Tired of the mundane activity that involves moving your feet forward one at a time? Want to have something faster, more exciting, thrilling, and risky. With today’s growing economic demands, traveling great distances, relaxing from stress, and enjoying life are needed by almost everybody; all of these can be found in one activity which is driving. Driving is done by maneuvering a vehicle. The very essence of driving is to transport people or objects from one place to another at a fast rate at the same time gain enjoyment and satisfaction from it, and then danger follows as well. With driving being much faster, it is a great alternative to walking. Driving, which is a means of traveling distances, relieving stress, and having fun, can be done in two ways, either by driving a car or driving a motorcycle or bike, for there are three things that separate one from the other which are the experience, safety, and energy efficiency.
Although quite similar, the experience you get from driving a car and driving a bike is definitely different. Driving a car may be less thrilling for some because if its security and protection compared to a bike. When you are inside a car, you are confined and secured. You and the outside world or the environment are separated, though this might not actually be a down factor for some. Driving a car means being behind a window and being inside of something, except for convertibles where the upper part of the car may be removed to give a more open experience. On a bike, you can feel the wind, the road, the motor, and the sun. You are very exposed to the elements. You will also have to shift your weight around when driving a motorcycle to make a turn. Bikes do not have any doors to separate you from the asphalt, windows to shield you from the wind, and roof to protect you from the sun or the rain. By not having those, the motorcycles can go faster than cars by getting lighter. It carries less weight because it includes them only the necessary stuff for traveling. Also with driving motorcycles, people can avoid congested traffic in urban areas by lane splitting or using the space between cars as passage. (“Motorcycles”) This method is very apparent in the Philippines.
Safety is another huge factor for both and this factor is obviously one-sided. Statistically, cars are safer than motorcycles according to data gathered b the UK transportation. (“Cars”) Driving a car is safer because it has more safety features; aside from that, the car also protects the driver from the external environment. Safety features of modern cars commonly include airbags, safety glass, seatbelts, crumple zones, collapsible steering columns, padded dashboards, puncture proof gas tanks, blowout resistant tires, onstar, GPS navigation, anti-lock brakes, and headrest. (“Cars”) These safety features are easier to apply in cars; they are also more effective and efficient in it. Sacrificing a lot of stuff, including safety, for the authenticity of the experience and the essence of traveling, driving bikes are exciting yet dangerous. Driving motorcycles are more dangerous and risky than driving cars. The chances of a fatal crash in motorcycles are four times greater than cars. The rate of accidents for cars have declined while the rate of accidents for motorcycles have increased. (“Motorcycles”) A person driving a bike is very exposed to the external environment. Aside from that, it carries less safety features than cars. Many of the technologies that have been long present in cars are just starting to be used in motorcycles, such as catalytic converters, fuel injection, anti-lock brake system, and airbags. (“Motorcycles”) If you crash while driving a bike, there will not be anything that will hold you back from the impact which means you will be thrown in mid-air.
Due to the awakened concern of the public to the environment, energy efficiency plays a bigger role in choosing what to drive now than ever before. Most cars today still use gasoline. It is well known that using gasoline is not very energy efficient. Gasoline burns faster than water and cars burns gasoline faster than bikes. Cars are bigger, heavier, and stronger than bikes, because of this, they will need more torque which means they will need to burn more fuel to move. Burning more gasoline also means more air pollution. One of the major causes of air pollution is transportation, specifically the smoke released by oil-burning vehicles. An average car can release 5 tons of carbon dioxide. Although humans are also affected by these unhealthy gases, the one that is more affected is the environment. The habitats of plants and animals are destroyed and polluted by air pollution caused by cars. (“Cars”) Most bikes today also use gasoline but bikes use a lot less of it than cars. What attracts people into driving motorcycles rather than driving cars, especially these past years, are its fuel efficiency and fuel economy. Motorcycles are also greener than cars because of its lower per-mile carbon emissions which is 65% lower than cars. (“Motorcycles”) Developing countries, like India, prefer to use motorcycles because of its good fuel economy. (“Motorcycles”) A lot of people in the Philippines have shifted their method of traveling from driving cars to driving bikes. With the sudden rise of the price of gasoline and the insidious decline of the supply of oils, people use bikes as an alternative for cars for the sake of conserving energy and saving money.
In the end, driving a car will give you more safety than driving a bike but driving a bike will save you more money. It is up to the driver to choose what he or she thinks is more practical and important. Making the wrong choice could have serious outcomes but it is important to remember that accidents could be avoided if people act carefully and responsibly. Both have their own unique experience in driving.
Sources:
From the internet: Motorcycles – Environmental Impact by www.wikipedia.org
From the internet: Motorcycles – Mobility by www.wikipedia.org
From the internet: Motorcycles – Safety by www.wikipedia.org
From the internet: Motorcycles – Fuel Economy by www.wikipedia.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorbikes
From the internet: What safety feature has a modern car got that an early car didn’t have? By www.answers.com
From the internet: Cars – Environmental Impact by www.wikipedia.org
No comments:
Post a Comment