Should you Ride Your Motorcycle if You Have an Illness or Medical Condition?

If you are a biker like me, you have probably had an occurrence sometime in your life (unless you are superman or superwoman), where you have been sick or suffered from some kind of medical condition, which could affect your ability to ride.

The key phrase above is “could affect your ability to ride.”

I have written other articles on being too old to ride, which you can read by clicking here, and being spooked after an accident, and whether you should ride, which you can read by clicking here.

An illness or medical condition is almost analogous to maybe being too old to ride, or being spooked after an accident, because each also affects whether you should ride or not.

Look folks, if you have an illness or a medical condition which would affect your ability to be 100% sharp on your motorcycle, you should probably not be riding your motorcycle until the illness or medical condition is gone.

If the illness or medical condition that you have is permanent, you will want to speak to your doctor to decide if riding a motorcycle is safe for you.

I myself have had rides planned out with my brothers, or friends, and have had to cancel my ride plans because I had a cold or flu, or a condition that in my mind meant that I could not or should not have been riding my motorcycle.

A simple common cold could be the basis for not riding your motorcycle, until you get better.

How are you going to control your motorcycle, when you are sneezing, coughing, eyes are watering, and your ears are so stuffed that you cannot safely hear?

Is it worth your life to you to take a chance?

Now that flu season is upon us, (and many of you have not received your flu shots,) many of us will be getting the flu.

It should be obvious that riding with the flu is not a good idea; wait until you get better before you get back on your motorcycle.

I heard of one guy who had an epileptic seizure while riding his motorcycle, with his wife on the back. He ended up going off of the side of the road, crashing through a chain link fence, with both of them flying off of the motorcycle into some dirt. They were both roughed up a bit, but they lived.

Look, I am a biker through and through, however do you think I would be riding a motorcycle, or even a car if I had epilepsy? This guy is a candidate for the Darwin Awards. Epileptics have seizures. Being behind the wheel of a car, or sitting on a motorcycle is not compatible with seizures.

I heard of another guy who would pass out from time to time because of a medical condition he had. This guy luckily determined that he should not be riding a motorcycle with his condition. The list goes on and on.

I truly feel bad for those of you with medical conditions that make it unsafe for you to ride a motorcycle. Some of these conditions also make it unsafe for you to operate a 4 wheel car as well.

Hell some people take prescription heavy duty medications for pain. If you get stopped for driving or riding under the influence of these drugs, you can go to jail and lose your license just like if you were drinking and driving.

Do you think it is a good idea to be riding a motorcycle, while under heavy doses of Oxycontin or Vicodin?

For those of you with physical issues, maybe a Trike, or three wheeled motorcycle is for you? Maybe riding is too physically demanding.

Look, the purpose of my article is not to scare you away from riding your motorcycle. The purpose of my article is to educate you.

Sometimes you may have to not ride due to a physical condition or illness, and it is OK to not ride if it is not safe for you to do so!

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney, and Biker Lawyer, Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © November 4, 2010