The motorcycles versus cars debate is about as hot button of an issue as whether or not pit bulls are an inherently dangerous breed of dog.

Does owing and riding a motorcycle lead to risky behavior?

Maybe, but not all the time, because many times, the ones who are driving around the cycles are the ones that cause the accidents.

Consider this. The weather gets warmer, the hogs as they like to call them, come out more frequently, rainbow ninjas shoot past you going 100 on the Parkway, Turnpike, Rt 287 or wherever, being totally oblivious to staying in lane! If you drive in NJ, you’ve had this happen around you before.

And yet, anyone who rides a motorcycle will tell you it’s the car and truck traffic that is less courteous to them than the other way around.

Four stories of motorcycle accidents over the weekend struck me funny, especially given that the weather was so nice.

A motorcyclist traveling on Rt. 287 north at mile marker 16.6 lost control of his motorcycle when an unidentified white Hyundai entered into his path at approximately 7:30 p.m. Sunday, according to State Police Trooper Christopher Kay.

According to trooper Kay, Rivera was driving in the left lane with another motorcycle in excess of the posted speed limit when the Hyundai entered into Rivera’s lane from the middle lane. As a result, Rivera lost control of the motorcycle, which struck a metal guardrail.

Note from this story: in excess of the posted speed limit.

Can we automatically assume the driver of the Hyundai didn’t have a clue that the motorcycle was in the lane next to him?

A man riding a motorcycle was hospitalized Sunday night after his motorcycle crashed on Interstate 195 in the eastbound lanes near mile marker 8.6, according to State Police.
The crash, which occurred before 5:30 p.m., threw the man from the motorcycle and flipped the bike, said Trooper Christopher Kay.

The rider was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton for treatment, Kay said.

The man’s identity and extent of his injuries were not immediately available, and the crash remains under investigation.

Here's an example where we don’t know why the crash occurred.

A motorcyclist was killed in a crash involving two trucks on Route 47 Saturday morning, according to reports.

The trucks were headed north on Route 47 when they crashed. One crossed over to the southbound lanes, where it struck a woman who was driving the motorcycle, according to the report.

The woman was thrown from the bike and killed, according to police radio.

And still another motorcycle-related accident:

A 31-year-old man died Saturday when the motorcycle he was riding collided with another vehicle, police said.

Police said the motorcycle was traveling westbound on Nautilus Boulevard at 1:16 p.m. when the driver, Joseph Mollicone, of Forked River, lost control and collided with an eastbound minivan that was waiting to make a left turn onto Normandie Drive in the township's Forked River section.

Mollicone died at the scene, while Kimberly Buxton, 45, the driver of the minivan, was taken to Community Medical Center, where she was treated and released.

Police said a preliminary investigation shows Buxton did not contribute to the cause of the accident.  No motor vehicle summonses have been issued.

When it comes to the rules of the road, in the words of the now deceased Rodney King: “can’t we all just get along?” Probably not:

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