Kinda shook up..

[dauphinc]

So I was riding about 15 minutes ago when I was going down a 2 way road. An old lady in a POS ford escort turned left in front of me..I slammed on brakes, hit the horn,and just stopped from 45mph while she took her time during the turn. I would have gone thru her window. She was turning into a retirement community. She needs her damn
license taken away. I don't know what to say. Quick thinking and good gear that I didn't have to use made me feel better. This is the first time something like this has happened.

[centuryghost]

That's how I got into my first accident. The lady said she didn't see me (with my brights on, loud ass exhaust and 1pm on a sunny day). Came down right on top of my shoei. Walked away with a few bruises and a bent cb350f.

[badguy]

Crap!  Glad you had the time to brake before hitting her.  I've been lucky enough to have avoided that situation so far, but oncoming cars with their left-turn signals on still make me nervous...

[BaltimoreGS]

Get used to it.  You will experience that and many other dumb moves over and over again.  Keeping your speed in check and being ready to react is your best defense.  Practice hard breaking in a parking lot so you will be ready if you need to use it.  I still have a bad habit of locking the rear brake in a quick stop.

-Jessie

[Chuck500]

Twice in the last six months I have encountered car going the wrong way on streets leading to the highway from work.   Fortunately there was a good "out" in both cases.   I pays to be alert and of course ATGATT.

Keep the shiny side up,

Chuck

[JonM1211]

I hear ya.

Just a couple weeks ago I was at a light for a small intersection. It was about 9pm at night. I was up front, nothing behind me -- until I heard tires screech. The guy didnt even see me, or the red light. He didnt have time to stop, so before I knew it the dude swerved about two feet to my left going about 50 as he ran the light.

It wouldve killed or severely injured me if he didnt swerve out of my way in time. Freaky stuff.

[BaltimoreGS]

I hear ya.

Just a couple weeks ago I was at a light for a small intersection. It was about 9pm at night. I was up front, nothing behind me -- until I heard tires screech. The guy didnt even see me, or the red light. He didnt have time to stop, so before I knew it the dude swerved about two feet to my left going about 50 as he ran the light.

It wouldve killed or severely injured me if he didnt swerve out of my way in time. Freaky stuff.

That's why it's a good idea to keep your bike in gear when stopped at a light and watch your mirrors.

-Jessie

[PachmanP]

Dizzam close call! Glad it was just that not a mess.

[tt_four]

I have absolutely no clue how someone can get their license when they're 16, and all the have to do is go get their picture retaken every 4 years and they're allowed to drive until they die. I think people should be retested ever 10 years or so, and then once you're over 60 it should be knocked down to every 5 years at the most. I know, I know.... "but how will I get my medication......", I don't know what to tell you, if you're not capable of driving safely, you shouldn't be allowed to drive. Give the keys to your Caddy to your grandson and pick up a mobility scooter.

[Paulcet]

Ride for a while longer and you will probably be able to predict the idiot's move.  I usually see those type of things coming and adjust and ride on.  Flip 'em off if you think it will make you feel better.....  I might attempt to remove a side mirror if the opportunity presents itself, but most of us should just let it go.

[dauphinc]

I have absolutely no clue how someone can get their license when they're 16, and all the have to do is go get their picture retaken every 4 years and they're allowed to drive until they die. I think people should be retested ever 10 years or so, and then once you're over 60 it should be knocked down to every 5 years at the most. I know, I know.... "but how will I get my medication......", I don't know what to tell you, if you're not capable of driving safely, you shouldn't be allowed to drive. Give the keys to your Caddy to your grandson and pick up a mobility scooter.

110% f'ing agreed. How granny at 300 years old was driving is beyond me.

[ineedanap]

Ride for a while longer and you will probably be able to predict the idiot's move.  I usually see those type of things coming and adjust and ride on.  Flip 'em off if you think it will make you feel better.

Exactly...although I still flip them off...and yes it does make me feel better.   

[DoD#i]

I have absolutely no clue how someone can get their license when they're 16, and all the have to do is go get their picture retaken every 4 years and they're allowed to drive until they die. I think people should be retested ever 10 years or so, and then once you're over 60 it should be knocked down to every 5 years at the most. I know, I know.... "but how will I get my medication......", I don't know what to tell you, if you're not capable of driving safely, you shouldn't be allowed to drive. Give the keys to your Caddy to your grandson and pick up a mobility scooter.

States vary - some states do have re-testing at old age, others don't - remember, old people vote, so such laws are generally unpopular except in the wake of a tragedy involving children (not motorcyclists)  close enough to election time for anyone to remember. Even with 4 or 5 year cycles, that's time enough for a great deterioration before a retest is due, if the body is failing. Unfortunately, few seniors have the sense to stop driving while their car is still intact - it almost always takes a serious accident before anyone in the family  (it's rare  for the state to actually act and remove their license) is willing to confront the person who's been driving while not really capable, and even with the accident few of the drivers will admit to being at fault (the tree just jumped out in front of me!). Most fenders at senior housing are dinged, and few cars are lined up with the stripes on the lot.

[dauphinc]

I agree with the idea of how hard it is to take their licenses. They are veterans and stuff!! But it's too bad it takes some serious tragedy on the road (like the one I avoided narrowly) before they give up those keys to the caddys and POS early 90's Fords. I would've been found on the road dead and not the ford!

[Adfalchius]

Some good advice given to me: "ride like everybody you see is a complete and utter MORON."  Another guy told me "pretend like they ARE out to get you."  This has worked so well that I find myself cursing people out as soon as they reach my 12 second scan. 

[mister]

Anticipating traffic should come easier to you now - as it has now made you more aware. And if not, then Practice while you're riding. Talk to yourself. try to Guess what this driver will do, or that driver, and WHY you think that.

Yesterday I had four Lane Invasions (LI). I anticipated All of them. Swerved to the far side of the lane and gave a throttle twist for good measure.

LI # 1. Guy is merging onto a motorway. Four lanes. He is coming from the farthest lane - I am in the fast lane. He is up head still trying to get up to speed. I see him curt someone off to get next lane over. Now one lane is between us. As I am still going faster than him I see him glance in his mirror and come over and at this point I start evasive. I start moving to the other side of my lane and giving Extra throttle while watching him. He's looking straight ahead. No mirror glances. No shoulder check. Just right across two lanes of traffic into my lane. But I was already gone.

LI # 2: Fast lanes on motorway are chockablock. I'm cruising down the slow lane - where mergers come on. No-one in front of me, noone behind me. Potential merger looks over should and sees me. Doesn't try to accelerate. Doesn't brake. Just comes right on out. Too late. I'd already moved to the other side of the lane and accelerated away.

Someone coming the other way and you're concerned they'll turn in front of you? Start swerving. Like you're doing an invisible slalom. THAT will make them pause... Two cars. One behind the other. *I* can see they both want to turn across me. First one starts going. He shoulda waited. But he cannot be 20 seconds late for work and must turn into the no-other-access industrial estate NOW. I think to myself... self, they are probably work mates and racing each other to work, 2nd guy will try to go. I immediately start evasive swerve. The other guy DID start to go - BUT - stopped (quarter in my lane) as he was now unsure what I was doing. If he'd gone I was already halfway through evasive and would have been fine. As it was, it just was a few side-to-side weaves (from his POV).

The thing that puzzles me the most about Others Drivers is... when they do a dumbass thing - like pull out on a car at a roundabout or whatever - and get the horn beep for it or something, they don't plant the foot and get the heck out of the danger zone. No. They hit the picks and stop. Now the oncoming car has nowhere to go but smack bang in their side.

Michael

[tt_four]

If I get to where I'm going without almost getting killed, I consider it an amazing ride. I almost get run over 3 times every day on the way to or from work whether I'm on my bicycle or motorcycle. If I didn't assume that everyone on the road was going to kill me, they definitely would.

[gsJack]

The most dangerous group of drivers on the road are the 15-25 year olds, always have been and always will be.  Most accidents and most fatalities of any group agewise.  Check your insurance rates and the accident stats, they are the highest for the 15-25 year olds because they are the most deadly.  I would suggest if you seriously want to cut down the highway fatalities you raise the age to start driving to 25, wait until they grow up a little before turning them loose with such deadly weapons as automobiles.  And do something about cell phones and driving.  Using a cell to text or talk while driving is as dangerous as drunk driving.  About time they enforce cell phone use the same as they now enforce drunk driving.  I get cut off frequently by young to middle aged cell phone drivers but can't remember the last time I saw a mature driver talking on a cell while driving or the last time a mature driver cut me off.  In 26 years and over 370,000 miles of motorcycle riding I have only been hit and injured once by another vehicle, that was a 20 year old hit skip driver that clipped me from behind and fled.  When they caught him they only slapped his wrists with a modest fine and it took three years and a lawyer to get paid for damages by his insurance company.

[tt_four]

There's no doubt young drivers are trouble. I don't see many old people on cell phones, but I feel like in my daily life I have the worst time with people in the 30-50 age range. Kids are wound up and don't pay attention, but when it comes to being in the city everyone pays a little more attention. The people here that cause problems are the ones who downright don't care, and are overly aggressive. Younger people don't usually have as much stress, and I think a lot of younger people are still driving in smaller cars. Older people either need a massive SUV because their kids are more important than everyone elses, or else it's a guy who needs a massive pickup truck to make up for how sad his life is.

I do have daily run ins with people who cut me off because they didn't see me, but most of them just see someone on a bicycle and don't care. It's the people who try to pass me with only 2 inches of clearance between me and their car, or the people who pass me only to slam on their brakes to make a right turn, or just sit behind me screaming that I'm in their way. The other part of living in town, is even though it's my home, it's nothing but the place that people from the suburbs work, so they in no way drive with the consideration that there are people and children around. I basically live in the one barrier between their office and their home and all they want is me out of their way. That is why I feel like the 30-50 age range is a pain.

[gsJack]

Ok, lets hang the worst driver's crown on the 30-50 age group, my kids are past 50 now.     I can imagine riding a motorcycle around the PGH area could be very interesting, I have driven around PGH many times but circle around it when I ride my bike to see my brother in Little Washington.  I lived in the Ben Avon and Avalon area for a few years but moved from there to the Chicago area when I was 12 and I remember riding all over that area with my brother before that on bicycles when we were kids and traffic wasn't nearly as bad way back then as it is now.  Are you right in Pittsburgh?  A couple of my favorite great grandchildren live in the West Mifflin area now.