It's not us versus them. Chill.

I just watched the recently posted video of a motorcyclist taking a driver's mirror off because the driver crossed a double yellow. I read some of the comments. I feel like this needs to be said, to some, in a standalone fashion, and not as a response:Motorcycling is not war. It IS dangerous, and you will experience drivers who occasionally make poor choices, just like you do, no matter what vehicle you opt to get yourself around in or on.Please cooperate with drivers as best you can. They almost always don't want to kill you. They are, just like you, oftentimes in a hurry, emotional, stressed, late, recently divorced, or otherwise occupied in ways they shouldn't be, but no less are. Your having the right of way is not nearly as important as your ability to walk.Motorcycling is also not your opportunity to enact road justice. People are going to make mistakes, and some people will drive like complete idiots. You reacting in anger is extremely unlikely to result in them learning a valuable lesson.If you want to receive respect, in life and in motorcycling, give respect. And be gracious when you are disrespected, because I assure you that you too will soon do something for which you will require forgiveness for.And finally, motorcycling is not your opportunity to join a team full of disgruntled, perfect-driving, unfairly targeted, head-shaking motorcyclists.Some of the most ridiculous behavior I see on the road is not that of drivers, but of my fellow motorcyclists. We split lanes at high speed, change multiple lanes without signaling, tailgate left lane dwellers with our brights on and shake our heads when a driver changes lanes without anticipating our high-speed pass inches from their door.99.9% of drivers DON'T WANT TO HIT YOU. They're terrified of sending you flying, and they're frightened when you seem less concerned with your well-being than you are.Most drivers here in SoCal make room for me to lane split, assuming they see me. I use a set of yellow front-facing lights to help increase my visibility, and I split at a speed not more than 5-15 mph faster than traffic. I don't rev the hell out of my engine, and I don't lose my mind when someone doesn't see me. I'm on a motorcycle. It's hard to see motorcycles, and most folks are only occasionally checking their side mirrors. Rightly so.So chill on the whole us vs them thing. You're not the victim of stupid drivers nearly as often as you are responsible for the risk you run when you get on a motorcycle. If you want to be treated like a full-size vehicle, ride like you're in one.Ride defensively. Assume people stuck in a slow lane want to merge into the faster lane. Assume people will sometimes break the law to more quickly get where they're going. Assume people have a hard time seeing you, and assume that if a driver cuts you off, it's probably because he didn't see you, or was distracted. It's not because he hates motorcyclists and wants to kill you, probably.Oh, and please don't ride my ass when I'm lane splitting. I'll happily move over and let you take point. No need to put your nose in my butt. 🙂That is all. via /r/motorcycles https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/dokrid/its_not_us_versus_them_chill/?utm_source=ifttt