As someone who rides more miles a year than drives, I appreciate that you framed this as a personal opinion. If I avoided one accident for every time someone told me that I shouldn't ride I would probably live forever. Their uncle, or uncle's friend, or brother's coworker, or someone always "had to lay 'er down" to avoid tree clippings on a straight street, or rain, or whatever.

About 2/3 of the accidents are caused by rider error [0]. I've heard several references, but [1] says that 27% of motorcycle fatalities involved a drunk rider. Cars about to turn left in front of me are generally visible and avoidable (the intense focus needed is part of the fun for me). All that is to say that some factors are controllable, others are not, and risk tolerance is subjective. I accept my odds, but I also know that none of my Harley-riding neighbors have any interest in training or improving skills at all.

With the <1 year old bike I spend the most time on, I find it worthwhile to reduce my CO2 footprint the small amount that I do. Not all motorcycles are much better than a larger car pollution-wise, and not all people think taking a personal risk (or any cost) is worthwhile to reduce pollution, but if everyone did the situation would be improved. I find that compelling. My Harley-riding neighbors… uh… definitely don't.

Personally, the joy of riding is part of what makes life livable. Of course I could decrease my risk profile (indeed, so many people seem to think that I ought to do just that). But as my wife cares for the dying elderly at their bedsides she tells me that they never celebrate their decreased risk profiles, but rather wish they would have taken more chances and opportunities that they had been presented. In my mind, to ride pecks at the question of why we do anything.

[0] https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/little-known-facts-about-m... [1] https://carsurance.net/blog/motorcycle-accidents