Always stop - next time it could be you....

One of the things that I particularly like about biking is the sense of community. I still remember my first proper ride on the road on my old 125 back in the early 1980s. It was only a short trip and I had the "L" plates on but as soon as I had turned out of my street, a chap on a bigger bike going the other way "nodded" me. I was made up - I was one of the family straight away! Generally speaking bikers do look out for one another - possibly a little less so these days than was the case years ago but it is still an unwritten rule that if a fellow biker is in difficulty, you stop to help. It's just the done thing.

Over the years I've witnessed accidents, helped pick up dropped bikes or just pulled over for riders who have stopped at the side of the road looking like they have a problem. Technically and mechanically, there's not a massive amount I can offer but I have surprised myself on the odd occasion and got people going again. These days, with mobile phones and other forms of instant communication, help is much more easily at hand and so the temptation is to assume that everything is ok and that assistance is already on its way. But that can sometimes be a risky assumption.

Last week I was riding home from work and decided to take a longer route home for a bit of a bimble. There I was, "giving it the beans" down the A3 when in the distance I could see a bike pulled into a small lay-by at the side of the road, with the rider crouched down looking at it. I had to at least pull in to see if there was anything wrong so on went the anchors and my "spirited" ride was over - for the moment at least. It turns out that my instinct was right - it was a breakdown. Some kind of an electrical fault with the onboard ECU that would need resetting or remapping ("re"-something or other anyway....). What was different on this occasion was that the guy's mobile phone wasn't working so help wasn't actually at hand - and there was no garage, shop or house in the immediate vicinity. All he needed was a local phone call to his mate with a van to come and pick him and the bike up so naturally, I lent him my phone. A simple thing, but a lengthy walk and wait was averted.

Interestingly, as we chatted, I was alarmed to hear that he had tried to flag down a couple of passing bikers, and neither had stopped. He didn't seem impressed - I'm not bloody surprised! Perhaps he just got unlucky. People have lots of deadlines these days and are always in a hurry. Maybe they just didn't see him? Maybe.... Ultimately, I suspect most simply can't be arsed, which I find kinda sad for a movement built on the foundation of community.

Stopping to make sure a fellow biker is ok takes so little effort to do but it can have a big effect - as was the case on the A3 the other night.

After all, next time it could be you....