Scared S***less

[sombo]

Ok, so tonight I had the crap scared out of me as I saw my life flash before me in a split second. I was heading out to go get gas on the bike. I was quietly waiting at the red light of the intersection leading out of my apartment complex. The light goes green and I start to head off turning left.

Suddenly I notice in the left lane of the traffic to my left a car coming up quickly to the light. Just before crossing into the left lane I realized that he's not stopping. So I stopped up right then and there on a dime and able to give you 9 cents change. Sure enough the &*%&^%*$ kept going through the intersection with the passenger looking at me like I was the idiot trying to go through a red light and them having the green. I estimate they were doing almost 40+mph at the time. I had enough time to imagine just how much damage that car would have done to my body from a side impact.

To make it worse the &*%*&^%$ was driving a simple faded white Caprice Classic that looked like it used to be a taxi cab or cop car and it still had on the paper temp tag. So trying to track him down and report him to the cops would be next to impossible and useless. Either way it both scared me, to realize how close I came to being in the hospital, and pissed me off because the guy ran an obviously red light with other cars stopped in the right lane and cross traffic starting to move.

The more I ride my bike the more I hate car drivers because I keep seeing more and more idiots on the road nearly killing people everyday.

[Kawikaze]

Glad you came out okay on that one.

My most recent incident was about a week ago. I was stopped at the light, flashing my brakes as usual to alert the drivers behind me when the car in the lane next to mine happened to come to a screeching halt about 20 feet into the intersection, narrowly avoiding a major accident. Naturally it was everybody else's fault but his.

Even stopping between lanes can get sketchy sometimes.

[zartan]

whew Sombo. !!! close. Makes me cringe.

[Nny]

Yep, had another close call myself on Saturday. I was comming up to a line of cars in the opposite lane with the person in front of them waiting to make a left hand turn onto a side street. The first car went and the traffic behind him started to move. Sure enough a car behind them wanted to make a left hand turn in front of me. I didn't see the driver or the turn signal for that matter, even though I was looking for it. They were pretty far over to their right to get a good view of oncomming traffic (me).

Luckily I had my hand on the clutch lever and brake already anticipating some idiot diving out on front of me. I not sure how close it was but it was less than a foot before I would have T-boned them. My girlfreind did not think we were going to make it...

I was thinking of mounting a carmera and just recording everyday traffic so I can start reporting these idiots. Maybe when their actions start dipping into their pockets they just might take the time out of their precious day to consider they may not be the only one on the road.

I wonder if a mega phone for my car is illegal? I would have a mount of some sort of course.

[bob706]

I don't believe that a Florida cager could be so reckless. Seriously, the worst drivers on the planet live here.

[dimeified]

my ex was making a left turn in her car at night, and a drunk blew the red light, and hit the front right side of her car, totalled it. If she had been there a second earlier it probably would've smashed the passenger cabin apart. Now i what i wonder about is what if it was me instead of her, but on my bike? Yikes!

Mike, that was a smart move to anticipate and predict the danger that presented itself. Constantly scanning for possible threats and hard braking is some of what they taught at msf. Out of curiosity, did you take msf? If so i bet it saved your life. Weather your reaction was instinctive or not, or learned and practiced, it sounds like you did an excellent job avoiding a fatal collision. Riders are much safer on the road when they are actively scanning , rather than being distracted by their ipod and cruising along oblivious to the world. Plus when your actively scanning and looking around, you avoid a collision due to object fixation. Good job.

[noche_caliente]

That was a close call! I'm glad you are here to tell us about it That's exactly why I always check and double check - never know when you'll find a drunk doing something like that around here!

[cifex]

Originally Posted by Nny

Yep, had another close call myself on Saturday. I was comming up to a line of cars in the opposite lane with the person in front of them waiting to make a left hand turn onto a side street. The first car went and the traffic behind him started to move. Sure enough a car behind them wanted to make a left hand turn in front of me. I didn't see the driver or the turn signal for that matter, even though I was looking for it. They were pretty far over to their right to get a good view of oncomming traffic (me).

Luckily I had my hand on the clutch lever and brake already anticipating some idiot diving out on front of me. I not sure how close it was but it was less than a foot before I would have T-boned them. My girlfreind did not think we were going to make it...

I was thinking of mounting a carmera and just recording everyday traffic so I can start reporting these idiots. Maybe when their actions start dipping into their pockets they just might take the time out of their precious day to consider they may not be the only one on the road.

I wonder if a mega phone for my car is illegal? I would have a mount of some sort of course.

I was thinking the same thing about mounting the camera.

You should probably get on the horn as well in this situation.

[tjkamper]

I'm glad you came out okay. People are idiots. I personally have lost all faith in humanity... Atleast when their behind the wheel.

[Kawasabi]

fu*in-a!

Sombo, this is the type of situation where you wished you had a 9mm......... just pull out the sucka and point at the idiot.

[BlueTyke]

Glad your alright!

I always wait at lights specifically for that reason. Baltimore (and it's surrounding area) are nutorious for running lights.

[Snake]

Close call. Glad to hear you're ok.

[DarkNinja52]

should have gone after him,
last year before i got my bike, i was parked on the side of the road in my car, and drunk driver came down the road from infront of me, banged up the side of my car, and kept goin. hit and run god dammit. Threw the car into drive, pulled a u-turn and chased her down, (yes her, meaning i couldn't hit them when i caught them). i pulled up next to her next time she stopped (she must have been like 16) and she put the car in reverse. after a few minutes of her stupidity we got a few things straightened out.

point of the story, you should have gone after the bastard and raped his family (depending on your mood)

[kkim]

Originally Posted by DarkNinja52

point of the story, you should have gone after the bastard and raped his family (depending on your mood)

extremely bad advice.

[noche_caliente]

Thee have been bikers killed after going after someone like that

[cifex]

Really, ya have to keep your adrenaline under control in those situations and not escalate the matter. People will do some wild **** when they are in their cages.

[Strider]

Mike, glad your reflexes are so good! That would have been a bad one had they hit you!
I bet they joked about you as they sped away...

Too many cagers today don't pay enough attention. We, as bikers, look for bikes when we are behind the wheel, but the majority of others don't. It actually drives my wife to giggles that when we're in the car, and I spot a bike I'm like "Look honey, a green ZX6!".

[DarkNinja52]

Originally Posted by kkim

extremely bad advice.

ok so maybe it's not the best idea, and I didnt necessarily mean that "you SHOULD go after him" it was more along the lines of "I would have gone after him"
but im not necessarily always a sensible person and tend to act aggressively in these types of situations .

and thank you kkim for being concerned and making a good point.
i didn't realize that my semi-jokingly statement came off as if i were giving advice (which it did now that i look at it )
but seriously guys, its not safe for a number of reasons like the driver continuing to be very erratic, reacting to you following him in an aggressive way, or even putting yourself in danger to continue pursuit.

so my bust guys, ill watch my wording next time

[Cedilla]

Originally Posted by Nny

Yep, had another close call myself on Saturday. I was comming up to a line of cars in the opposite lane with the person in front of them waiting to make a left hand turn onto a side street. The first car went and the traffic behind him started to move. Sure enough a car behind them wanted to make a left hand turn in front of me. I didn't see the driver or the turn signal for that matter, even though I was looking for it. They were pretty far over to their right to get a good view of oncomming traffic (me).

Luckily I had my hand on the clutch lever and brake already anticipating some idiot diving out on front of me. I not sure how close it was but it was less than a foot before I would have T-boned them. My girlfreind did not think we were going to make it...

I was thinking of mounting a carmera and just recording everyday traffic so I can start reporting these idiots. Maybe when their actions start dipping into their pockets they just might take the time out of their precious day to consider they may not be the only one on the road.

I wonder if a mega phone for my car is illegal? I would have a mount of some sort of course.

The exact same thing happened to me about a week ago, it was a freakin Prius that almost hit me, of course I handled it kinda childish, I stopped in the middle of the intersection honking, pointing, and cursing at the prius driver.

[addy126]

Originally Posted by bob706

I don't believe that a Florida cager could be so reckless. Seriously, the worst drivers on the planet live here.

You obviously haven't drivin in Dallas, Tx.

Cagers need to be held more responsible for car vs. motorcycle incidents as I've noticed the "oh its a biker who cares where they are in traffic, its their fault anyway". That alone would encourage more sensibility I think on the road. If you know you're gonna get tagged for messing with a biker you are gonna be more aware of your surroundings to a degree. There are exceptions but if they are treated like the "rearend collision rule" when colliding with a motorcycle I'm thinkin there would be changes. I've seen alot of cars eggin on bikers for a roadway confrontation.... tsk tsk they really need to throw the book at them. Years ago you couldn't move without being nailed by a cop for road infractions (car or bike).... now you hardly see traffic duty so people are just runnin willy nilly figuring they won't get caught.

[minuslars]

Originally Posted by kkim

extremely bad advice.

Agreed, the best thing to do is to move on with your life. Be the bigger person. If you start confronting them they may not throw any punches today but their perception of motorcyclists will forever be changed and they will never respect nor care to, and in fact may become aggressive to motorcyclists.

I had a close call today as well, a civic pulled out in front of me to make a left as I was making a left into the same entrance he was in. Fortunately we were at parking lot speeds. He signaled an apology and went on, and I just continued on my way without glaring back or giving him the stank eye or something. I didn't start anything or show any emotion towards him. Who knows, maybe this close call has taught him to start looking out for bikes and being more careful at intersections?

[sombo]

Originally Posted by dimeified

my ex was making a left turn in her car at night, and a drunk blew the red light, and hit the front right side of her car, totaled it. If she had been there a second earlier it probably would've smashed the passenger cabin apart. Now i what i wonder about is what if it was me instead of her, but on my bike? Yikes!

Mike, that was a smart move to anticipate and predict the danger that presented itself. Constantly scanning for possible threats and hard braking is some of what they taught at msf. Out of curiosity, did you take msf? If so i bet it saved your life. Weather your reaction was instinctive or not, or learned and practiced, it sounds like you did an excellent job avoiding a fatal collision. Riders are much safer on the road when they are actively scanning , rather than being distracted by their ipod and cruising along oblivious to the world. Plus when your actively scanning and looking around, you avoid a collision due to object fixation. Good job.

Yes I did take the MSF up in PA in order to get my license and 100% encourage everyone on 2-wheels to take the basic course as a minimum. Now I know you're not supposed to 'grab' the front brake, however in that case that was the only safe option tbh. I was at like 5mph so it just made me stop instantly with no ill side affects.

I also had a close call on the highway a few days ago. I was in the far left lane of a 3 lane highway watching the idiot ahead of me drive kinda recklessly and making sure to keep my distance. He was in such a hurry he kept tailing the car ahead him to the point he kept hitting his brakes to keep from hitting the car in front him. He then tried switching to the middle lane to get ahead but had to get back over when that failed.

Shortly after he got over I noticed out the corner of my eye a car going from the right lane to the middle lane right next to me. I observed his behavior as that of wanting to get over into my lane and I watched him closely. Now mind you I'm right at the spot between his door and rear fender. Sure enough w/o looking in his blind spot he puts his signal on and starts getting over in the same motion. I was quick enough to back off and let on the horn at the same time. All he did was wave in his rear view mirror and keep going. I gave him the finger and wished him harm alone on an empty road and made my way home.

It's odd that even with both those incidents I feel safer on the bike. For me it's that I feel like I'm more attuned to what's going on around me, can see things clearer and react faster. It's not that I'm distracted in the car, but more like I notice smaller things faster and feel I can avoid more then I can in the car. I'm still very aware of what's going on in the car, but feel more comfortable on the bike then behind the wheel. Anyone else feel this way?

[ironglory]

Originally Posted by Kawasabi

fu*in-a!

Sombo, this is the type of situation where you wished you had a 9mm......... just pull out the sucka and point at the idiot.

Gotta see the new KRISS SUPER V - definitely the best PDW out there today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEex2UChBtw[/URL]

The other night just coming in from PA, driving up on Rt 1 in NJ, this group was riding at about 65mph at 9pm. There were 4 in their grp & the one was just on the left lane going North & the rest of his posse are in the right lane. It was a 2 lane road. He did switched back to the right side after 3.5 miles, but was riding up together w/ his friend right up next to him & was pretty much still in the white line. First, he's leaving little room for him & his friend & not leaving me enough space to move out of the way if anything unfortunate does happen.

Seems like they didnt know how to actually ride in a group. Being staggered. They were pretty much bunched up.

I did forget to tell you that I was in a minivan and yes, the only gear they got on was helmets (2 were German helmets), gloves & one of them got the bullet proof vest. hmmmm

Good thing I took the MSF Course & have learned those aspects of riding. Margin of error.

Cagers or not, there are just too many idiots to look out for.

Glad that you guys got through the situation with flying colors.

ATGATT!!!

[sombo]

I HATE CAGE DRIVERS!!!!!!



So Monday afternoon I am heading out to go to work (second shift). In the parking area of my apartment complex there is one main street with several little side streets ending in it. So I'm heading for the entrance and see a Mustang approaching on one of the little side streets to my right. It has a stop sign at the end before entering the main street. This idiot doesn't stop or even look in my direction till I hit the horn. He just looks at me and keeps going. I'm like wtf, you don't even care? Prick!!!!

Then on the highway which is 4 lanes and I'm in the second right lane with cars in front and to the right and left of me at various speeds. So I'm coming up on the exit I need in which the far right lane is an exit only lane for that exit. The lane I'm in has the option to exit or continue straight on the main highway. So I put my turn signal on to show that I will be taking this exit. Next to me is a black taxi cab with a black female driver. Don't think much of it other then to keep her in my peripheral vision at first. Then as the road starts to split/curve she decides she doesn't want to exit here and needs to be on the main highway. So she starts cutting across the lane RIGHT ON TOP OF ME!!!!! This of course blocks me from using my exit lane and forcing me to slow down honking horn to get her attention. As I look at her she's yelling and waving with her hands (behind a closed window mind you) at me as if I'm the one doing something wrong.

I had to come to a stop to get behind this idiot, cut through the grass, and then wait for a safe opening to take my exit. I thank the powers that be that no one hit me from behind as I was trying to avoid getting run over by this idiot who doesn't know what "right of way" means. She seemed to think she had the right of way and that I was the one doing something wrong blocking her illegal and dangerous maneuver to cut across traffic to avoid the exit she was in the "exit only" lane for.

[Sailariel]

Here, Stop signs are treated as Yield signs, and Yield signs are ignored. If a cager is at an intersection, and he feels he waited too long, he simply pulls out. Double yellow lines are meaningless. If you are going too slow--5mph above the speed limit, expect a cager to be about two feet off your rear fender. When that happens, you downshift, grab a handful of throttle, get ahead a ways, pull over and let him pass. The message is, "I am a hell of a lot faster and manoeverable than you and I choose not to play your stupid game" I always expect the unexpected. I am also cognizant of the fact that I am faster, can evade better, and can brake better. Quite honestly, I consider deer and moose on the road more of a danger. (Sometimes I think they are smarter than most cagers) The key is to keep your cool. Illegitimi non Carborundum!

[cifex]

Gotta watch out for those fools. However, making an generalization about a race based on one moron is dangerous. Certainly white people are inclined to behave the same way on the road. Maybe you should rethink that...

Stay safe.

[sombo]

Not going to argue about what is and isn't racism or racial issues. I ask that the other arguments be taken down as well and if further discussion is needed we can do so in private.

[Soujyu]

A little piece of wisdom (and ranting) from myself:

As part of my commute to work, I stop at a T-intersection, and I have to make a left. The other parts of the T do not have stop signs. I do NOT move until I feel it's positively clear that I won't get T-boned, because in this area of town, the traffic is probably half-SUVs, half-semis. I don't care how many cars are behind me. Think of Rhett Butler's signature phrase.

I've been honked at for "not going fast enough", and the people behind me can go and shove their horns and their vehicles up somewhere where the sun doesn't shine.

The last time I did get flustered and did go a bit early due to pressure, I almost did get t-boned. So, you cagers behind me, wait your turn. You have a problem, you can call the police. The police will side with me.

[sombo]

I basically do the same thing at intersections like that. Too bad neither of my cases on Monday were that situation though. Both times it was the cager either not stopping when they were supposed to or trying to cut a lane of traffic with me in that lane trying to not get run over on THE busiest highway in Orlando.


So this is my big piece of advice to all of you out there. Work on expanding your peripheral vision to notice out of place movement. Start watching people's driving styles so you can pick up the minor tell-tale signs someone is about to do something stupid that could hurt you. By watching how a car reacts when a driver is wanting to get over just seconds before he does so will help you start to see other little warning signs from other cagers. This will help hone your "spidey" senses to just feel when a cager is about to do something dangerous to you. A sort of honed "sixth sense" to sense danger seconds before it happens could mean the difference between a successful avoidance and becoming a victim.

[kevlarorc]

I crashed last time I got worried about someone tailgating me. Now I stick to the speed I'm comfy with and if they want to go faster they can back off and wait or they can go to hell.
I'm thinking about getting a louder horn.
Here's a beautiful illustration of why I want one. I'm not good at explaining things.


the red X is where I swerved and flicked him off after laying on the horn.
The guy didnt even stop and look before he took a right turn, he just blasted through the turn assuming nobody was there.

[talldrink]

Originally Posted by sombo

I HATE CAGE DRIVERS!!!!!!



B] In this case I have to agree with a few of my black friends that have told me that alot of black people out there seem to have this attitude that the world owes them something just because they are black. She seemed to think she had the right of way and that I was the one doing something wrong blocking her illegal and dangerous maneuver to cut across traffic to avoid the exit she was in the "exit only" lane for. [/B]

Dude, you are a racist

Don't try to justify your comments by putting out there the fact that "a FEW of your black friends have told you that A LOT of black people have this attitude"!!! How, in any situation, are a FEW people qualified to talk about what A LOT of people do?????

[Soujyu]

Originally Posted by kevlarorc

I crashed last time I got worried about someone tailgating me. Now I stick to the speed I'm comfy with and if they want to go faster they can back off and wait or they can go to hell.
I'm thinking about getting a louder horn.
Here's a beautiful illustration of why I want one. I'm not good at explaining things.


the red X is where I swerved and flicked him off after laying on the horn.
The guy didnt even stop and look before he took a right turn, he just blasted through the turn assuming nobody was there.

Holy cow. Let me guess.... Lamar?

(being the pessimistic person that I am, the car probably had one of those 100dB boom box sound systems in his car)

[tapdiggy]

Originally Posted by talldrink

Dude, you are a racist

Don't try to justify your comments by putting out there the fact that "a FEW of your black friends have told you that A LOT of black people have this attitude"!!! How, in any situation, are a FEW people qualified to talk about what A LOT of people do?????

Stop derailing the thread. You are a bigot against people who generalize too much. Be quiet so we can rant about bad drivers.

[Alex]

Let's all take it down a notch. TOS link in my signature, some of these are a little close to the line.

[tapdiggy]

Apologies Alex.

[talldrink]

Originally Posted by tapdiggy

Stop derailing the thread. You are a bigot against people who generalize too much. Be quiet so we can rant about bad drivers.

I don't think I'M the one who derailed the thread from ranting about bad drivers (which by the way, come in ALL races!!!). You may want to re-direct your message to the appropiate person.

Lately, this forum is getting away from being the nice, calm forum it started out being.

End of my rant. I just can't stand racist comments (silly me).

I will hereafter take it down a notch Alex.

[sombo]

My apologies alex for all the issues here. I did not want people thinking I'm racist and have removed those comments. I am not racist despite what others think and have many friends from all walks of life. My issues are with idiots, stereotypes, and people who either act stupid or act like a stereotype. Be above the stupidity and the stereotype and you will go far in this world. I also ask that people stop being so touchy and get rid of the politically correct b/s that is destroying our social community. If we can stop seeing racism in every little thing said or done we can start being one big happy family.


Now back to stupid drivers.

[tapdiggy]

I had a big example of poor driving today. I was riding through the capitol district and got into some traffic stopped for pedestrians. It was lunchtime, with lots of foot-traffic, so I let the autos get some distance and open up my view before I rode on. As I prepared to roll on, a car drives past me down the middle of the road and goes on his merry way through 3 crosswalks. He catches up to traffic 2 seconds later and goes into the lane opposite the one I needed. His impatience and poor judgment he gained 5 seconds, but decreased the safety of everyone else.

[sombo]

You know Truong, I keep seeing that sort of driving growing around here. Everyone is more and more more of a hurry. I'll have someone buzz past me only to end up passing them again cause they get stuck behind even slower traffic.

Also, someone in another post had mentioned how people's gas mileage would increase if they would JUST SLOW DOWN!!! I admit, I also drive a bit fast and don't slow down enough to save gas. However, I don't try to go 90mph in a 6000lb SUV in busy traffic on a major highway like I see almost daily.

[kevlarorc]

Originally Posted by Soujyu

Holy cow. Let me guess.... Lamar?

(being the pessimistic person that I am, the car probably had one of those 100dB boom box sound systems in his car)

Haha, nah. Parmer Ln. And yeah, he probably didn't even hear my horn through all of his hippityhoppiting. Hence why I want a louder horn.

Hey, you don't happen to ride a red ninja do you? I was riding in a friend's car yesterday and saw a red ninja just about to go over the 360 bridge.