Hit or Be Hit

[Sven]

Tuesday, April 17, 2007--Close calls and near misses are, unfortunately, par for the course for motorcycle riders.   Everyone here is well aware of the problems associated with motorcycle visibility and distracted drivers.  Here in Memphis where lane change indicator lights are seldom used, the importance of defensive riding (and driving) is taken to new a level.

I've been fortunate to have only a couple close calls that I would term a "potential accident", both due to drivers who have nearly changed lanes (moved to the left lane) into me. It seems a lot of drivers do not check the left lane visually and are simply relying on their left mirror or rear view mirror when making lane changes.

Like drivers of other vehicles, motorcycle riders are taught to avoid being in another vehicle's "blind spot"; the relatively short length of a motorcycle makes this especially critical for riders.  In the two instances which I came closest to being hit, I was *not* in another vehicle's blind spot, I was right next to the driver of the other vehicle.  Had the drivers simply used peripheral vision, they would have seen me; had they turned toward their window, I could have made eye contact with them.  In both instances, the driver simply *did not bother to look* for a vehicle next to them...they would just have easily hit a car driving next to them.  In both instances, I was able to either speed up or slow down and avoid being sideswiped into the afterlife.

Today I had something entirely new happen:  I nearly hit a bicyclist.  I was stopped in the left turn lane of what is otherwise a two-lane road.  On the right side of the oncoming lane, I saw a *teenage* boy on one of those bikes with the small wheels, and he was one of those lousy bike riders where the bike wobbles left and right as he pedals because he is too big for it and can't ride smoothly.  When he got to the front of the line of traffic, he stopped long enough to see that there was no cross traffic, then proceeded ahead of his lane of traffic.  In other words, he ran a red light because there was no cross-traffic.
 
Unfortunately, the turn lanes had already been given a green left turn arrow, and I had started moving into the turn when he wobbled out in front of me.  I never anticipated that he wouldn't even look at the traffic light and would just proceed without knowing what other vehicles might be doing.  With the Bandit's power, I was already gaining pretty good speed when I had to abruptly stop mid-turn to avoid hitting the idiot.  (And unfortunately, the fact that he had totally ignored traffic signals would not have helped me if I had; the courts would have had no sympathy for the mean old white man who ran over the poor black teenager who is apparently so stupid he should not be allowed out of the house alone.)
 
So, I stopped just a couple feet short of the idiot kid.  I was mid-lean and had to straighten quickly to avoid tipping over.  I never found time to hit my horn, and just yelled expletives into my helmet at him as he loped by.  I'm not sure he *ever* saw me...he seemed to be looking up the street to see that there was *still* no oncoming traffic.  I'm not sure he ever understood that oncoming traffic was stopped because they had a red light.  Or perhaps he did know exactly what he was doing and figured the rest of the world would act responsibly in the absence of his doing so.  If so, I see a bright future for him as a driver, yapping into a cell phone while he swerves from lane to lane as cars, motorcycles and old ladies with walkers litter the road in his wake.

[Red01]

Just goes to show you... morons come in all forms!
for avoiding an accident!

In the two instances which I came closest to being hit, I was *not* in another vehicle's blind spot, I was right next to the driver of the other vehicle.  Had the drivers simply used peripheral vision, they would have seen me; had they turned toward their window, I could have made eye contact with them.  In both instances, the driver simply *did not bother to look* for a vehicle next to them...they would just have easily hit a car driving next to them.  In both instances, I was able to either speed up or slow down and avoid being sideswiped into the afterlife.

Don't count on them seeing you, even when they look you in the eye!

I had an old guy that looked like a skinny Col Sanders in his white Chrysler minivan look me square in the eyes on the freeway a couple of summers ago and move right (left, actually) into my lane anyway... and I was in the right half of my lane. I could have reached out and knocked on his window - except that would have meant taking my hand off the throttle and probably getting hit by him. Instead, I drifted left, all the way onto the shoulder, dropped two gears and blasted out of there. I'm sure he noticed his windshield getting pelted by the debris kicked up by the mighty B12, but I didn't stick around to ask him.
 

[interfuse]

I had a close call with a pedistrian last year that really freaked me out.

A group of 4 girls were jaywalking across a 4 lane road coming from the left side to the right side. Traffic was stopped at the light when they started to cross probably about 100 ft ahead of the lights. I was in the far right lane. The light turned green and I knew I'd run them down if I didn't change lanes. So I accelerated and cut across 4 lanes so they'd be able to get arcoss the road. Well, wouldn't you know it. One girl in the group got scared and went from the middle of the road back to the side she just came from. I was already moving at a good clip because I had to accelerate to cut across the traffic. I ended up being inches from her. My heart just dropped when I realized what had happened. Luckily we didn't hit, but it was way to close for my comfort.

I guess the lesson I learned was never under estimate the stupidity of people.

[Red01]

Another of Mike's failed attempts at picking up a chick?    

[Sven]

Another of Mike's failed attempts at picking up a chick?    

Yeah, you know, when they're in a full body cast and on pain meds, they are *totally* hot!  (And can't defend themselves...)

[interfuse]

Next time I'll try harder to hit the lovely young ladies... maybe we'd end up as roomies at the hospital.  

[SmokeyAndTheBandit]

Don't count on them seeing you, even when they look you in the eye!

I hear that! I had an incident last year with a trucker pulling out in front of me. It's a good thing I was paying close attention or I wouldn't be here typing this.

[CWO4GUNNER]

[ZenMan]

I've always had the attitude that every car out there is a guided missile specifically tuned to my frequency. They're all out to get me.

I've been fortunate on the street, (knocking on my head for lack of any other wood within reach) only had one bad one T-boning a car that appeared in front of me from the other side of a moving van... I jumped at impact, flew over the car and landed on the other side... the bike was pretty bent but I just had some big purple bruises.

Had a few bad get-offs on the track though... the last of which I hit the tire wall, shocked my spinal cord and I wasn't sure if I'd ever walk again. That's when I quit racing. All the broken bones before that were just an inconvenience... the thought of being a permanent paraplegic made up my mind.

But I wonder if all the racing "incidents" on the track stacked the deck as far as my odds on the street? Paid my dues where there were no cars and ambulances at the ready... maybe it was the "probability factor" that CWO mentioned? Hmmm...  

Having a super-heightened sense of awareness and sharp peripheal vision is a must... but since my glaucoma and middle-age reflexes set in, I just try to avoid traffic as much as possible. Moving to the country was a great decision. If I lived in a big city I'd think twice about riding in congested rush-hour madness with crazies who have too much caffiene and too many cell phones.

Riding a bike develops acute awareness anyway... even at my age and with my vision handicap I'm still a hell of a lot sharper than most teenage cagers. But being sharp and being worried are two different things... if I was always scared of getting run over it wouldn't be any fun.  

[Sven]

I actually trimmed this essay, which was written to flex my muscles before tackling a work assignment.  Here's a related issue I trimmed before posting:

I have had similar issues with drivers who knowingly moved into my lane, assuming that because I am on a smaller vehicle, I can let them use my lane to avoid an upcoming lane merge, avoid a pothole, etc.  They know I'm there, but they don't respect my space. Because I and the other drivers both knew that I my space was being imposed upon, there was never an issue of potential danger; they knew I was there and were not going to hit me, and they knew I would yield my right of way in self-preservation

[pmackie]

I just try to avoid traffic as much as possible. Moving to the country was a great decision.

Well, even in the country, there are things to hit...

I had a near impact experience yesterday with a deer.  Up out of the ditch on the right, giving me just enough time to swerve left. I was sure I was going to hit it. Buddies behind me said the deer jumped over the rear of the bike, but I'm sure I was just past him before he jumped.

We were eyeball to eyeball as I went past him. I'm sure if I didn't have my helmet on, I could have smelled his breath. Closest I've ever come without actually hitting one.

[Sven]

Well, even in the country, there are things to hit...I had a near impact experience yesterday with a deer.

I've had a couple experiences with deer.  One was by the side of the road and chose to head off into the woods.  Scarier was the deer the bounded over/out of a hug mass of kudzu, across the road, and disappeared into the kudzu over there.  All I had time was to think "Don't stop!"  Or maybe I thought "Oh sh--" which was all the time U had before it was all just sweatty history.

For al you northerners, kudzu is a vine which grows all over the south, lines the roadways, very dense, much thicker than any woods.

[stormi]

the recommendation was to drive a cage for a while to reset the odds back to neutral

Well there's a "benefit to living in the frozen north then,... every six months we get a "time out".

Of course, I've had my fair share of scares too.  

The first summer I was riding Dita, I was stuck in traffic, waiting for a train.  I was in the left lane, but to my left was a merge lane, for traffic coming out of the local costco.

After about 5 mins of sitting there, I saw, in the corner of my eye, a semi's nose enter my vision.  I turned my head to the left, and saw it come up along side me.  Blocking the intersection behind us, stopped in the merge lane.  He had no business being there, he hadn't been turning from the costco, he came straight through the intersection.  But in being in that lane to do this, I assumed he'd seen me, because he didn't make the lane change right then to the lane that he was going to need, and thus run me over.  I stood up ( cos on dita I can do that.   ) and made direct eye contact with the guy.  Once I'd made eye contact, I nodded my head.  The train was finally gone, and traffic was starting to move, but not as far as where I was yet.  Suddenly, from the left corner of my vision, I start to see movement.

The semi was starting to merge into my  lane, right behind the minivan I was behind!  I honked the horn, and waved my arms, trying to get the guy's attention.  Again, he looked directly at me, and kept moving.  Luckily, traffic in the lane to my right had started moving enough, and the pickup truck beside me saw what was happening, and let me in.   I managed a "lane split", my first ever, from a dead stop, in time to share my lane (1/3 to me, and 2/3 to him) with the semi.

I called his trucking company as soon as I got to where I was going.

[Sven]

The semi was starting to merge into my  lane, right behind the minivan I was behind!  I honked the horn, and waved my arms, trying to get the guy's attention.  Again, he looked directly at me, and kept moving.

Because he his needs are more important than yours, and he knew he could force you to do what he wanted.

Unfortunately, a small minority of truck drivers make the rest of them look bad.  Every occupation should police the ethics and behavior of their own kind out of professional pride.

[CWO4GUNNER]