“Fortunately, he caught himself with his face…”

Uncategorized Oct 29, 2016

So, I’m outside riding bikes (bicycles) with my 3-year old son in the driveway. He has his bicycle helmet on – as do I (doing my best to lead by example) and we are riding pretty quickly in tight circles. He rides a Strider Bike (no training wheels, no pedals), so he is pushing himself with his feet. In the middle of a turn, he catches his heel on the axle nut of the back wheel, pops the rear wheel off the ground, and presto – low side and face plant.

He wasn’t hurt bad, but he did take a pretty good hit to his nose and lips and there was quite a bit of blood. If you’ve ever had a low-side crash on your motorcycle, you know how fast you can find yourself on the ground. Between the surprise of finding himself on the ground so fast, pain to the face, and the sight of so much of his own blood, he did freak out a little. I took him inside, cleaned him up, and he was fine.
But it was a real life reminder of how unforgiving asphalt is. His face was only about 2 feet off the ground, his speed was only about 5 mph, and it turned out that the part of him that was wearing protective gear (his head) was not the part of him that impacted the asphalt (his face). It’s a real life reminder for when we are riding along on a motorcycle, moped, or scooter. Our face is about 4-5 feet off the ground, our speed is generally at least 25-35 mph, and we can’t predict what part of us will impact the asphalt if we fall.
The next time you hear (or say) “It’s just a scooter,” “I’m only riding across town,” “I’m just taking a quick ride to the store,” or “It’s not like I’m going on the highway or freeway,” remember that the asphalt doesn’t care – it remains hard and unforgiving. Please prepare accordingly.


Be Crash Free,


~Ax

 

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