The idea of legally blind riding a bike is a relatively recent development.
There was actually a time when riding a bicycle was considered a matter of public safety.
The first known public motorcycle ride was in 1864 in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, and it was done by a blind man who rode the bike at night.
As the popularity of riding a motorized bicycle increased, so did the number of accidents.
It wasn’t until 1875 that a motorcyclist was killed in a motorcycle accident on a New England highway.
That same year, a man named Henry L. Lilliot was killed when he was hit by a train.
In 1888, a group of blind riders from Connecticut went to Boston to ride around Boston’s streets.
In 1890, a blind woman named Marie Luttenberg died when she was hit in the head by a streetcar in New York City.
The popularity of motorcycling grew even more in the 1890s, when a blind motorcyclists’ club began organizing in New England and other states.
In 1900, the first motorcycle ride in New Hampshire was held at a town hall meeting.
This was followed in 1901 by the first public motorcycle event in Massachusetts.
In 1903, the state passed the first Motorcycle Act.
Motorcycling continued to grow throughout the 20th century, with more than 1,500 events held in the United States in 1905.
A motorcycle ride on a public highway was not allowed until 1910.
The U.S. Bicycle Association had more than 30,000 members by 1930.
The last public motorcycle rode was in 1971.
In the 20 years since the first official motorcyclical event, public motorcycle riding has fallen into a steady decline.
In 2008, the number one cause of motorcyclism-related deaths in the U.s. was motorcycled cars.
The National Safety Council estimates that more than 20,000 people die every year from motorcyclies in the US.
Sources: Ars Technic, Ars Technia, Wikipedia, theguardian, wikipedia, theobserver
