Nonsense motorcycle shield

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March L. Fianza

BAGUIO CITY --  As far as I can recall, the permanent scar on my lower right leg was due to a fall from a dirt bike while attempting to negotiate the unfamiliar Atol motocross track at Longlong, Pico, La Trinidad one foggy afternoon. Good thing, nobody was around.

A second fall followed a few years later that happened along Session Road while riding in tandem on a motorcycle with a backrider who could not position himself properly because a guitar was strapped around his back.

The first accident could be blamed on the thick fog and the muddy motocross track while the second one could be blamed on the guitar strapped on the back of a backrider who could not keep still.

The contributory factor to the second accident supports what riders with common sense and riding experience, and those with engineering knowledge say that a shield installed between the driver and the backrider to prevent Covid-19 transmission badly affects the safe operation of the motorcycle.

A driver whose movement is not restricted ensures safety motorcycle riding. The additional load from the backrider, plus the restricted movement of the driver because of the installed shield, makes it difficult to operate a motorcycle.

With a shield, it will be difficult for riders in tandem to adjust their seating positions because the space has become tight. Still, a cabinet official claimed the shield maintains social distancing when there is not even a three-inch distance between the driver and the passenger.

Not only will it put the lives of the biker and backrider at risk, the flat shield will badly affect the aerodynamic movement of the motorbike that was designed to run smoothly.

The Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) against COVID-19 has officially approved at least two passenger barrier designs that will allow couples to ride motorcycles in tandem. Soon as the IATF announced that riding in tandem can be allowed July 10, it received jeers and heckling from the public.

The first design is a flat transparent plastic panel with a metal frame welded near the back rider’s footrest, and extends from the seat to above the height of the passenger’s head. But not all chassis of bikes, including scooters, can accommodate the steel posts required for the shield.

The second design is a backpack-like barrier made of lightweight, high-density plastic worn by the motorcycle driver.

A comment on social media cited the contrast that while government agencies stressed that the fight against Covid-19 is science-based, the motorcycle rules are not only hazardous as mentioned by motorcycle experts, but also discriminatory.

Health experts already pointed out that airborne transmission of the coronavirus is greatly reduced outdoors and would be less likely on board a motorcycle traveling at even a modest speed.

In addition, the risk of transmission would be eliminated by the use of face masks and full-face helmets. Both riders in tandem may not be killed by the deadly coronavirus but by an accident caused by a barrier shield installed between them.

Aside from married couples and live-in partners, members of the LGBT community (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) were allowed under the IATF rule as long as they stay under one roof.

With that rule, other motorcycle riders such as other members of a family should not be prevented by law enforcers from back riding. Anyway they all live in the same house as the biker.

Driver and passenger should present a valid marriage license, or identification showing that they have the same surname and residential address, and even wedding photos to prove eligibility to ride in tandem on a motorcycle.

But precious wedding rings that finally tie two lovers to each other were not accepted by the law enforcers as proof of the riders’ relationship, while live-in partners simply showed pictures that proved they lived and loved under one roof.

Another social media comment wanted to know the difference why couples staying in the same house need a shield between them when riding a motorcycle, but not when they are in a car.

True, if a barrier has to be installed between married couples riding on a motorcycle to prevent Covid-19 transmission, then a shield should also be inserted between them while they are in bed.   

The rules on motorcycle shields set by the IATF-EID must be revised to make sense.