Do loud bike pipes save lives?
Today I will bravely expose my view in answer to the question: Do loud pipes really save lives? In a word: No. (Fear not, I’ll say more.) But before I launch headfirst into this one, know that my very own stepmother rode a bike with screaming pipes. I loved her then and I love her now. And I’m pretty sure she still likes me. Now, to plunge in headfirst. Those who argue that loud pipes save lives assert that the screaming machine alerts drivers to their presence when approaching their blind spot. This call-to-attention prevents the driver from cutting them off. Not being cut off equals not being killed. While the final mathematical equation is accurate, the formula used to get there isn’t. While driving my car at higher, more lethal speeds, I can anecdotally say that I hear motorcycles up ahead and right beside quite well. What I don’t hear nearly as well is what’s behind me. There is a scientific explanation for this. As you increase the distance between yourself and the source of the
