Question for you all.

There was a post here a little while back about someone that got hit from behind on their bike by a cager. Someone else responded by saying that the recommended place to stop behind a cage is directly behind the driver or passenger side and never in the middle.

Now it has been many years since I went to the MSF course, but I make it a practice of stopping right in the middle of the cage that I’m following. That way any cage following me sees the brake lights of the cage in front of me as well as my brake light. In my mind, three lights are better than two.

I also prefer to pull up as close as I can without being obnoxious so that in the event that someone does hit me from behind, the bike will not travel far before coming in contact with the cage in front of me and I will (theoretically) be protected from being squashed.

I had a close call this morning where someone almost hit me from behind. I was on my way into work heading east into the sun. I was stopped in the middle and just behind a large van at an intersection. I was watching behind me as a car with an older woman driving and a girl approached kinda fast. She had her hand over her eyes trying to shield them from the sun.

I had a bad feeling that she couldn’t see me in the shadow of the van so I kept squeezing my brake lever to flash my break light. I moved the bike up as close to the van as I could. She slammed on her brakes and swerved to the left cutting off another car. I guess that she didn’t even see the van that was in front of me.

If I had tried to move to the left into the other lane she would have hit me for sure. She probably missed my back tire by 3 or 4 feet. I really thought that I was going to get smaked. I had to clean my shorts when I got to work.

For those of you who have just taken the course or are instructors, where is the best place to position your bike when stopped in traffic?

 

Slightly to the left or right rear of the vehicle in front of you, and a bike length or two behind it to give yourself an clear and planned escape route. That's the reason you sit there with the bike in first gear and watch your rear view mirrors.

Jim aka kiltiemon

 

"to the right or left of the centerline" of the vehicle in front of you, I should have said!

Jim aka kiltiemon

 

I guess there is a perfered place to pull up, but I do not think anyone can garantee it will be safe at all times. I pull up behind on the left side of the cage most times. It almost cost once. I am the third in line at a T intersection. We are on the side entering the cross street. The ahole is on my left side trying to make a turn on to the street we are on. He is going way to fast, his wheels are turned and locked his brakes and is skidding right at me. Now where do I go. I am not going to go on the left side of the cage in front of me and try to beat this idiot. Then I could be pinned. If I shoot to the right, I run the chance of getting nailed from traffic making right turns. I stayed put and woundered how much was this going to hurt. The guy releases the brakes and the car turns and misses me be 2 or 3 feet.

 

Just as he said, keep distance in front of you cause 3 things could happen...
a.the car rams the rear of the bike and you're squashed between 2 cars
b.the car swerves to the right to avoid you
c.the car swerves to the left to avoid you.

So its a guessing game, and which door you wanna try for if someone is gonna hit you? Honestly, any of these suck if you end up getting hit, but if you do jump out to the right or left and gas the hell outta the bike, you may be able to get away from the driver even if they inadvertently end up following the same path you did...of course, theres the rest of the traffic to consider. This is very much a question of all elements falling together in the right way, or you could get easily screwed.

 

Now that rule I always remember. I always have the bike in gear. I just think that if I was any farther back I would have gotten hit. I just don't know if I would have the reflexes to react and move out of the way in time. They come up on you pretty fast.

I was able to pull up a little bit, but only moved a couple of feet before she passed me.

Are you an instructor?

 

That the very situation that I was in. It is a three lane highway and I was in the middle lane. The traffic in front of me hadn't started moving yet, but the lanes on either side were already moving. How she managed not to get hit by the guy she cut off was amazing. If I had pulled into either lane to try to escape I'm pretty sure that I would have been hit.

I guess it’s just a game of Russian roulette. I just want to improve my odds if you know what I mean.

 

I always stop on the side that will allow me the most room to slide between the cars.
If I get nervous, I just scoot up between them or up a few.

Funny how she couldn't see anything, but still kept moving forward [:@]

Someone should buy her some polarized sunglasses.

 

No, Cool Dog... Not an instructor... Just had two GREAT Instructors in my course!!!

They blasted me until I got that "1st gear" issue wired!!!

Jim aka kiltiemon

 

If there is anything of an 'out', I'll line up there. So left in the left lane w/shoulder, far right on the right lanes w/an out. Otherwise I'll try and pick a spot I can creep in between cars.