PILLION RIDING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 12 February 1927, Page 11

PILLION RIDING.

NOT A DANGEROUS SPORT. Contrary to the popular belief of the opponents of pillion riding, the presence of a pillion passenger on a motor-cycle-tends to increase stability and. safety rather than otherwise. The addition of weight does not reduce the factor of safety. The accurate balance of the motor-cycle is in no way diminished by the pillion passenger—rather the reverse. There is no greater fallacy than that which seeks -,to suggest that a motorcycle is not under proper control when a pillion passenger is carried. A pillion passenger does not increase the anticipation of danger, provided he or she sits astride and the driver remembers the increased weight on the back wheel. Statistics show.that pillion riding has no greater percentage of injuries than any other form of sport. But pillion riding may claim to be more than a sport —it is a cheap and efficient means of transport. There is no call for the suppression of the pillion riding as a dangerous sport any more than in hunting, mountaineering, or boxing. The motor-cycle is cheaper than the railway for cross-country journeys, and provides wonderful opportunities for increasing health, pleasure, and knowledge.

It can safely be urged that there are no avoidable pillion accident due to causes for which pillion riding as such is responsible. Negligence, foolhardiness, bad road conditions are common to all forms of road transport.