I hate riding my motorcycle on the road. It feels like everyone is trying to kill me

I’m not John Cena. You can see me.

I used to drive between lanes in Los Angeles for about ten years. During those years, I had my fair share of near misses, near misses, and two accidents. One of the last ones was when I was sideswiped by a Toyota Camry while I was simply driving in the left lane, minding my own business.

Nobody sees us. We are invisible. And in my opinion, you can drive not only defensively, but also offensively, because I prefer to put my life in my own hands rather than react to someone else’s.

This is something every motorcyclist knows, accepts and deals with when swinging a leg over their machine. But since the pandemic, I’ve had more near-misses and observed more bad behavior than I ever saw in the intervening years of winding through LA’s arteries.

People don’t stop at stop signs anymore. They drive all over the road, look at their phones, or just don’t pay attention to keeping the steering wheel straight. And speeds vary widely: some people drive well under the posted speed limit, which leads to all kinds of aggression among themselves and others, and others finish so fast that they would qualify for the Indy 500 pole position.

It seems as if everyone has lost the ability to drive properly.

For me, it has gotten so bad that I have told numerous friends, co-workers, colleagues and random passersby that as a motorcyclist who has been riding on the road for two decades, I “hate riding on the road these days.”

Don’t get me wrong, I do it. And I still enjoy my time on paved mountain roads. Besides, I kind of have to do that if I want to keep running RideApart. But the amount of time I spend on the road in my free time has dropped to almost zero, as I much prefer riding off-road. And that’s not just because I’m getting old, having kids, and feeling the burden of possibly dying. At least I don’t think so.

Because if you have seen my recent reports on new motorcycles or new powersports machines, I have my Zero-fuck attitude for personal safety. I still jump big motorcycles, do wheelies on snowmobiles, slide on electric scooters, and do all kinds of silly things. Yet every time I hit the road on a machine, I feel like I’m in Frogger on an impossible course that not even a robot could win. Even in the car, it feels like that.

My wife and I even coined a phrase for this: “There are too many people outside.”

My hypothesis that everyone has become worse drivers in recent years is also supported by the data.

Since the pandemic began, traffic deaths and crashes have skyrocketed. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), “empty streets, highways and transportation systems have been a visible impact of the pandemic on our daily lives. Although our roads were quiet at the start of the pandemic, they also became more dangerous.” And with help from the National High Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), deaths rose 18% in the early years of the pandemic and continued to rise steadily until last year, when the latest data suggested a slight 2% decline.

In 2022, there were 6,218 motorcycle fatalities, according to NHTSA, representing 15% of all traffic fatalities. This is also a 19% increase compared to 2019 data—stats for 2023 have yet to be released. All of this is part of an overarching trend of misconduct and recklessness seen in The New York Times.

So it’s not just me. There’s data that proves why driving on the road sucks these days.

For now, at least until people finally calm down, I owe my riding pleasure to off-road. And honestly, I think it’s more fun than asphalt ever could be. There’s more room for silliness, space to have fun, and the barrier to entry is much lower than on the road. And if you make a mistake on off-road, it’s more forgiving. You also don’t have to worry about a Tesla Cybertruck swerving into your lane or a pothole big enough to swallow your motorcycle.

And there are miles of open space to explore on two wheels, all without having to worry about some idiot scrolling through a giant infotainment screen on their phone, running a red light or stop sign, or driving like they’re racing Lewis Hamilton.

It’s also much nicer than your average highway.

So yeah, I think I’ll stick to dirt roads until everyone learns to drive again. Or I’ll use them sparingly, because the thrill of driving through canyons or just driving long stretches on the road is gone. I’ll still pretend I’m Travis Pastrana, but the fun I once had driving on back roads is all but gone.

And to the drivers in the audience: Please, for heaven’s sake, pay attention!

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