On my morning motorcycle commute, an idiot in a car about took me out

[IDemo]

Since still another post of the "Attack The Other" nature has popped up regarding the ongoing war between the 4-wheeled and the 2-wheeled, here's my contribution: Pay the fuck attention to the environment outside your metal cage when you're blasting down the interstate! If your motoring ineptness only causes a paint blemish or dent for the unfortunate in a car in the next lane, it will likely cause a motorcyclist to go down, with injury or death the result.

The above-mentioned blissfully unaware driver decided my lane was more lemony-fresh than his and commenced a lane change toward me. I moved right and laid on the horn (which isn't a lot of volume on a production bike), and he swerved back into his lane just long enough to turn the signal on and resumed moving toward me as if the lack of a turn signal was his only offense. This happened only a few hundred feet from where an identical incident occurred exactly 24 hours earlier with a more unfortunate result for the biker.

Disclaimer - I have ridden bicycles, motorcycles and driven cars for decades, so I understand perfectly well the issues and frustrations faced by each of these groups.

[enough]

1. Are you okay? (nt)

[IDemo]

4. I'm fine, thanks

This is the third time this has happened the past year.

[guitar man]

2. Thia can't be said enough

"Pay the fuck attention to the environment outside your metal cage when you're blasting down the interstate!"

+1000 :applause:

Hope you're doing OK!

[HopeHoops]

6. How can you pay attention when you're yacking/texting, watching a DVD and playing with the GPS?

:shrug:

[guitar man]

13. no kidding

They're building more and more distractions into cars these days :(

[MineralMan]

3. If you were alongside the car, there's a very good chance

that you were literally invisible to the driver. Sometimes that's unavoidable, as in heavy traffic, but if it's avoidable, it should be avoided as a basic principle of motorcycle riding.

The reality is that car drivers WON'T watch for you. The reality is that you're often essentially invisible to them. As my father, a lifelong rider, told me when I got my first motorcycle, "Always assume that every four wheeled vehicle will try to kill you and avoid that possibility." His advice is very good advice.

Things are rarely as they should be, but they're always as they are. Insisting that others do what they're supposed to do is a good way to get into an accident on a motorcycle. They will not do what they're supposed to do. That is the rule.

[IDemo]

9. I've ridden for nearly 35 years

And I'm well familiar with all the wisdoms associated with cycling. It's obviously impossible to avoid being adjacent to other vehicles on public roads, but particularly on a freeway. It's the responsibility of a car or truck driver to be aware of traffic on the periphery as well as in front. If you are going to make a lane change, it can only be done safely by looking in the direction you're moving before moving.

But yeah, it's safe to assume they really are out to get you.

[MineralMan]

12. Yes, it is their responsibility to do that. However, a good percentage

of drivers will not do it. It's not right, but it's real.

In my many years of riding, I made every attempt to avoid crowded freeways, for just that reason. Four-wheelers WILL change lanes into you.

[tridim]

5. Idiot drivers are why I don't ride a motorcycle any more.

[Lasher]

7. As a motorcyclist, you must always be prepared to yield the right of way if you can.

Even if you are right, you don't want to be dead right. People on the highway are conditioned to look for another car or truck, and sometimes fail to see a motorcycle while looking directly at it. This can sometimes be true also of animals like crows and deer.

Be alert at all times. That driver might not see you and pull right out in front of you. Always anticipate that and be prepared to stop. Using your horn is good. I just goosed the engine a little in those cases because I had a Harley.

[snooper2]

8. yep, and while yielding stick a size 12 right on the side of the door panel

There's a certain finesse to it :P

[Lasher]

11. I'm good with that.

Ride to live. Live to ride.

[Spike89]

21. Done exactly that, (kicked at a car) but never again

Basically, I found myself in pretty much the same situation described in the OP, a car drifting into my lane. My horn didn't seem to penetrate the driver's fog, so I kicked his passenger door. I've been riding since I was too young to do so legally and when this happened, I was in my 30s (about 20 years ago). Despite being a very skilled rider, I almost lost it with that move. Aside from the tricky, but somewhat natural balance-shifting involved in delivering a kick, the real problem is you're freaking out the dim-witted/distracted driver of a vehicle that is obviously too close and can kill you. It is almost 100% that they will respond erratically. In my case, the idiot hit his brakes and pulled toward me--fortunately he slowed quickly enough/veered just slowly enough to miss taking out my rear wheel.

Don't ever do that, except maybe as a last act as you slide under the wheels--it didn't even provide enough satisfaction to come close to being worth the scare I gave myself. You may get lucky, but really you can't do much damage--generating any leverage at all is simply too dangerous.

[tularetom]

10. Unfortunately, if you're riding a motorcycle

you have to think not only for yourself but for every asshole driving an automobile on the road with you.

Because they are not thinking for themselves and half the time they can't even see you.

Fourteen years ago one of them forced me onto the gravel shoulder where I laid the bike over and wound up sliding about 100 feet on my right side and took a couple pounds of flesh off my arm. Since I was 55 years old and had only one functioning eye, I decided it was time to hang it up.

[kentauros]

14. I don't know enough about motocycles to know where the horn-button is.

But is it possible you could either rig an airhorn up or get a louder electric horn to replace the one you have now? I know that's not always an option (I often wish I had a train horn on my Civic for the dimbulbs on their phones.)

Glad you're okay and staying attentive. We could use more attentive driving on the roads :hi:

[IDemo]

15. They do make much louder horns, including air horns

I don't know why they even ship bikes with the pathetic original equipment horns. You may as well just yell "ME-Meep!" I'm definitely going to upgrade soon.

[kentauros]

17. Yeah, that's pretty pathetic.

And even really electric-bright colors don't get people's attention, whether on motorcycles, bikes or other cars. Other than loud horns and strobe lights, there's not much else that will penetrate their foggy minds...

[Liberal_in_LA]

16. Glad you lived.

[elocs]

18. This is the reason I gave up motorcycles some 30 years ago

when it seemed like every car was out to kill me. I got tired of riding with my heart in my throat all the time anticipating that the car with its left blinker on coming at me would turn right in front of me.

Besides, here in Wisconsin the enjoyable bike riding season is not long.

[UTUSN]

19. Well some bikers want it both ways. More often than not NO helmet.

And I've seen highway lighted notices lecturing the rest of the world to take care of, be watchful for, bikers. Um, O.K., but then it rubs me wrong when the wingnut variety of biker attacks Libs for intrusive, liberty-robbing laws like helmet laws (and seat belts in cars).

I've seen two dudes in lifelong comas, age in their 30s, because of their refusal to wear a helmet.

So, I'm just a wee tone deaf to bikers' gripes. There are idiots in any group (car drivers), but that doesn't glorify the "issues and frustrations" of *one* category.

[Spike89]

22. What does one have to do with the other?

Even though I'm a daily rider (about a 20 mile RT commute), I don't have a strong position on helmet laws--they've gone back and forth in my state a couple times. What does the seat belt or helmet status of a driver/rider have to do with this topic? It isn't "both ways"--I'm presuming both helmeted and non-helmeted riders would appreciate cagers driving responsibly--do you think that a rider without a helmet is "asking" to be hit?

For what it's worth, I wear a helmet always. I do know without any doubt whatsoever that doing so does raise my chances of being in an accident--I lose a bit of vision, lots of hearing, and a bit of fear with a helmet. I also get fatigued on longer rides, again, raising the risk. Of course, I judge the increased risk small enough to be balanced by the protection--but it is NOT as clear cut as non riders often assume.

Furthermore, for instances such as the one described in the OP, freeway driving, the safety advantages of helmets are pretty minor--go down in traffic at 65+ MPH, your odds of surviving have little to do with whether you've got a helmet on or not.

[IDemo]

24. I've always worn a helmet

And have avoided collisions for over three decades of riding. That's a separate issue from the safe handling of a vehicle in traffic, though.

If you feel I'm just trying to "glorify the 'issues and frustrations' of motorcyclists", maybe it's because I'm sick and tired of the ignorance and lack of awareness and skill with motorists in general. I take having my life stupidly placed in danger very personally, and I can empathize with those like the poor rider in the link I posted who didn't escape the same situation as I had. Drivers tests should be much more difficult to pass and require occasional follow-ups.

[UTUSN]

25. To #s 22 & 24, the helmet thing was to explain why I'm a tad

cool to bikers' gripes. Adding more here would only repeat what I said before.

[Wait Wut]

20. Glad you're okay.

I've given it up just in time for my son to get his first Harley and age me more quickly. He's been riding since he was 8, so he's well aware of safety, etc. But, it's situations like yours that remind me that no amount of safety on the bikers part can prevent some idiot in a car from taking your life. I've lost 5 friends in just under 3 years, all due to drivers negligence. Two made left turns right in front of my friends, one was a situation identical to yours except with a cliff involved, two were killed by a drunk driver (those two were wearing helmets).

My boss (who rides) and I were having a similar discussion yesterday. One thing that really bugs the hell outta me is cars that follow too close. Tailgating another car is one thing. It's a fender bender. Bikes can stop a lot quicker than a car and if there isn't enough room for the car to come to a complete stop, it can be fatal for the biker.

[ThomWV]

23. I'm 64, been riding since I was 14. Its always been the same

Clowns in cages, drifting through a fog, no a fucking clue on the face of this earth what's going on around them. If you've been riding about as long as I have, and it appears you have, then you know how it goes, and I'd be willing to bet that you have had at least one friend be run down by someone making a left hand turn.