I ride a motor scooter.  That's like a motor bike but without gears - autmatic rather than stick-shift, if that terminology helps.  She's red and I call her Roxy because her colour reminds me of the lipstick Renee Zelwieger wore in Chigago.

For those of you who drive a car - good for you, but please stick with me as I be-moan some of my problems with car-drivers.  For those who also ride motor bikes and/or scooters, you may or may not share these beefs, and to those thinking about getting a scoot or bike, pay very close attention...

If you drive a car, you are in a nice, safe, usually padded box on four wheels.  Your weight is spead and you're probably not likely to tip over (not to say it can't be done, and I know how serious that can be, I have friends who were in a car when it completely flipped for reasons I still don't understand).  If you need to stop suddenly, it's a matter of changing which pedal your foot is on and slamming into your seat-belt.

If you stop suddenly, the motorcyclist behind you has to roll off the throttle (the right-hand hand-grip, usually) and apply the break (there is one to each hand, but the most effective one is on the same side as the throttle).  Here's the thing - in this sudden moment of panic, reaching for the break (very possibly with both hands) it is still possible to apply more throttle, thereby going faster and possibly up the behind of the car in front.  No biker wants to do that, so we swerve to avoid the collision.

Now we come to why I'm having this little beef today.

The roads were wet, and a car ahead of me had decided that, rather than slowling down and edging around the bus, which they could very easily have done, they would stop instead.  The two cars behind them managed to stop suddenly just fine.  I had blinked and suddenly there was a stopped car five metres in front of me.  I was not going fast, but I went through that minor moment of panic because for some inexplicable reason THEY WERE STOPPED.  When they really could, and should in my opinion, have been moving.

I reached for the break, the throttle got agitated.  To my left: parked cars.  In front of me: stopped cars.  To my right (where there would shortly be oncoming traffic): an open space.  I swerved INTO the line of oncoming traffic to AVOID hitting the car in front of me.

I thank God, really, truly, and genuinely, that the only thing that hit me was the road on the other side of the on-coming traffic.  Yeah.  I had a spill.  My two-rather-than-four wheels lost all traction on the slick road and came out from under me on the far side of the road.

I hit the kill-switch, effectively turning off the engine, and started picking myself up.  Guess what - my right foot was caught under the bike.  Heh.

The lady whose car I avoided slamming into the back of got out and helped get my bike off me and called my mum.  Other people rolled it down off the road out of the way, another lady took details, the bus driver called the ambulance, people were generally concerned, kind and helpful.  A few passer-bys came and asked if I was okay (one was really hot).  I was.  I am.  My knee (which I landed on) and my ankle (which my bike landed on) are probably going to twinge for a while, but that's kind of expected.  I'll probably go into delayed shock or something later, but I think I'll be alright.  I refuse to play the distressed damsel just cause I came off my bike.  I got over that in high school, besides, I've still got the warm fuzzies from that back-rub.

The ambulance came, so did the police to review the accident scene, and my mum came and I got sorted out.  I'm not dented or bloody or even very badly shaken.  I got back on my scooter and mum drove behind me, making sure I was fine on the slick roads.  Which I was.  It's really just the stopping for no apparent reason that gets me - and I can see over and around cars very easily from the back of my bike.  It's happened once before, but not as seriously, I just had to stop suddenly and the bike over-balanced.  THIS TIME, I swerved, went out of control, ended up on the road with my scooter (250cc, NOT LIGHT) on top of me.

So please, all drivers, consider the other people on the road and don't stop suddenly for a reason someone one or two cars behind cannot see, especially when the road is wet.  Slow down, but keep going carefully, rather than suddenly slamming on the breaks.  THAT IS HOW ACCIDENTS HAPPEN.

I could really go another back-rub right about now... Oh well.  I'm just glad I didn't break anything, and I'm looking forward to letting my friends loose on my bike with a few cans of paint, that slide really left Roxy in need of a new paint-job.  Might have to check wheel-alignment as well, but I think she's still alright in that department.