, and room to turn back in -- he just fixated on the drop-off and choked.

It frustrates me to see things like this used as political fodder. Gimme' a break. One knucklehead biker in a Google video does not a demographic make.