MOTOR-CYCLING.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19179, 9 December 1927, Page 4

MOTOR-CYCLING.

SUBJECT OF ATTACKS. ANSWER TO CRITICS. For two or three years the British motor-cycle industry has been the subject of attacks of varying descriptions (says the "British Commercial News"). The motor-cycle has been alleged to be "dangerous"; it is ,said to be "noisy"; it has been criticised because of its use to carry a second or "pillion" passenger at no extra cost; the presence ot the "pillion'* passenger has been declared a danger; it has been regarded as too "speedy" for English roads, and so forth, and so on. The critics of the motor-cycle have lost no opportunities to voice their views, and nave even abused official position and judicial office to display more of ignorance than of knowledge in matters affecting the motor-cyclist. A Northern Coroner, dealing with the death of a cyclist—no motor-cyclist was involved—stated: "I have ridden a motor-cycle, and I soon realised that \ one has only to ride a motor-cycle long 1 enough to be killed." : This is typical of the criticism of "danger' —in reply to which one need only mention that annually in Great Britain the motor-cycle, carries one to four persons in perfect safety over 3,000,000,000 miles! Agreed there are some people who on their own admission are known to be incapable of propelling either a motor-cycle or a perambulator in safety (and yet both are ridiculously simple to manage) —bnt all road administration must have regard to tho law of probability, and the fact thaE road vehicles are usually of the utmost docility to all but a few of the "gormless'" must be given full weight. As to silence—admittedlv certain machines are used too noisily. The users deserve their fate. The existing law, however, is unfortunate in its language and aims: its interpretation is arbitrary and illogical in the untutored hands of the lay magistracy. Motor-cycle manufacturers are onlyi too anxious to manufacture machines which will be quiet in use, but the emission of exhaust noise is largely a question of control by the rider. The existence of noise in certain cases, however, has led to the circulation of stupid statements. No responsible designer of internal combustion engines would support the suggestion apparent, ly made by the Ministry of Transport officials to the Home Secretary "that motor-cycles can be made as silent as four-cylinder motor-cars." The person capable of ensuring this will obtain enormous financial reward!!

Pillion riding has been condemned in certain quarters, and almost invariably where an accident involving a motor-cycle with pillion-passenger occurs, the presence of the pillion-passen-ger is regarded as responsible for the accident. Tin's is regarded almost as a matter of course by a section of the yellow Press. "Scare" headlines and uncomplete reports to justify this attitude are by no means uncommon. The public are never told of the cases where a pillion rider is involved in an accident and escapes injurv. They are kept ignorant rf the fact that many accidents would occur in any case—pijlion rider or not—and they do not know that generally speaking'the presence of a pillion-passenger adds to the stability and safety of the machine—if such were really required. Of such character, briefly, then, are (.lie criticisms of the detractors of th» motor-cycle. Ignorance mates prejudice and its sadistic offspring assails the motor-cycle.as such when it is its use that at tirr.*s is quite justifiably under critical discussion.