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New breed of bikers rides into danger zone
New breed of bikers rides into danger zone
More motorcyclists are dying in wrecks as the sales of sport bikes surge across the country
By Jon Yates and Russell Working
Tribune staff reporters
Published September 21, 2004
Patrick Thompson says he doesn't drink, smoke marijuana or snort cocaine. Instead he gets his highs racing his Honda motorcycle at speeds of more than 150 miles an hour, or zipping in and out of expressway traffic at 125 m.p.h.
"It's just like a crackhead," said Thompson, who is recovering from a high-speed accident that left both arms in casts. "You can't really understand why this guy gets high, even though it's destroying his life. But he does it because of the reality he has to live through. You escape reality by the speed of the bike."
He is lucky to have survived his June wreck.. At least seven people have died in motorcycle accidents in Cook County since Aug. 31, including a high-speed crash that killed South Side resident Jesse Cooper on South Lake Shore Drive early Monday, according to police.
Read the full story at chicagotribune.com.
U.S. MOTORCYCLING FATALITIES `03 `02 `01 2000 1999 3,661 3,270 3,197 2,897 2,483 Illinois totals 143 100 140 126 103 Sources: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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