[bob250]

Coming back from lunch and some lady dang near pulls out in front of me. I think the only reason she eventually saw me was she heard me lock my brakes. I went from 35 to 10 in about a second and a half. I could not tell if she was on a cell phone or just in her own world, but my I’m still trying to unpucker. Actually, it’s kind of funny now but I’ll tell that MSF stuff came in real handy. I did everything right except for downshifting. Part of me wanted to go back and slap the shit out her and part of me had a mini corinary. Anybody else had close calls with idiots on four wheels? Now I’m wondering if the right thing to do would be give them a verbal lashing or just ride away and thank the motorcycle gods that the shiney side is still up. Ride safe everyone.

[Sangria7]

I hear ya man….so the first ride after my MSF course…a lady turns left in front of me…after only looking to her right.

I just thought to myself…WOW. Luckily I anticipated her stupidity and approached slowly.

[fotobits]

I had one just last week on the way home from work. Some yahoo in a brand new Ford Explorer pulled out of a gas station without stopping. I had just turned off a highway onto the street leading into our subdivision, going slightly uphill. I was wearing my white and red leather jacket. So much for visibility. The Explorer driver was looking right through me. I saw him coming and knew he wasn’t going to stop, and I wouldn’t have time to stop without hitting his truck, so I cracked the throttle about 3/4 open in first gear and pulled a nice wheelie* across his front side. When I set it down and looked in my mirror he was stopped in the middle of the street gripping the steering wheel with his eyes wide open. OK, I only imagined the eyes wide open part, but I do believe I got his attention.

*I do not condone wheelies on the street, but this was a matter of (cough) safety.

[Rupmisc]

Happens all the time. Glad you are unhurt enough to be angry.

[Matt]

Yup, happens all the time, and Rupmisc has it right: Being angry beats being hurt any day of the week.
—
“The two seconds between ‘Oh S**!’ and the crash isn’t a lot of practice time.”

[Budd]

Give it a little more time and you will see it coming a mile away. Just think that people are going to do the stupidest thing possible in order to endanger your life. Don’t act like you are invisible. Act like they want to kill you.

“I am the best there is at what I do, and what I do ain’t nice.”-Wolverine

[dcJohn]

Glad you’re ok!

With < 400 miles I've already had someone try to drive right over me. Yesterday an older fellow in an Expedition (because what octogenarian doesn't need a massive SUV for their afternoon drive to the mall?) tried to change lanes right over me mid-turn. It was shortly after a light (T intersection), so at least the speed wasn't that that high. I didn't locate the horn right away, and I was very tempted to try and kick the side of his truck to get his attention and stop the lane change (aka: bad idea theater). Although, in my defense, while the MSF training warns about kicking dogs, it says nothing about kicking negligent old driver's SUVs. I was fuming for the next couple of blocks, plotting different ways to dramatically get across the message that the guy should pay more attention to where he directed his land barge. But then I remembered an old story from my days of hanging out at zen retreats:
—-
Two monks were returning to the monastery in the evening. It had rained and there were puddles of water on the road sides. At one place a beautiful young woman was standing unable to walk accross because of a puddle of water. The elder of the two monks went up to a her, lifted her in his arms, and carried her to the other side of the road, and continued his way to the monastery.
In the evening the younger monk came to the elder monk and said, “Sir, as monks, we should not touch a woman ?”
The elder monk answered “yes, brother”.
Then the younger monk asks again, ” but then Sir, how is that you lifted that woman on the roadside ?”
The elder monk smiled at him and told him ” I left her on the other side of the road, but you are still carrying her “
—-

And so, I let go of that anger and started working on practicing finding my horn in a pinch.
John

[Neezy007]

I always thought people use the “I didn’t see him” as a cop out after a crash.
And in my MSF class the instructor (who is a police officer) said the top 2 things he hears after a crash between a bike and a car.
“I didn’t see him” and “he was speeding”.
Well if you didn’t see him how did you know he was speeding?
Funny isn’t it?

[eon]

There was a study done in the UK about SMIDSY’s (Sorry mate, I didn’t see you) to try and understand why there so many of these accidents. Basically, our brains are not good at seeing a small object moving directly towards us. They are good at seeing movement but if you are heading directly towards someone, there is no movement to see and their brain filters you out and puts you in with the background. It is not until they move out that suddenly you move relative to the background and they register you and then freeze in shock right in front of you.

Moral of the story is you need to expect this to happen, even if they are looking right at you they literally may not see you.

[Anonymous]

I agree that bikes aren’t as well seen. You know that when you first get on one. I ride one frequently and have accepted this. If you ride a motorcycle you will too. When on a Motorcycle YOU are the volnerable one. So act like it. Just as any vlnerable animal in the world…if you are not aware of your surroundings and do not anticipate trouble…you will not be around long. Doesn’t make it right….but “it is what it is”. Lesson for new riders..”coulda, shoulda, woulda” doesn’t hold up well when your dead. Watch out for yourself! No one else will.

[Author]

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