Photo: Screenshot from LiveLeak
The motorcycle is a great way to enjoy the road, putting you right out there facing the elements (and the other drivers, which isn’t that great), close to the asphalt and everything else around.
But it has a drawback: you can only do it alone, or together with one other person. It wasn’t long until that issue was partially resolved by the introduction of the sidecar, an actual seat supported by a third wheel that boosted the motorcycle’s total number of passengers to a grand total of two plus the man in charge.
Most people understand that it’s a pretty decent limitation that has a very strong reasoning behind, but in overly populated countries such as India, reason has to take a backseat and allow necessity to express itself. Those people have to make do with as little as possible, which means they can’t afford to split hairs about what’s reasonable and what’s safe. Besides, we’ve already seen how much value one life has over there.
This is the background that allows things like the rig you are about to see in the clip below to be created. You and I cringe just by looking at it, while these people have no problem riding it. And when the filming vehicle gets in front, the shock gets even greater: they have kids on board as well.
Just in case you can’t make out what’s happening there, it’s a motorcycle with two planks of wood strapped longitudinally to each side, like a pair of Oktoberfest benches. On each of those planks sit up to three passengers, which together with the two riding on the motorcycle itself bring the total to a staggering eight people.
You don’t have to have ever ridden a motorcycle or a bicycle to realize that balancing that load while also managing to take turns and stay on the road must be immensely difficult. That man makes it look easy, but it’s anything but.
Have a look at the second video. Those white-suited dudes, also from India, they’re professionals, but the guy in the first video makes them look like a bunch of stupidly-costumed amateurs.
[LIVELEAK=http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2d2_1453954887]
[LIVELEAK=http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b71_1453843676]
Most people understand that it’s a pretty decent limitation that has a very strong reasoning behind, but in overly populated countries such as India, reason has to take a backseat and allow necessity to express itself. Those people have to make do with as little as possible, which means they can’t afford to split hairs about what’s reasonable and what’s safe. Besides, we’ve already seen how much value one life has over there.
This is the background that allows things like the rig you are about to see in the clip below to be created. You and I cringe just by looking at it, while these people have no problem riding it. And when the filming vehicle gets in front, the shock gets even greater: they have kids on board as well.
Just in case you can’t make out what’s happening there, it’s a motorcycle with two planks of wood strapped longitudinally to each side, like a pair of Oktoberfest benches. On each of those planks sit up to three passengers, which together with the two riding on the motorcycle itself bring the total to a staggering eight people.
You don’t have to have ever ridden a motorcycle or a bicycle to realize that balancing that load while also managing to take turns and stay on the road must be immensely difficult. That man makes it look easy, but it’s anything but.
Have a look at the second video. Those white-suited dudes, also from India, they’re professionals, but the guy in the first video makes them look like a bunch of stupidly-costumed amateurs.
[LIVELEAK=http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2d2_1453954887]
[LIVELEAK=http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b71_1453843676]
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