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Comment by bombcar | Hacker News Reader

I had a similar decision to make (pilot or motorbike) and the fact that 60%+ of aviation deaths are pilot error and something like 60%+ of motorcycle crashes are NOT the rider's fault - led me to be a pilot. At least then I can try to make good decisions, e.g, DO NOT FLY INTO WEATHER.

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And a lot of the pilot deaths are not because of in-the-moment skill deficiencies.

Stick and rudder skills aren't that useful with fuel exhaustion and bad weather planning. It's much easier to stay safer in a plane vs motorcycle.

I wish people treated cars and motorcycles properly, especially in the US. Until then, no motorcycles for me either :(

Yeah, I think the rules for motorcycles are also less stringent in Canada than in EU. And road conditions often not great.

Of course the 6 months of winter in Toronto also make it less appealing to drive a motorcycle.

MC rider. Many accidents occur during the early years, particularly as the new rider gets comfortable. There's a transition period where your muscle memory kicks in for basic riding skills, but not developed enough to keep you out of trouble. It is an incredible feeling of false confidence that makes you feel invincible. It's possible to be 'smart' and reduce risk during this period, but I'm not advocating people generally go out and start riding either.

> MC rider. Many accidents occur during the early years, particularly as the new rider gets comfortable.

A large portion (half?) of crashes also involve alcohol.

And riding beyond the conditions. Motorcyclists cause in fact in my country, many of their own accidents. This despite the fact they’ll claim it’s everybody else’s fault.

Too bad the statistics say otherwise.

I am a motorcyclist myself. I just don’t have the will to lie to myself or others.

"Had to lay'er down."

DanDanTheFireman is a good channel that goes over footage and analyses what was done well and what was done badly.

Years ago, an article in MCN said that something like 3/4 of all single vehicle motorcyclist fatalities involved alcohol. They also mentioned that Harley cruiser culture was wildly overrepresented. Hopefully, with Baby Boomers aging out of riding, bar-hopping biker culture is disappearing, too.

Similar in aviation, where it’s known as „the killing zone“.

This is true for pretty much everyone in every skill. But that's an empty statement.

A huge danger for motorcycle riders is young/new car drivers who fall into this exact local minimum.

The big difference is that aviation doesn't have a pause button. If weather gets bad on the road you can just pull over at basically any time. But if you're flying you have to keep flying until you are able to land.

In GA that’s usually surprisingly quick - it’s absolutely amazing just how many runways are everywhere

The stakes get even higher if you fly a plane with your entire family in it. One bad error and you will almost certainly have killed them all.

A "bad error" in a minivan does this too. The "bad error" in the plane would be flying into a thunderstorm. I equate this gobsmackingly bad judgement with driving a minivan off of a cliff.

Bad weather can develop around you, and when flying you can't just pull over and wait for it to pass. A cliff doesn't suddenly develop in front of your minivan.

A relatively minor error can quickly develop into a situation well beyond your control, without any way out of it. That kind of fatal escalation is pretty much impossible with road vehicles.

That kind of fatal escalation occurs 40,000 times a year in vehicles.

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