Loud pipes saves lives.
BS.
You cannot hear the sound when the motorcycle is coming towards you and your window is up. You can hear it after it passes.
I ride motorcycles and am very sympathetic to the problem of car drivers causing accidents. It is because motorcycles are very small, BTW. When you look at a peugot or a cooper or a VW beetle, you assume that there's nothing on the other side, because that is ridiculous. Even if you heard the sound, you would assume it's from somewhere else.
We drive with our eyes, not with our ears.
Well that might hold truth in US(big streets) and you being responsible adult . Where I live motorcycle drivers are idiots that think driving rules don't apply to them. They are driving 220 kmh through city, overtaking cars in zigzag motion from left and right side, ignoring full line in the middle of the road etc.
Mind you, take into account, these are Mediterranean little streets, think Italy...
Once I was driving and in a right hand turn, idiot was overtaking me on the right hand side, between my car and the wall .. It was summer, I was going nice and slow, had windows slightly open, so I heard something coming. To make it worse, once I realized what was going on, I swerved and managed to save the idiot, and HE started on the horn and showing me finger, yelling to me to watch how to drive...
Last year several died, one actually hit car standing on the red light with 200 kmh+, because, you know why wouldn't you go 200 ++ in 50 kmh zone and red lights are optional....
I have several friends who drive motorcycles, one is complete idiot, few are not that stupid, and only one drives by the rules.. Funniest thing is, he's the only that's involved in car racing for 40 years, since childhood...