According to local media, a motorcycle stunt club called the Ruthless Ryderz have been causing chaos on Southern California’s highways. The club has been reported to have taken over stretches of highway by obstructing traffic, bringing other vehicles to a standstill and causing mayhem – just so that they could have space to perform stunts. Last Sunday, after stopping the traffic, one of these riders sadly lost their lives. 28 year old Leslie Elliot crashed whilst performing a stunt on the 15 Freeway in Corona, standing upright on his bike with no hands on the handle bars. He lost control of the bike and tumbled to the ground. He later died at the Corona Regional Medical Center. The question on everyone’s mind is why this had to happen in the first place?
Motorcycle Stunts And Public Roads
Anyone who has ridden a motorcycle knows how good the feeling is when you make that machine between your legs do exactly what you want. For some riders, it’s all about finding that perfect line through a corner, for others it’s all about that perfect gear change. For some, riding it on one wheel is where they get their kicks, and others go even further than that. Stunting is great, but there is definitely a time and a place. If you want to execute the perfect racing line, then you’ve got to do it on a proper closed circuit. If you want to slice through the gears like a surgeon, you’re best off on the strip. And if you want to pull of some insane stunts…yeah, you know where this is going.
We’ve all seen incredible stunt riders pulling off amazing feats on their motorcycles – but they’re never occurring on the road. And why do the world’s best stunt riders perform and practice in closed environments? Because it’s safer for everyone involved. If you want to practice your stunt riding, you do it in a vacant lot or on private land – somewhere where you can crash safely and not be a nuisance to anyone. We all know how good it feels when you pull of a great stunt, but performing them on public roads is dangerous, for everyone in the vicinity. If you hurt yourself pulling off a stunt, you can console yourself thinking “it was my mistake, I can suffer the consequences” but if you were to hurt or kill someone else, it’s a very different story.
Take It Somewhere Safe
Unfortunately, someone had to die recently. According to the CHP, a group of 20 to 30 riders who are believed to be part of the Ruthless Ryderz motorcycle stunt club, blocked traffic to allow their members to perform stunts on the highway. It doesn’t matter how skilled a motorcyclist you are, anything can happen on a highway, and sadly accidents like this will happen. Here’s what CHP Sgt. Nathan Baer had to say about the dangers of stunting on a highway alongside other traffic: “When a big group of motorcycles stops or swerves around them {other cars} it scares other motorists too and causes them to lose control.” Just riding a motorcycle alongside erratic and unpredictable traffic is dangerous enough – doing it whilst pulling off a stunt is just crazy.
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