This week is “Sturgis Week.” If that doesn’t mean anything to you, then you’ve not been to the Black Hills of South Dakota during early August. For 70 years, motorcyclists have congregated in and around Sturgis for the BIKE RALLY.
When 500,000 bikers swarm into one area, interesting things happen: Things that would interest any biker and others, but also things that should not really be of interest to anyone.
Personally, I have been interested in the variety of bikes that show up. From well dressed machines, to the most unbelievable trikes, intricate artistic choppers, mopeds with more junque attached than you can imagine, and 2-wheeled machines with engines rated at over 500 horsepower!
But one thing that irks many people is inexperienced bikers that hang out in the left lane of the Interstate traveling 10-15MPH slower than the normal flow of traffic. With their counterparts in the right lane hauling their bikes on trailers (rather than riding them!), a lot of traffic gets dangerously stacked up behind them. Saturday, I witnessed a sheriff stuck behind three of these inconsiderate/incompetent riders. After awhile, he tailgated them rather closely for a few moments but they still didn’t get the hint to move over to the right lane where slower traffic belongs. I wonder if they were paying any attention. The sheriff finally passed them on the right slowing as he got along side, and signaling them that they needed to adjust their behavior.
I was glad to see at least one group of these riders get a finger wagging from law enforcement – it’s about time. The unfortunate part is that they probably need a citation for impeding traffic before they and numerous others like them change their ways. Why is it so difficult for people to follow the rules of the road? Do they not realize that when traffic gets all bunched up behind their mini parade, that eventually somebody gets hurt?
1 comment:
It's not just bikers, unfortunately. I see slow-moving vehicles of all kinds refusing to leave the left-hand lane. There is a reason one is referred to as the "driving" lane and the other is referred to as the "passing" lane!
Still, it makes me glad we don't have the kind of highways more populated areas have. I'm not a big fan of seven lanes of congested, high-speed freeway traffic!
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