Freeway Foreboding

"Standup" Wheelie

I occasionally have the misfortune of seeing people do this on the road ahead of me. The other day, two of them swerved through traffic to get into the fast lane of a Dallas freeway and did these wheelies at no less than 75 miles per hour, possibly faster. It was hard to tell, as all other traffic slowed down, I assume because no one wanted to be the one to kill them when they fell. They never did fall, but I was in a rare state of panic and near tears as they tore down the road ahead of me. I absolutely did not want to see those boys die, and I'm even more sensitive to these things since losing my girls. I not only see potential tragedy from the blood and gore/horror point of view, but from the parents, friends, and family point of view.

As I read up on motorcycle safety, I was surprised to find absolutely nothing that said not to do these dangerous tricks on public roads inhabited by cars. Perhaps they assume that it is simply common sense. If one of these boys had hit a slick spot or an unnoticed piece of debris in the road, or had pulled a little too far back or lost control, there is no way the surrounding traffic could have avoided hitting them when they went down. More than likely, more than one car would have been involved in the accident. The bikers are not only risking their own lives when they do this, but the lives and well-being of the drivers sharing the road with them. Whoever hits them will have that burden to carry all their lives. Whoever witnesses it may be traumatized and will be unlikely to ever forget it. As drivers try to avoid the biker, they may collide with each other, causing injuries to both drivers and passengers.

As I was looking up what this kind of stunt was called, I ran across even scarier ones, which you can see here. Not that I expect anyone to heed my plea, but please don't do these things on public roads!!