Beer + Motorcycle = (fill in the blank)

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
July 9, 2010

Check out this webpage that I found through the Illinois Department of Transportation. www.startseeingmotorcycles.org/

Summer motorcycle-riding season is here. Temperatures are high, the pavement is hot, and there's nothing like an ice-cold beer on a hot afternoon. But having a cold one and jumping back on the bike is not a good combination.

Even one beer can have an impact on your riding skills. It becomes easier to misjudge the speed and weight of a large motorcycle when stopping or when making a turn, especially if it's one with which you are unfamiliar.

Then you get to find out what the real impact is after having one or more beers.

And, when you get to the hospital, they draw blood. They don't ask first. What does the hospital do with the blood-test results? Does the accident investigator have to ask for them, or are they routinely provided to the investigating law enforcement agency? Does a hospital report them back to the law enforcement agency, whether the results are 0.00% or 0.04% or worse?

If you are going to stop at bars when you are out riding, I suggest going the Coke or Ginger Ale route. Hold off on the Coors (ahh, showing my Colorado colors; eh?) or whatever your favorite brew is, 'til your bike is safely back in the garage at home.

Hey, I know you're not going to take my advice, but there it is.