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Cruiser
Posts: 262
Flowery Branch Ga | As others here, I drive a truck for a living. My company uses the Smith System for defensive driving training and we retrain yearly. When I ride, I am riding with the mindset of the cars see me and are trying to hit me (use the same thought process when at work). I think two of the biggest problems with the four wheeled driver is the lack of education and the perceived lack of consequence. I.E. In the Atlanta area a "lawyer" has ads claiming that big trucks equal big checks. Call him for your big truck accident claims. Also, my 18 yo neice was told it's OK to go 10 mph over the speed limit because the police won't ticket for that by a third party drivers ed instructor. There are other factors, of course, but I feel these are the two biggest. I don't think that more laws are needed, just strict enforcement of the ones we already have.
Wayne |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 752
Broken Arrow, OK | I too train yearly, company required, to drive my company truck.
I'm on the turnpikes daily between cities. Ironically, I actually "think" about my driving, the others around me, etc.
Distractions, mainly cell phones, are what I see as the major problem right now. On our 75mph turnpikes, I'm constantly passing people texting while driving with their knees and eating a burger with the other free hand. Unbelievable.
Like you said, this kind of bad habit driving is directly related to the uneducated driver. Driving seems to be the last thing on most peoples minds when operating a vehicle. |
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Tourer
Posts: 457
Green Bay, WI United States | Thanks for all the advice. I always flash my high beams more than once at an intersection and will not do that anymore. I always try to make eye to eye contact with the driver trying to enter the highway from any direction. We all ride as safe as we can, Thank God for all the ABATE Chapters that have made our riding a safer place...
Ride hard, ride fast but above all ride safe and free...
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Visionary
Posts: 1290
Ruskin, Fl | I think my truck driving experience has helped keeping me from contact with a cage. The habit if looking far ahead due to the long stopping distance of a truck equates to seeing potential hazards further in advance when on the bike.
Also the annual driver training re-enforcing always having an escape route ect. can't hurt.
Edited by cw1115 2011-09-20 7:11 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 494
Akron Ohio area | Many States sugest that we use our high-beams during daylight hours.
I do.
I also watch the wheels of vehicles attempting to merge into cross traffic.
If they start turning, I start slowing down in a hurry.
Eye contact doesn't work because they could be looking right through you. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2027
Brighton, TN | cchristo - dfo tell more about the BE POLITE and the reaction he got, it can be construed both ways. I'm anxious to hear. |
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Tourer
Posts: 337
san antonio, tx | pollolittle - 2011-09-21 9:00 AM
cchristo - dfo tell more about the BE POLITE and the reaction he got, it can be construed both ways. I'm anxious to hear.
The reaction was the same as when drivers suddenly realize that there is a police officer in the traffic. They would slow down, back off. After studying it a bit, they would generally go back to however they were driving, but a lot of the cagers would smile and sometimes wave as they went by.
The point is that they really picked up on the bike, realized it was there, and changed their immediate driving style. I never saw anyone get upset at it. Most people seemed to think it was kind of funny, and they probably felt a little sheepish.
Still, people blow by police bikes and cars all the time so it sure doesn't work for every driver on the road. I'm sure that there are some that get upset with it but at least they noticed the bike and reacted accordingly. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 53
Raleigh, NC | Great information to read before my first road trip to Rolling Thunder with my wife and my Vision. I am a very defensive driver in both my van and on my Vision. One thing I have learned is to not only look at the car in front of you, but look through it what's in front of them. Also, as many have said, I do my best to stay out of blind spots and pass cars quickly. I've seen so many stupid things on the road lately that I am contemplating getting a Go Pro and starting a video blog about things drivers do. Heaven knows I will always have plenty of material to work with. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I've gone to driving offensively because I agree that folks are doing stupid things. I want to keep the upper hand on them. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 965
New York State | As someone posted in this thread the Piaa fork lights do help with visability, not for the driver of the MC but for others seeing the MC |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 785
Mt. Vernon, WASH. | When I did intercity commuter transit work between Everett and Seattle, I discovered that a 62 foot long, 11 foot high articulated bus covered in lights and bright colors is just as invisible as I am on the bike, I NEVER am the first one into an intersection if at the front in a light to pull out, let the moron next to me go first and become the hitte, I ride like a fighter pilot, my head never stops until I'm on the slab and clear of towns or cities then my swivelling slows down but still never stops (almost got clobbered by a bald eagle taking off once, BIGBIRD!!). I pull up to a red light to one side or the other of the lane to A) stay out of the grease stripe and B) I watch the mirror until two vehicles behind me are stopped, that way if Suzie Creamcheese isn't paying attention, I've got an escape route. My insurance guy is amazed when I tell him I haven't had a ticket since Carter was President and in 47 years have never had a chargeable accident, been rear ended a few times while stopped in traffic. Diligence pays off. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | In a black Vision with a white helmet I am mistaken for a cop a lot. As soon as I switched to a white helmet I noticed a change in the drivers around me.
I have even seen vehicles coming at me reach to buckle their seat belts.
Ride Safe |
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | radioteacher - 2012-05-20 7:59 PM In a black Vision with a white helmet I am mistaken for a cop a lot. As soon as I switched to a white helmet I noticed a change in the drivers around me. I have even seen vehicles coming at me reach to buckle their seat belts. Ride Safe Yeah - that's funny how the white helmet works. Goddamned assholes nearly put it in park when they see you - more dangerous to YOU than EVER. Trust me on this one - I know !!!
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Cruiser
Posts: 259
Land O Lakes, FL | donetracey - 2011-09-17 12:03 AM
Always - ALWAYS have a 'Plan B' - when I am in that 'oncoming left turn' situation --- i.e. car approaching who has a street on HIS left (my right) I always assume that he may not see me and turn left in front of me. I assume this ESPECIALLY if he is NOT signalling a left turn - over my lifetime it's the guys who don't signal that 'left' - that make that left.
Always - ALWAYS assume it's going to be THAT GUY and be prepared - fingers and toes - ready to brake, zap the bike to the left - WHATEVER. ALWAYS !!!
That's just part of biking - being aware - and thinking. I am a consultant, a Systems Analyst/Programmer - and my problems can get .... HEAVY. So I relieve my brain by riding - and shifting my thinking from JOB - to ..... SURVIVAL !
Riding for me has always been a wonderful release from the problems of the/my world - exciting (wow - the guy missed me!) and relaxing (wow - I'm alive!).
Like 'varyder', I could discuss this a lot. My way has worked for me. One speeding ticket recently in 52 biking years, no accidents, no divorces, and NO problems with my VISION ! I am fortunate to be ALIVE, healthy and LOVED. And "Plan B Always" has played a big part in that.
Drive like THEY ALL WANT TO KILL YOU! And never stop thinking that ....
That pretty much sums me up to a "T" as well. It's the first piece of advice I give to anyone who asks me about riding or asks about starting to ride for the first time. In this gas crunch a lot of people are considering bikes as a cheaper mode of transport for commuting. I expect to see the number of bikes on the road growing more and more over the years (gas ain't gonna get cheaper, it's like income tax, it's here to stay).
It doesn't work for every situation but if you ride like everyone is going to kill you and have a plan B (sometimes C helps too) you'll last a lot longer out there. Sometimes accidents happen and there is nothing the rider can do but many situations are avoidable if you take small precautions and think ahead you can avoid a lot.
I don't know about you guys but I always get that awful gut feeling when something starts to just look wrong, or feel wrong. It happened to me yesterday, hard to explain but imagine a long radius turn on the interstate and toward the end of it is another lane that merges in so those merging can't see those coming around the bend. There are about 4 lanes across me all the way right closest to the merging lane. As I rounded the bend my speed would have put me right between a car left and merging car right. We all had our own lanes but for a split second I went "CRAP (actually it was an expletive)" if either guy decides to swap lanes guess who the monkey in the middle is? ME! So I grabbed a handful of throttle and took the option away from anyone even thinking of sandwiching me in the middle and moved through quickly so the timing didn't put me in the middle of them. And even then I was like "whew" I didn't like that at all... Just felt all wrong like this could be bad type feeling...
A lot of people don't tend to think like that. A relatively innocuous situation that anyone in a cage would have never thought twice about until one of the other idiots does the unthinkable and decides I'm gonna change lanes right NOW and smack it's lights out and 70mph. Where as identifying and a little avoidance maneuver (little throttle, little brake) takes that scenario right out of the picture...
Just some food for thought anyway on just how much thinking I do when I'm riding and hope that helps someone else not be a casualty. Like I said NOTHING is 100% but if you can reduce your risk you might just make it till tomorrow...
Edited by PhantomX 2012-05-21 9:19 AM
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | donetracey - 2012-05-21 12:27 AM
radioteacher - 2012-05-20 7:59 PM In a black Vision with a white helmet I am mistaken for a cop a lot. As soon as I switched to a white helmet I noticed a change in the drivers around me. I have even seen vehicles coming at me reach to buckle their seat belts. Ride Safe Yeah - that's funny how the white helmet works. Goddamned assholes nearly put it in park when they see you - more dangerous to YOU than EVER. Trust me on this one - I know !!! ?
I have been seen more and ignored less with the white helmet on my Vision. Yes, people do slow down in front of me to the speed limit. But that is OK. I should not be riding faster then then the limit anyway.
I love the space they give me at a light. It used to be that some people would love to see how close they could pull up behind me but not any more.
I need to make a video of my new lights since they are now complete. I added four amber Sound Off Signal Intersectors. http://www.soundoffinc.com/warnamber/surfacemnt/sm_Intersector.html
These are the same lights used on the front of the Victory Vision Police bikes. The Gen3 LED's are really bright. They cover over 180 degrees with each light.
I have turned them on twice in a danger spot on my way home. This is where I merge on a road that is 40 mph and the cars in front of me are doing 40....but the cars behind me are coming off a 65 mph road and are doing 65 or 70. To add to the issue...at the merge point it goes from two lanes to one lane for construction.
I have had two cars try to cut me off at the barrels that merge to one lane and slow down.
Flipping on the "Warning" amber LED strobe lights stopped their aggressive behavior. They slowed down and got in line.
Ride Safe
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | PhantomX,
I am always looking for a way out. I really like the times I am at the beginning or end of a light so I can ride in the gap between flights of cars.
Ride Safe |
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Throwing it out for discussion
