I got a call from a buddy today to see if I wanted to go for a tour on the bikes
I reluctantly went , it was only around 50F ish
I bundled up like an Eskimo and turned on the heated grips
We were out for about 2hrs and stopped to fuel up as we came back into town
Between the gas station and home a woman in a beat down civic with a plastic'd over window decided to run a light turning left in front of us
That lane had had an advanced turn light, and it had changed before she even got in to the turn lane
We both got hard on the brakes and horn and she stopped mid turn blocking both of our lanes
Be carefull out there people , ride like they got it out for you

 

I subscribe to the "Bell Curve" theory of riding. If you plot the intelligence of the population on a graph, it will be shaped like a bell. The average intelligence will be at the very top of the curve. Generally, the folks at the bottom don't drive and the folks at the top, can'r find their car keys a lot of the tpme. That narrows it down. However, it still means that HALF the people on the road coming at you are of sub-average intelligence. I assume they are the dumber people and ride paranoid.

 

yup. terrifying.

 

Anyone see that new series called Brain Games on NatGeo? They focus on how the brain weeds out a lot of things so we can focus on what matters...to us. When you're on the road in a car, expecting to see only other cars on the road, sometimes you don't see anything else, even if it's right in front of you. They said the most common type of car-motorcycle accident is a car turning left in front of a motorcycle. I pulled out in front of a motorcycle just last year, making a left turn. Didn't see him until I was halfway through my turn....and I ride motorcycles. But rarely on the street...been there with that left turning car thing.

It's May...motorcycle awareness month, folks.

 

Been there several times.

 

I believe one of the main causes of traffic accidents is driving faster than the average traffic flow around you. I know from personal experience (almost having a wreck) that when you exceed the general speed around you, your appearance is not expected by other drivers and they make a move that would otherwise be perfectly safe for them and everybody else. The problem is that you suddenly appear in the same roadway area that they are moving into and unless one of you reacts to correct the situation, there will be a wreck.

Combine this with the fact that a motorcycle is much smaller than the objects automobile drivers are conditioned to see and you have a recipe for disaster.
You have to slow down and keep your eyes moving when you're driving.

 

You Rriddlee3 is correct. I used to drive faster than everyone else and found myself encountering alot of idiots that must not have their eyes in that day.

Now Ive got a class 1 licence and all kinds of defensive driving behind me and I have learned many things now that I knew not before.

 

I'm just the opposite. I ride just a little faster than traffic. I've been nearly run over from behind on numerous occasions. I also carry large metal washers in my vest or jacket pockets. When a car gets really close, as in I can't see the front bumper in my mirrors close, I flip a washer over my shoulder. I also hog the entire lane. If I'm with another bike, I'll ride offset from them. Allow a car to share your lane and you are asking for trouble. I've sat at a light and had one try to creep past me to turn. I'm not afraid to slam my fist on a fender or kick a door to stop that. I watched a guy once get pushed over by a car doing that.

 

I usually ride faster than traffic as well and I havs a Yoshi pipe so they can usually hear me coming LOL

 

Oh, no. I have a story about a guy that did that once to me at a stop light with a large ball bearing.

Actually, they can't, but they can hear you as you drive by.