Well, here’s my take on this whole issue. Loud pipes won’t save my life. But they will probably save your kid’s life. Here’s why:
Most cagers drive with their windows up, radios on, cell phones attached to the side of their ear, munching on a Big Mac and arguing with the passengers in the back seat. The last thing they are paying attention to is the world around them, either by their eyes or ears. They assume that the road is straight, smooth, and obstacle free. (Sure, some cagers don’t fit this description, but those aren’t the ones I’m concerned about, and I can’t tell the difference, so I assume they all fit nicely into this category.)
Maybe, at a stop sign, with their windows rolled down, radio off, passengers quiet, and their zodiac sign rising into the moon, they might be paying enough attention to hear me coming. I don’t care. That’s not why I have loud pipes. I pay attention to other drivers so that I live, I don’t expect them to pay attention to me.
But lets talk about little drooling Johnny, the neighborhood kid who always seems to be hiding behind a car trying to find his bouncy red ball. THAT’S the life that loud pipes save. He might not hear a car coming. He probably won’t hear the rollerblader coming. But he’s sure as heck going to hear me coming, and he’s not going to chase his little red ball into the street when I’m around.
Same goes for kids (and even stupid adults) at the grocery store. Those nimrods will walk right down the middle of the row, where cars are trying to find a parking spot, and not even realize that grandma (who can barely see anyway) is about to plow them over with her S.S. Lincoln because they are meandering down the car lane like they own the world. But when I come cruising down the parking lot, they’ll move. And little drooling Johnny will avoid the random plunge into the driving lanes.
I don’t run with loud pipes to save my life. I run with them to save your kids’ life. It might interrupt your friendly BBQ, but it’s also going to interrupt Johnny’s excursion into the middle of the street. I win.
Most cagers drive with their windows up, radios on, cell phones attached to the side of their ear, munching on a Big Mac and arguing with the passengers in the back seat. The last thing they are paying attention to is the world around them, either by their eyes or ears. They assume that the road is straight, smooth, and obstacle free. (Sure, some cagers don’t fit this description, but those aren’t the ones I’m concerned about, and I can’t tell the difference, so I assume they all fit nicely into this category.)
Maybe, at a stop sign, with their windows rolled down, radio off, passengers quiet, and their zodiac sign rising into the moon, they might be paying enough attention to hear me coming. I don’t care. That’s not why I have loud pipes. I pay attention to other drivers so that I live, I don’t expect them to pay attention to me.
But lets talk about little drooling Johnny, the neighborhood kid who always seems to be hiding behind a car trying to find his bouncy red ball. THAT’S the life that loud pipes save. He might not hear a car coming. He probably won’t hear the rollerblader coming. But he’s sure as heck going to hear me coming, and he’s not going to chase his little red ball into the street when I’m around.
Same goes for kids (and even stupid adults) at the grocery store. Those nimrods will walk right down the middle of the row, where cars are trying to find a parking spot, and not even realize that grandma (who can barely see anyway) is about to plow them over with her S.S. Lincoln because they are meandering down the car lane like they own the world. But when I come cruising down the parking lot, they’ll move. And little drooling Johnny will avoid the random plunge into the driving lanes.
I don’t run with loud pipes to save my life. I run with them to save your kids’ life. It might interrupt your friendly BBQ, but it’s also going to interrupt Johnny’s excursion into the middle of the street. I win.
