Trike Life
September 2008

Co-Rider Perspective  

Hello Folks! Since Bill is recuperating from his surgery, I am going to attempt to submit something of interest to you trikers.

I guess my greatest authority would be from the passenger's point of view. I know there are a lot of things you can do on the back of trike, such as read a good novel, catch up on your sleep, finish that afghan or sweater you have been knitting or crocheting, all of which I know are tempting, because you simply feel more secure. But of utmost importance is your second pair of eyes and ears.

Rather than screaming in his ear that there is a deer on the left, you might want to come up with silent signals such as tapping on the shoulder and pointing to the left, as long as it is not an immediate danger. We don't want to distract our driver! Of course there are times when you are going to scream instead and I am sure he/she will forgive you when you avoid that unseen car pulling out from the side road, or the dog preparing to run out in front of you, that you were able to miss due to your second pair of eyes.

You might be the one to hear the truck or car coming up from behind to pass on left or right that is in the blind spot of your driver.

I realize this is true as a passenger on a two-wheeler as well, however, on a trike, we often feel more secure and sometimes over-confident, without the old worries about gravel, and some of the smaller things that we used to worry about.

We must remember we are a team, whether we are on a two- or three- wheeler and our safety is in both our hands. We should never be too comfortable or too secure.