Check out this story about a Minnesota State Trooper who clocked a motorcyclist doing 205 MPH on the highway earlier this week. Now, I know I shouldn't really be that shocked because I've actually seen stuff like this before. Once on a Saturday night on highway 55 in St. Louis I was fortunate enough to be part of a motorcycle gang's idea of good clean fun, as about 30 - 40 crotch rockets sped down the highway at about 160 MPH all at the same time. I had half a mind just to toss on a blinker and take out about 10 of them.

Is this really necessary though? It's a prime example of ultimate stupidity. Your chances of surviving a motorcycle accident at 205 MPH are probably less than 0.05%. In fact, motorcycles in general are pretty lame if you ask me. They are by far the most dangerous vehicles on the road (for the riders at least) and the National Traffic Safety Bureau reports that on average, every long term (10 or more years of consistent riding) motorcycle rider or driver will be involved in a potentially life threatening accident at some point in their lives, regardless of how safe of a driver they are. My dad rode one for two years before his first accident where the only thing between his skull and the pavement was a helmet, which the doctors said saved his life due to the fact that he landed on his head.

It also seems that motorcycles provide a sense of pseudo machismo, giving some riders the false feeling that they are "bad to the bone" for lack of a better term (no offense to Nick or anyone else who's a got a bike). Not to mention they are unnecessarily loud and annoying as hell. There's a fine line between cool and stupid, between exhilarating risk and just plain dangerous. I would trust myself to drive a motorcycle, but on a daily basis I see other drivers around me do some of the dumbest shit possible with a car. I think back to my accident two years ago when my car got totaled. Completely unavoidable and entirely not my fault. My car did exactly what it should have and the seatbelt and airbag saved me from major injuries. I walked away with a couple of scratches and a sore back for a few months. I can guarantee you that had I been on a bike, I wouldn't be sitting here typing this right now.

- these thoughts flowed through Jeff's fingers @ 9:19 AM