Was thinking about this crash today for some reason

[subxero]

Remembered seeing it last year and thought.... ehhh don't think i will ever get a bike while living in the city. But here i am

Im pretty sure it has been posted before, I did quick search to no avail.

Kinda hard to watch, guy was a war vet. Survive war then almost get killed by some idiot. What a world.

Link to original page on YouTube.

after watching it a few times, the reaction time of that white SUV was clutch, missed the silver car that initiated accident, then swerved and missed down rider.

[Motofool]

What the motorcyclist could have done to avoid that outcome?

[lgk]

would have swerved towards the emergency space between the car and guard rail.

matter of fact, i always ride towards the left when in the speed lane, so the route can used easily.

[subxero]

^ hard to say what would have actually gotten him out of the situation un-scathed.

His following distance looked good, he definitely should have done a more progressive braking job to say the least. But other than that he was pretty well boxed in, he could have swerved more left onto the inside shoulder and if he was lucky get past the 2 cars in front of him and out of the way of the manic behind him. IDK, it just seems like the driver behind him was totally clueless . So despite him locking it up, not sure if he wouldn't have locked up that it would of helped, that person kept barreling on after they hit him, like "oh what was that bump...oh well"

So like i said thinking his only way possibly to get completely out of it would have been to pass on the shoulder IDK. Its a tough nut to crack and a tough decision to make in that moment. Hard to watch forward when braking that hard and keep an eye on the guy behind you at same time. Not sure i would have made it to the shoulder/emergency space. I would of had to see the guy going to hit me which may or may not of happened.

OH ****!! I forgot....dah, he should have just wheelied!!! tapped bumper with front and did trials move up onto car and over getting away and looked bad ass at the same time.

solved

[Alex]

In same situation, I doubt I'd go left around the car. Instinct would be to go right around it instead. Left there is a hard barrier that isn't going anywhere; if the car in front slides left and crushes you against the barrier, you're done. On the right, there's still the same amount of space, and even if there is traffic there, there is a chance that those drivers will be able to miss you if you do get in their way, like the white SUV did. Scary vid.

The rule of thumb in deciding what to hit while you're on a motorcycle goes in this order:

nothing > something going similar speed / direction as your bike > something soft > something hard > something coming towards you

By the time you get to the third option or worse, it's going to be a tough day.

[csmith12]

First time I seen this video. Terrible luck for the rider. Looks as if 90% of the fault here is the driver that rear ended the rider.

It's all too scary for me because a few summers ago, I had a similar incident that didn't end in a crash.

[short story]
So I am riding along the freeway that I take just about every Wed. evening at 6:45pm. I am 1 mile from my exit. This is the same exit to a large venue where concerts are held. On this Wed. there was a concert that I wasn't aware of, I just thought traffic was thick. So I get in the far left lane and prep for my exit that is now .5 to .25 miles away.

Then all of a sudden a car darts into an open spot about 5/6 cars ahead of me, causing all 5 or 6 of them to slam their brakes to make room for the goofball. Even though I had 3/4 car lengths of space between me and the cage in front of me, the space gap closed fast. To make matters worse, there is a large pothole in the lane as well. The pothole had been there for a while and it was my mistake to take my eyes off the traffic to long to ensure the pothole had not grown larger from the last time.

In the end, I hit the brakes hard.... but something clicked. I knew I wasn't gunna make it. So I bailed to the berm (near the wall). That split second choice saved my a**. Because the car behind me rear ended the car that was in front of me. If I wouldn't have bailed, I may not be here today.
[/short story]

I got lucky and from that point on, when I am on the street, I have plan b nearly always on tap. Ride the berm, lane split, change lanes take an exit or whatever, have an exit strategy queued up as often as possible.

[Panda]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Because the car behind me rear ended the car that was in front of me. If I wouldn't have bailed, I may not be here today.
[/short story]

Holy ****. Glad you had an out. Two of the three accidents I've been in in a cage have been me getting rear ended. Definitely one of my biggest fears in traffic.

[lgk]

i guess the only reason i don't recommend staying between lanes is because where i'm from the roads are terrible.

i had times where i would try to swerve in between lanes, only to catch air because i hit a 4" tall expansion joint while braking. the joint does not extend into the shoulder so its much better for hard braking.

Probably would have been good either way in this case. the road looked to be in good shape.

[rojoracing53]

I reason I don't like driving a cage is because my processor(brain) is always running at full speed and I can't turn it off and just follow the person in front of me like cattle. This is also the same reason I've been able to avoid so many possible close calls before they could become such. On top of scanning for any cops with a half mile of me I also always know where every car or obstacle is around me at all times. If this was me I would have simply changed lanes like nothing had happened and even if I'd had decided to stay in my lane I would have spotted the car closing in on me and moved out of the way.

I think my perception of traffic is very different from most because I learned to race before getting a license. A simple daily commute for me is treated my like an endurance race, I'm always calculating and predicting what everyone around me is doing so I can make a safe clean pass and continue through the backmarkers, no rush but I'm always passing something. Luckily I've been like so long is simply second nature and I don't even consciously have to think about it.

If you've even seen the movie "Premium Rush" it was an ok movie based on what bike curriers go through in Manhattan with a little Hollywood magic to spice it up. Always when the main character approaches at situation the movie stops and it shows him assessing his possible line choices and their outcomes. That's kind of how I drive and ride all the time but in a much safer and slightly more legal manner

[ChaoSS]

Originally Posted by Alex

In same situation, I doubt I'd go left around the car. Instinct would be to go right around it instead. Left there is a hard barrier that isn't going anywhere; if the car in front slides left and crushes you against the barrier, you're done. On the right, there's still the same amount of space, and even if there is traffic there, there is a chance that those drivers will be able to miss you if you do get in their way, like the white SUV did. Scary vid.

This.


I try to stay in a spot where I can move between the lanes if I have to. I don't care if your laws say you can't lane split, if it's your life on the line, you can lane split.

[dfox]

obviously none of us know what we would have done in the situation, none of us were the guy on the motorcycle.

Personally, if I'm riding in a lane of traffic, I ALWAYS ride directly in front of the driver. being directly in font of the driver puts you between them and the car in front of you. Slight movement also helps you from disappearing. They can't read the license plate of the car in front of you because you're in the way. That gives you a better chance of being missed and sandwiched. I typically scan the road way ahead of me and would have changed lanes seeing a slow down in my lane a head. Quick stops always involve watching the mirrors, and also ALWAYS stopping offset, typically to the left, sometimes the right, of the car in front of me. This way it's easier to see the car behind me in the mirror, I will avoid being sandwiched, and always have an easy out.

[subxero]

if i remember correctly this is somewhere in Texas, Houston area.

[beninja]

crazy crash...in all honestly I probably would've been hit as well, I would not have expected that.

[akima]

Good find @subxero: very sobering.

Amazing how when all 3 lanes of traffic grind to a halt after the accident, there are no other shunts. That rider was in front of the one asshat in that situation.

Yesterday on the way back from work I had someone tailgating me in a big Transit Van. We were going ~50MPH. I decided to take away any chance of this penis hitting me, so at the next roundabout I did a complete loop and ended up behind him instead where I could be safe. My point is: sometimes you don't need to make a fast reflex Rojo-style decision on the road. You can choose what lane you're in, how close you follow someone and often even who is behind you.

In the video, the driver who ran into him was keeping a good distance from him before the incident. I'm guessing the driver was texting on his phone or something equally distracting. I look for drivers doing this too and will also make sure I'm not anywhere near these dangerous people.

Ride safe people!

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by akima

.....I decided to take away any chance of this penis hitting me, so at the next roundabout I did a complete loop and ended up behind him instead where I could be safe. My point is: sometimes you don't need to make a fast reflex Rojo-style decision on the road. You can choose what lane you're in, how close you follow someone and often even who is behind you..........

[subxero]

i got rear ended in my brand new car few days ago at a stop light. It is just a stop light on a main drag didn't think anything of getting hit. Just sitting there everything was great then "smash!" Everyone was fine but the brand new WRX....could be better. EF!

It was just some old lady, must not have been paying attention, it really opened my eyes to how easily you can get rear-ended at any time any where. Prob why i was thinking about this video.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by akima

In the video, the driver who ran into him was keeping a good distance from him before the incident. I'm guessing the driver was texting on his phone or something equally distracting. I look for drivers doing this too and will also make sure I'm not anywhere near these dangerous people.

Ride safe people!

Somewhere on this forum in some thread I commented:

Put as much distance between you and stupidity as humanly possible.

But it only takes a second or two to change any given situation. In my case, I was fixated on a pothole. That driver could have been doing something similar and not something as bad as txt and driving.

Dunno....

[Alex]

One thing that I don't think has been mentioned is that the rider locked up his rear brake when the car in front of him stopped short, so even if he had the presence of mind to try and swerve either right or left, the bike wasn't going anywhere but straight at that point. It looks like he successfully lets off the brake to unlock the wheel, but right at that moment is when he was hit from behind.

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by Alex

In same situation, I doubt I'd go left around the car. Instinct would be to go right around it instead. Left there is a hard barrier that isn't going anywhere; if the car in front slides left and crushes you against the barrier, you're done. On the right, there's still the same amount of space, and even if there is traffic there, there is a chance that those drivers will be able to miss you if you do get in their way, like the white SUV did. Scary vid.

The rule of thumb in deciding what to hit while you're on a motorcycle goes in this order:

nothing > something going similar speed / direction as your bike > something soft > something hard > something coming towards you

By the time you get to the third option or worse, it's going to be a tough day.

Hell, by the time you reach the second option it ain't going to be fun...

[subxero]

^ had to do some digging to find this one i would assume.

as someone else said, very sobering video, that guy gets jacked up by some idiot. Glad i am no longer in the city and city traffic but something like this could happen anywhere.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by subxero

^ had to do some digging to find this one i would assume.

I linked it in a recent thread.

[ninjamunky85]

This is why I always ride in the side of my lane and watch my mirrors whenever I'm slowing down.

[Kscreations08]

Had a few city street lights put me in this situation. Never been asspacked but there has been once or twice were someone was coming in way too hot for me to feel comfortable. This is why I keep it in first and at the friction point unless its a really long light (and i'm always on my mirrors)

[akima]

Originally Posted by Kscreations08

Had a few city street lights put me in this situation. Never been asspacked but there has been once or twice were someone was coming in way too hot for me to feel comfortable. This is why I keep it in first and at the friction point unless its a really long light (and i'm always on my mirrors)

What's the point of keeping it at the friction point? Surely if you need to very quickly get away from something coming at you, you still need to bring the revs up high before releasing the clutch. When you do release the clutch (once the revs are up), providing the road surface is good, you can pretty much let the whole thing out in one go to launch forward. The gentle-on-the-bike method of pulling off (engage clutch at low revs and give the bike throttle from 2/3k revs upwards) is a pretty slow way to move off.

I guess if you've got plenty of time to re-position yourself away from the incoming object, you can gently engage the clutch and pull away. But if you've got plenty of time, then why not re-position yourself before there is even an object to escape from? Put yourself between 2 cars or in front of another stationary one to use it as a shield.

I suppose the local laws might prohibit you from parking yourself somewhere safer (like between 2 cars),grrr.

I'm pretty much thinking out loud here

[Kscreations08]

Originally Posted by akima

What's the point of keeping it at the friction point? Surely if you need to very quickly get away from something coming at you, you still need to bring the revs up high before releasing the clutch. When you do release the clutch (once the revs are up), providing the road surface is good, you can pretty much let the whole thing out in one go to launch forward. The gentle-on-the-bike method of pulling off (engage clutch at low revs and give the bike throttle from 2/3k revs upwards) is a pretty slow way to move off.

I guess if you've got plenty of time to re-position yourself away from the incoming object, you can gently engage the clutch and pull away. But if you've got plenty of time, then why not re-position yourself before there is even an object to escape from? Put yourself between 2 cars or in front of another stationary one to use it as a shield.

I suppose the local laws might prohibit you from parking yourself somewhere safer (like between 2 cars),grrr.

I'm pretty much thinking out loud here

In Pennsylvania, and 48 other US states (Damn you California), there is no filtering, lane splitting, or anything like that permitted. And to be honest, it wouldn't surprise me if I got doored on my first attempt to cut to the front. With the clutch at the friction point, at idle, the bike is stationary. If you are in the sweet spot though, a little bit of throttle and you are already moving. Maybe its just my imagination, but I feel like it saves that precious time.

[ez12a]

a car in the next lane over did the same thing a few weeks ago (panic braked due to stopped traffic in front, he didnt hit the car in front luckily), though i was lane splitting at the time so i was unaffected. Lane splitting ftw!