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Caitlyn Kennedy

In the parking lot behind the school cafeteria, counselor Bobby Storey mounts his motorcycle. He turned on the bike and rode around the cafeteria parking lot. "My dad used to ride motorcycles and race them out in the desert in California while he was growing up," Storey said. "He was always talking about getting a motorcycle all through my elementary and all through my middle school, and finally when I was a junior in high school, he bought (one)."

In the sea of high school experiences, a counselor and a student have found something in common: their love for motorcycles. Motorcycles have always been a big part of counselor Bobby Storey’s life growing up. During his adolescent years, his father always wanted a motorcycle, and during Storey’s junior year of high school, his father finally did get one. Similar to Storey, Dawson Svoboda has ridden dirt bikes and motorcycles with his dad since he was 3 years old.

Emotion: Personal connection that comes with riding motorcycles

Bobby Storey got his first motorcycle in the spring of 2011.  

 “My dad used to ride motorcycles and race them out in the desert in California while he was growing up,” Storey said. “He was always talking about getting a motorcycle all through my elementary and all through my middle school, and finally, when I was a junior in high school, he bought (one).”

Motorcycles are special to Mr. Storey because of the strong family connection.

“(My dad) is a really safe guy, and he’s the one that told me all of these different stats about the helmet and the lights,” Storey said. “(He taught me) the smartest way to protect yourself while still having a lot of fun.”

Sophomore Dawson Svoboda said the reason he got into riding motorcycles was to earn his motorcycle license so that he can ride with his dad.

“First, I had to get my driver’s license. Then from there, I had to take a bunch of tests to get it,” Svoboda said. “It costs about well over $300 to get it, but it was all worth it in the end because no one ever gave me the hassle about getting the motorcycle or driving on the street or anything like that because on the license plate is a number, and that number signifies that you are that age and that standard.”

Drivers safety: How drivers can be safe around motorcyclists

Drivers can create a safer environment on the roads for both motorcycles and other vehicles. Some of the actions drivers can take that could keep others themselves and other motorists safe include not slamming on the breaks, using a turn signal, and generally being more considerate of other people on the road. 

“When you are on the bike you are hyper-aware of the stuff that is going on around you,” Storey said. “Like when the wind is pushing you, and depending on how fast you are going, you might be stuck in their air turbulence, and so the best things are using your signal and recognizing that, ‘yes, the bike is probably trying’ to get around you. Lane-splitting is illegal in Texas, generally being aware and not freaking out, like ‘yes, that bright light is annoying, but this person probably wants to get around me.’”

According to Storey, being aware that motorcyclists are there and treating them as if they are not a biker — but a person — makes everyone on the road safer.

“So maintaining your speed and acting as if the bike isn’t even there because it’s not like a wasp flying into a room where you’re like ‘ahh get it out,’” Storey said. “But it does trigger those like, flight or fight fears because it is a motorcyclist, and they are unpredictable.”

According to Storey, driving motorcycles have changed the way that he drives cars.

“I’ve become more cautious and very defensive when I’m driving,” Storey said. “I’ll look, and if they don’t have very dark-tinted windows, I look to see where their head is looking and what their eyes are doing. I’ll look to see if their wheels have started rolling forward a little bit and then they stop, which means they’re thinking, which means that they’re probably going to pull out in front of you at the last second.”

Motorcyclists are required to do all they can to be safe, but Svoboda said does have a simple piece of advice for all drivers. 

“Pay attention,” Dawson Svoboda said. “I had this one occasion where this driver wasn’t paying attention, and he almost hit me.”

Physics: The science behind a motorcycle myth

“The adage ‘loud pipes save lives’ is pretty popular,” physics teacher Brad Stevenson said.  “But, there are two main things, physics-based, that get in the way of that.”

First, tailpipes direct noise backward. 

“The noise is pulling away from the people it is trying to warn,” Stevenson said. “So, drivers can’t really hear the bulk of the motorcycle’s noise until the motorcycle passes.”

The second issue is called The Doppler Effect. Deeper noises will penetrate through a car easier than a higher-pitched noise. Deeper noises travel through solid structures better. Due to the doppler effect, any sound that goes forward is being compressed. Because of the fact that the rider is also going forward at a high rate of motion, the deeper sound waves of the motor are being compressed. Compressed sound waves end up becoming higher pitched, which causes the issue of the sound waves not being able to travel through the car as well.

Cars also have noise-reducing technology that will take road noise in and play sound waves that cancel out much of the road noise. This causes the drivers to not hear the motorcycle, which disproves the “Loud pipes saves lives” adage. 

Motorcycles safety: How motorcyclists stay safe

In addition to trying to use sound, riders have ways to promote visibility and make it easier for drivers to see them.

“There are a lot of things that bikes can do to be a little more visible,” Storey said. “There is the high-visibility gear, which I try to wear. There is this acronym that the Motorcycle Safety Foundation talks about.