they say most accidents...
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 11:10 am
are within a mile of your home... why is this? Is it because people are too comfortable, too sleepy, too anxious to get home? Anyhow I nearly saw mine yesterday on a corner 2 blocks away. Typical situation where you enter a multiple lane traffic signaled intersection and someone turns left not seeing you traveling at speed directly in front of them.
We should always ride aware of this scenario, we've seen it on youtube, we know how deadly it can be. I can say it's rare as I remember only one other time in my life it's happened to me. 30 years ago I was able to slide a Kawasaki to a stop in a parallel position with car a foot or so from impact. Since then i'm hyper alert entering intersections and people ARE going to do this. You'll have an interesting choice when its a multi-lane traffic light intersection as this unfolds in front of you. Consider the action you'll take and play it over and over in your mind each time you enter intersections in your neighborhood.
I knew this intersection well, I know there's a turn arrow for a TIME then drivers must yield after the light goes full green. If a vehicle fails to yield for whatever reason braking RIGHT just isn't my first choice. That would put me in front or in-line with the offending vehicle presuming they maintain speed and direction and you'd have to assume they would since they didn't see you coming initially. PLUS I'm right handed and not comfortable with a right turn slide anyway.
Braking LEFT is natural for me even if it means laying the bike down to avoid getting into head on traffic when cross traffic threatens. You're not really going to be hitting MOVING head on traffic in this scenario if you go LEFT. Whats in front is a STOPPED vehicle or NO traffic depending if anyone else is waiting to turn left. You'll get some extra ground to maneuver or end up in a controlled stop facing off a STOPPED car.... perfect!
Streets were dry, the Buell is nimble and I didn't brake hard enough to lose traction. I went left around the rear bumper of the offending driver and swing back into my lane just like I had played this in my mind a thousand times. Saved my bike and my butt jetting behind the oblivious driver and still making the transition before hitting the median. Thanking the Jesus for nimble motorbikes like scooters and Buells and live to ride another day.
Mario Andretti would have been proud... who?
We should always ride aware of this scenario, we've seen it on youtube, we know how deadly it can be. I can say it's rare as I remember only one other time in my life it's happened to me. 30 years ago I was able to slide a Kawasaki to a stop in a parallel position with car a foot or so from impact. Since then i'm hyper alert entering intersections and people ARE going to do this. You'll have an interesting choice when its a multi-lane traffic light intersection as this unfolds in front of you. Consider the action you'll take and play it over and over in your mind each time you enter intersections in your neighborhood.
I knew this intersection well, I know there's a turn arrow for a TIME then drivers must yield after the light goes full green. If a vehicle fails to yield for whatever reason braking RIGHT just isn't my first choice. That would put me in front or in-line with the offending vehicle presuming they maintain speed and direction and you'd have to assume they would since they didn't see you coming initially. PLUS I'm right handed and not comfortable with a right turn slide anyway.
Braking LEFT is natural for me even if it means laying the bike down to avoid getting into head on traffic when cross traffic threatens. You're not really going to be hitting MOVING head on traffic in this scenario if you go LEFT. Whats in front is a STOPPED vehicle or NO traffic depending if anyone else is waiting to turn left. You'll get some extra ground to maneuver or end up in a controlled stop facing off a STOPPED car.... perfect!
Streets were dry, the Buell is nimble and I didn't brake hard enough to lose traction. I went left around the rear bumper of the offending driver and swing back into my lane just like I had played this in my mind a thousand times. Saved my bike and my butt jetting behind the oblivious driver and still making the transition before hitting the median. Thanking the Jesus for nimble motorbikes like scooters and Buells and live to ride another day.
Mario Andretti would have been proud... who?