The Editor,
Re. "Loud motorcycles startle me, hurt my ears and distract other drivers" (June 15, Letters, tricitynews.com).
In response to the referenced letter, if a motorcycle startles you, then you are not paying attention. If you knew the motorcycle was there, it would not have startled you. You can't be startled if you are aware of your surroundings.
Those "loud" pipes just may have saved that rider from your inattention.
A motorcyclist is a distraction? It is another vehicle, just like a bicycle or, in some parts of the country, a horse and buggy or a farm tractor. Was it painted pink with unicorn horns? That may be a distraction.
As another vehicle on the road, it is interesting that you would call it a distraction. Did it distract you from fiddling with your stereo? Or maybe it caught your attention while you were dealing with the children or dog in the back seat? Or did you see it just as you were putting down that coffee?
Or is it a distraction that some drivers are aware of motorcyclists and adjust their driving accordingly?
Yet the loud pipes don't save lives? If the pipes get the attention of even one distracted driver, consider it a life saved.
Maria O'Reilly, Listowel, Ont.
