RabYou said:
“I’m always nervous about whizzing past a line of slow-moving cars…you never know when someone, frustrated by his slow pace and seeing what he/she thinks is an opening, is going to decide to pull out right into your lane without looking. You @ 45mph + Him @ 5mph = you crashing into him @ 40 mph. Ugh.”
Yup! Almost happened to me on the freeway one evening.
I was doing an indicated 80 mph in the fast lane when I suddenly came upon a stretch of freeway where the lane next to me had really slowed to stop and go speeds. Next thing I know, some guy in a big panel van lumbers out of his slow lane and into my lane at about 5 mph… and doesn’t speed-up!!. WTF!!!???
I slammed on the brakes, could hear my tires squealing beneath me and could feel the back wheel threatening to step-out. I quickly realized there was just no way I could scrub off enough speed to avoid hitting him at speed. I had resigned myself to smashing into the back of him when I seemingly without thinking, let off the brakes and swerved past him into the space between the edge of his van and the concrete divider wall (a space of about 3 feet wide).
I was going to say “instinctively” let off the brakes and swerved past, as I don’t remember thinking about doing it, however, in hindsight, I think it was an unconscious, learned response, having been instilled in me during my MSF course and subsequent reading, that in such situations, you can either brake or swerve; there’s not enough traction for both at the same time.
That was probably about the closest I’ve come to death on a motorcycle yet.
We live and learn…
