That sucks. I'll be praying for the family.

 

I did not want to start another thread but I had a close call today.

I was on a multi lane one way with two left turn lanes, speed limit is 40. I was in the right left turn lane and light was green. There was a cage in my blind spot that was acting funny so I got in the right side of the lane. I started slowing much faster than normal because it didnt feel right. So I pull the front hard and the ******* zips past me to swerve into the straight through lanes. He seen me, knew I was there but he was going to run my *** over going through that light. No cell phone, no distractions, he had no ***** to give. Motorcycle in the way or not he was going straight.

Pay attention to whats going on everywhere around you. It is why I refuse to listen to misic or gps navigate. There is no way I could have survived. If I would have kept up my turning speed I would have turned right infront of him. As it is my tires were on the verge of grip loss as my ears told me. Maybe he will try it next time with a semi, Karma is a bitch.

 

Bah. It's all good man. We all get our backs up once in awhile & no one says we have to see the things the same.

Sucks when any rider goes down for the count. I feel bad for the friends & family he left behind.

 

I agree that bad drivers that put riders at risk should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. However, the fact is that we live in an ageing society and it is a fact that good drivers with years of experience are accustomed to looking for cars and not motorcycles and therefore do not see us. Mistakes are being made and will always be made by otherwise good people. The human brain has been tested and this is a reality, a fact of life. Our only hope is to be on the defense when we ride and assume we are not seen at all times. The situation is not going to get better for us motorcycle riders; it will get worse as time goes on.

I have been riding and racing motorcycles for the last 40 years and currently do a lot of cross country back road riding. The day to day riding in traffic is just too dangerous for my taste, no matter what the skill level.

 

But sometimes it IS very hard to see bikes on the road, especially at night or in crappy weather. And in states like CA where you are allowed to weave your bike between cars moving slowly or stopped in heavy traffic, I think it's just plain dangerous. Any time you have a vehicle moving at a different speed than the flow of traffic the odds of a collision go up.

Of course, you're right if drivers are lying about not seeing the biker just to have an excuse. But the reason those excuses often work is precisely because bikes are in fact harder to see than other cars.

 

What chance bikers when the cagers can't even see a freaking coal train?
This from today's news in Oz:

A CAR has collided with a train in North Toowoomba overnight.

Police say a car was being driven along Jellicoe Street as an unloaded coal train was travelling towards the Willowburn Station.

The car passed the warning lights and crashed through the boom gate at the level crossing and has then struck a container carriage of the train.

Two women in the car were seriously injured.

One woman sustained serious injuries and a 32-year-old woman sustained critical injuries.

Both were transported to Toowoomba Base Hospital.

Investigations are continuing.

 

yeah, agree with SquidHead - it's negligent homicide and there should be prison time. i live in los angeles county. but i rarely put on miles in la county. it's the desert into joshua tree, arizona and new mexico or the pch in ventura county and above for me. everyone's on the phone or texting. and i mean everyone.