Ruggybuggy
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- Joined
- Apr 7, 2014
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- Location
- Kenora, NW ONT, CANADA
I've been riding a long time and have visited most of the provinces and states in Canada and the US. Florida is by far the most dangerous state or province to ride.
I'm visiting the state of Florida for 3 weeks and brought my bike down so I could do a little tour of the state. I took a four day tour and rode from Arcadia up the middle of the state to St. Augustine and then down the A1A highway along the coast. Great ride and got a chance to see some whales south of St Augustine. In the four days I rode I was involved in 3 very close calls. All of them were completely the other persons fault and just by luck I was able to avoid injury. Anyone who rides motorcycles always has that close call but the reason I voted Florida one on the worst states to ride in is because of a very unique condition. When you ride though the heart of Florida you encounter the poorest of the population. There are many uninsured drivers and most don't even have a valid driver's license. Many vehicles I saw were in a condition that they shouldn't even be on the road. As you ride from the center of Florida to the coast the demographics change and now you encounter a new threat. The elderly drivers and the drivers in holiday mode. People living on the coast have money and many are retired and elderly. The elderly driver is one that is unpredictable and that makes them dangerous. They back up without looking and if they can't see if it's safe to go they do it anyways. My last situation was an elderly man driving a Cadillac that cut across traffic without looking and just about took me out. He was like a heat seeking missile coming from my left and just my luck I found my out. The other type of coastal driver's are the tourist. They are unpredictable and will change direction at any time. They are on holidays and so is their brain and driving in an area that is unfamiliar. Also forgot to mention the traffic. It is so busy down here almost everywhere along the coastal areas. Everything comes together to make for a very bad situation. Everywhere you drive there are billboards and ads everywhere stating "if you have been injured in an accident call (lawyer's name) and we will fight for you". Other states have this kind of advertising as well but not to the extent I've seen in Florida. This must be a huge industry down here.
So in my 35 years of riding and all the states I've rode Florida gets my vote for the most dangerous state to ride. Next year when I come back down I'm leaving the bike home. When it's time for me to retire it will be be out west in a nice quite area of Texas or Arizona.
I'm visiting the state of Florida for 3 weeks and brought my bike down so I could do a little tour of the state. I took a four day tour and rode from Arcadia up the middle of the state to St. Augustine and then down the A1A highway along the coast. Great ride and got a chance to see some whales south of St Augustine. In the four days I rode I was involved in 3 very close calls. All of them were completely the other persons fault and just by luck I was able to avoid injury. Anyone who rides motorcycles always has that close call but the reason I voted Florida one on the worst states to ride in is because of a very unique condition. When you ride though the heart of Florida you encounter the poorest of the population. There are many uninsured drivers and most don't even have a valid driver's license. Many vehicles I saw were in a condition that they shouldn't even be on the road. As you ride from the center of Florida to the coast the demographics change and now you encounter a new threat. The elderly drivers and the drivers in holiday mode. People living on the coast have money and many are retired and elderly. The elderly driver is one that is unpredictable and that makes them dangerous. They back up without looking and if they can't see if it's safe to go they do it anyways. My last situation was an elderly man driving a Cadillac that cut across traffic without looking and just about took me out. He was like a heat seeking missile coming from my left and just my luck I found my out. The other type of coastal driver's are the tourist. They are unpredictable and will change direction at any time. They are on holidays and so is their brain and driving in an area that is unfamiliar. Also forgot to mention the traffic. It is so busy down here almost everywhere along the coastal areas. Everything comes together to make for a very bad situation. Everywhere you drive there are billboards and ads everywhere stating "if you have been injured in an accident call (lawyer's name) and we will fight for you". Other states have this kind of advertising as well but not to the extent I've seen in Florida. This must be a huge industry down here.
So in my 35 years of riding and all the states I've rode Florida gets my vote for the most dangerous state to ride. Next year when I come back down I'm leaving the bike home. When it's time for me to retire it will be be out west in a nice quite area of Texas or Arizona.