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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: wymple on May 05, 2021, 10:04:43 AM
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A man was killed on his bike yesterday 4 miles from my house, when an SUV pulled out in front of him. He was on a 4 lane, SUV pulled out to cross it from a 2 lane. You can see an unobstructed 1/2 mile in all four directions. Obviously the SUV driver had his head up his ass. But I think the biker did as well. I fully expect every vehicle I see to do just that, and am always ready for it. Sooner or later, somebody will. According to the skid marks of the bike, he never got on the brakes hard until the last second. I don't understand why anyone riding a bike takes his path for granted. There is no such thing as having the right of way on a motorcycle. They can put that on your headstone. Trust nobody, ever.
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Just yesterday I drove over to Youngstown to pick a friend from the hospital and bring him to his home. He was riding and a guy, texting, blew a stop sign. He saw it coming and laid it over about mid wheelbase on the pickup. The rear wheel ran over his bike and leg crushing his ankle. The guy admitted 100% fault and felt really bad but my buddy is in a lot of pain after the surgery and may not regain full motion. Always keep your head on a swivel and I look for a driver's eyes. If you can't make eye contact assume THEY DO NOT SEE YOU.
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A man was killed on his bike yesterday 4 miles from my house, when an SUV pulled out in front of him. He was on a 4 lane, SUV pulled out to cross it from a 2 lane. You can see an unobstructed 1/2 mile in all four directions. Obviously the SUV driver had his head up his ass. But I think the biker did as well. I fully expect every vehicle I see to do just that, and am always ready for it. Sooner or later, somebody will. According to the skid marks of the bike, he never got on the brakes hard until the last second. I don't understand why anyone riding a bike takes his path for granted. There is no such thing as having the right of way on a motorcycle. They can put that on your headstone. Trust nobody, ever.
Did he have ABS? That could account for the lack of skid marks.
I recently experienced that exact scenario while driving my pickup (I missed her by inches), so your good advice doesn't apply to just motorcycles.
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I wish those dark tinted windows were illegal, eye contact is an issue with that. Add that to the cell phone idiots and our sport is a totally different game.
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I don't understand why anyone riding a bike takes his path for granted. There is no such thing as having the right of way on a motorcycle. They can put that on your headstone. Trust nobody, ever.
Yup, I was lucky I learned that lesson at a very young age when an inattentive old lady in a parking lot drove my right ankle through the side case of my KZ400 Kawi, it's cost me a bad right ankle, but it was a cheap lesson that served me well over a lifetime, I'm still alive.
The big thing with riders in my area, and especially new riders, is getting a GoPro or similar camera so they can document all the bad drivers trying to kill them;
I think it's foolhardy to spend any time and focus on documenting being right, I'm focused on staying the f*ck away from bad drivers and staying alive.
ps We've already had our spring time rush of bike fatalities locally, but thanks for the reminder, helps to be mindful out there.
Ride safe, stay healthy and take care
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I've had to learn how to walk 3 times cause of that same thing. LM3 will go again after broadsiding the Volvo in pass door. You can't see to the right w/phone on ear.
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You may differ but I NEVER trust eyesight. People can look RIGHT AT YOU and it does not register.
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You may differ but I NEVER trust eyesight. People can look RIGHT AT YOU and it does not register.
Very true, I "attempt" eye contact, but don't depend on it. I watch for wheel movement also. I consider myself fortunate I'm not a city dweller. I won't ride in town.
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Very true, I "attempt" eye contact, but don't depend on it. I watch for wheel movement also. I consider myself fortunate I'm not a city dweller. I won't ride in town.
Riding in towns and cities certainly has its share of hazards but what really scares me these days is a 4 way intersection. When I see someone anyone approaching from the left or right and they're supposed to stop and I'm not, I will be sure to slow down and *not* assume they will stop... Never thought about it much in my younger days but I do now.
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Trust no-one, or expect everyone to do something stupid, are both good guides to ride by.
If it's possible for another road user to do something, then there's nothing to stop them doing it, so just expect everything.
I've been riding day-in-day-out pretty much for 42+ yrs, and whenever I think I've seen it all, I'm usually proved wrong . . .
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"Did he have ABS? That could account for the lack of skid marks."
Skid marks yes, and very late to the game. Looks like he locked it up suddenly at the very last second.
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On the 14th of April my friend Randy got killed on I 95 in Jacksonville Fl 06:00 he was in the middle lane and a 20 year old kid entered the hwy and crossed into his lane hitting his right saddle bag according to witnesses the kid was looking back the whole time while accelerating it was like a giant fly swatter he never knew what hit him. This Saturday morning we're riding to crescent city to his favorite restaurant on what would have been his 60th birthday
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On the 14th of April my friend Randy got killed
That sucks :cry:
my sincere condolences,, ride safe and take care
Kelly
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Cell phones or head down in the cockpit equal driving blind. Speaking of four way stops or open intersections it seems that people have forgotten that the vehicle to the right goes first. Now it is a guessing game which vehicle is going to move and when. Lastly, I was about taken out and the PU next was taken out by being slammed from the rear at a stoplight at 45mph+. Be careful out there.
GliderJohn
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I’m a fan of Dandan the Fireman’s YouTube vids. Lots of forensic MC crash analysis based on helmet or chest camera video footage. In most of them, it’s the car driver’s fault, but would have been avoidable if the rider had just acted sooner/been more aware. He also has some vids of him riding his Scout and narrating his actions…why this lane position…look out for that guy up ahead, and so on. I believe he’s a certified MC safety instructor. Even for an experienced rider, watching his vids are like being a pilot in a flight simulator. Invaluable.
Mike
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My philosophy is simple- 'motorcyclists are invisible'.
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It's getting worse with all the techno features in new cars today. People are driving "computers" and relying more on lane assist/adaptive cruise control/blind spot monitors, etc. and not relying on paying attention themselves on their surroundings. We all know intersections are where a majority of motorcycle incidents occur so always on hyper alert there and any crossing road. My greatest fear has always been on a two lane highway and I want to turn left. If there is a gap behind me but a car in my mirrors in the distance, and I am waiting on oncoming traffic to make my left turn, many times I will just exit right. Then turn around and cross the highway. If a car is right behind me and I can see they are slowing when I put on my signal and slow down, then I will feel confident about making the turn. I agree with a prior post, always assume they don't see you.
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Well said Tom, 5-6-21
That situation you described is one of the top concerns I have when riding. The other is cross (and merging) traffic. You know...two objects trying to occupy the same point in space at the same time. And it's usually the driver behind me that is the most worrisome.
Be well, stay well,
DougG
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When a vehicle stops in front of me and I am forced to stop I pull to the right edge of the vehicle. I next keep my eye in the mirror for cars behind me as well as have it in 1st gear with the clutch pulled in. If I see a vehicle closing too fast behind me I will dump the clutch and head off the berm. I feel safer and more at home off road than I do on road. I have had to do that more than once in my 50+ years of riding.
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Very true, I "attempt" eye contact, but don't depend on it. I watch for wheel movement also. I consider myself fortunate I'm not a city dweller. I won't ride in town.
It's a heck of a mindset to undergo when on a ride, but I assume every cage driver is going to do the wrong thing and I'll be killed. I wish my bikes could have small rocket launchers attached so that at the last minute before an unavoidable T-boning I could send the driver a little token of my appreciation.
Ralph
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I will follow up on the "they don't see you" comment. In addition to phone distraction and distraction with all the electronic features new cars have today, we shouldn't overlook the fact that some drivers really just don't see you. Being an eye doc, I am aware that there are many people out on the road that:
1. Have been prescribe glasses but don't wear them.
2. Contacts are blurry from working on a computer all day.
3. Various eye conditions/diseases that cause blind spots ior blurred/distorted vision ie glaucoma/retinal hemorrhage with diabetes/cataracts/macular degeneration to name a few.
As an example: 20/20 vision is the normal standard. It is not unusual for people to have 20/60 vision uncorrected out there driving, or worse. These people swear they see just fine. What this means is if I have normal 20/20 vision and can read a sign at 60 feet away, the person with 20/60 vision has to move 40 feet closer and when they are 20 feet from the sign they will be able to read it. Now start doing the math when you are moving at 65 mph in a vehicle. Someone with 20/60 vision under daylight conditions can easily fall to 20/80 or worse at night. Trust me, after being in this profession for 40 + years, it never ceases to amaze me the delusion & denial people can have about how well they see.
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And then there are people like this . . .
https://www.wjhl.com/news/regional/tennessee/thp-carjacking-suspects-arrested-in-east-tenn-after-speeding-177-mph-in-stolen-rolls-royce/
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I’m a fan of Dandan the Fireman’s YouTube vids. Lots of forensic MC crash analysis based on helmet or chest camera video footage. In most of them, it’s the car driver’s fault, but would have been avoidable if the rider had just acted sooner/been more aware. He also has some vids of him riding his Scout and narrating his actions…why this lane position…look out for that guy up ahead, and so on. I believe he’s a certified MC safety instructor. Even for an experienced rider, watching his vids are like being a pilot in a flight simulator. Invaluable.
Mike
Yep, https://youtu.be/Xa5X9qp3Vc0
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And then there are people like this . . .
https://www.wjhl.com/news/regional/tennessee/thp-carjacking-suspects-arrested-in-east-tenn-after-speeding-177-mph-in-stolen-rolls-royce/
If you're gonna jack a car, GO BIG!
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Before my squad wound be dismissed from line up, the last thing our SGT would say was “remember guys, every motorist out there hates you “:(
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Yep, https://youtu.be/Xa5X9qp3Vc0
This bloke talks a lot of sense - I shall watch more
Cheers
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When a vehicle stops in front of me and I am forced to stop I pull to the right edge of the vehicle. I next keep my eye in the mirror for cars behind me as well as have it in 1st gear with the clutch pulled in. If I see a vehicle closing too fast behind me I will dump the clutch and head off the berm. I feel safer and more at home off road than I do on road. I have had to do that more than once in my 50+ years of riding.
Good practice, especially on an interstate if traffic has to slow or stop. One can can relax a little after the first road tractor has your back👍