Three lanes going the same direction & you're in the middle lane........that's tough to have a good escape route. I always try to plan ahead & be in the lane that would allow the best/safest setup. (usually the furthest to the right)
I don't like setting up to the left of center of the vehicle in front of me because I don't want to have the possibility of needing to go into oncoming traffic to avoid being hit from behind. I would much prefer having to go off road (to the right) to avoid being hit from the rear than risk a head-on while avoiding being rear-ended.
That's just my $.02 & I'm no professional rider or instructor.

 

Staying in first with the clutch in is good and all, but it didn't do me a lick of good. I was first in line at an intersection and watching my mirrors like a good boy. The stupid [:@](insert derogatory term for overweight female driver here) stopped behind me like she was supposed to and stayed there...for a little while. The next thing I knew I was flying into the intersection. When I rolled over and looked back, the front tires of her Tahoe were on the white line. She told the cop she forgot I was there and must have just bumped me. My ***, she hit me hard enough to bend the steel bumper on her damn Tahoe! Anyway, you can prepare all you want, you never know what will happen.

 

Stopped with your bike in first gear is not going to protect you from any and all accidents. However, if you're far enough behind the vehicle in front of you and you do keep your eye on your mirrors, you will be able to scoot to the left side or the right side of the vehicle in front of you and let the vehicle coming up behind you rear end the car that was in front of you and not you ! (I am a former MSF instructor. This point was not part of the outlined curriculum but came up frequently in general conversation.)

 

Never in the middle---too much oil and junk there for me. If I'm in the right hand lane, I ride and stop in the left portion of the lane so that traffic passing to the left can see me and not try to come over into my lane. I stop at the light in the same spot. If I'm in the left hand lane; I ride and stop in the right portion of the lane---same concept-----traffic passing me to the right can see me and not try to come over into my lane. If it's only a two land road--I always ride in the left portion and stop there also. Riding in the left portion allows me to see the traffic coming in front of me and the the left. Who knows???? But this is what I was taught in MSF years ago and I've always done it. I don't feel comfortable riding in the middle or stopping there

 

That makes sense along with what sfcmo357 said about the crap that's always in the middle of the lane. I just keep thinking that I won't have enough time to make an evasive maneuver and then splat. To me, being to far away makes the potential to get run over once the bike is shot out from under you as the vehicle will still be in motion. Interesting conversation though. Thanks for the input.

 

I like to leave myself room to manuver away from such situations. that means leaving bike length between me and the car i stop behind. that way you can escape between the cars in front of you should you see that your about to be rear ended.

I dont think the bike will save you from being crushed between the car that rear ends you, and the car in front of you. That is a kill zone to be wary of being trapped in.

Far more trivial of a consideration, I tend to stop in the left part of the lane, so I am directly in the drivers vision, and so I can escape to the left if needed.

 

In general I try to evaluate the best out and stop on that side unless there are two of us -- I would say most of the time it is the left side. Stopping in the middle seems to be a bad idea. Drivers that are not paying close attention and are looking straight ahead will see the left side of the car but not you...you just look like a center tail light. Depth perception, the sun and the rotation of the moon all play a part in whether they notice there is a bike. I've been the middle car in a chain reaction accident, I have learned to never get to close to the vehicle in front....it hurts the front of mine if I do.

I have a pretty dangerous intersection I cross every morning (bike or not). some city engineer thought it would be pretty to make a curved road. The intersection is at the bottom of the curved road where the light is usually red (for me at least). You cannot see the first 4 stopped cars at the light as you come around the corner so you have to be extremely careful that you don't rearend someone and/or get rearended yourself. I was hit in the cage once already at this light.

For this particular light I stay to the far outside lane because they can see a little bit farther around the curve. Since not many folks use that turn lane in the mornings I stay close enough that I can use it for an out but not close enough to be in anyone's way if they want to use it. I always flash my brakes a couple of times before stopping and watch for an approaching vehicle once stopped and give them a few flashes hoping they will see me. I always feel I'm in luck when someone follows me down the hill because they already know I'm there!!!

 

For me, putting myself in the cagers mind (so to speak) if I'm not paying attention to the fact that there is a bike in front of me, traffic stops, I react too late, I would be inclined to swerve away from the bike. If the bike is stopped to the right or the left, it leaves me room to swerve and still remain (mostly) in my lane. If I still can't stop, I'm hitting the back of the cage that's in front of the bike, not the bike. If the bike were dead center in the lane, I might just lock up the brakes and hope for the best. Maybe this is wishful thinking.

 

Actually had this work for me. I lined up so I could ease up between the two in front of me. It was shortly after Daytona, I had heard the story about the couple that got run over from behind. I lined up splitting the two cars in front, watche dmy morrors. Then it happened, car comes speeding up sees the light and all of us siting there. locks the brakes and I see this in my Mirror. I ease up between the two cars and look back to see about 3 feet between the idiots bumper and the car I was behind. Had I been in the center, it was UT OH!!!!

 

One or two bike lenghts behind and to the left side of the lane I'm in. I want to be square in the vehicle's mirror in front of me so he knows I'm back there. Now I can move up to avoid a rear ender. I ALWAYS monitor my rear view mirrors for traffic coming from behind. I usually stay in first gear but once all traffic is stopped I may go to neutral for a long light.

Got rear ended bya drunk in 1994 while in this same position. Didn't save me then but I was inattentive and didn't see him coming. He just clipped the left rear corner but it was enough to send my wife over my shoulder onto her back, and me to get a bad knee injury. We do all we can, then it is up to the idiots around us.[:@]