| Author | Message | ||
     Barker |
http://www.break.com/index/stupid_driver_causes_bi ke_crash.html | ||
| Glitch |
That's almost exactly what happened to me. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
The guy was flashing his brake lights. He obviously didn't like what the biker was doing. | ||
| Swordsman |
He didn't flash his lights, he hit them one steady time as they rounded the curve. Who knows what that red car was doing... he may have been about to pass those other cars himself. Had that been in Georgia, I'm pretty sure the biker would have been at fault there. The car in front could bow up and stop sideways in the middle of both lanes, and if you hit them, it's your fault for following too closely. ~SM | ||
| Teddagreek |
At Fault? He was run off the road.... He tried to kill him... Sure he was tail gating which really pisses me off.. I've slammed my brakes or go even slower.. I've been mad but I've never tried to murder some one. | ||
| Tunes |
I agree, "He was run off the road...." Watching it, I was instinctively slowing down... and not slowing, I saw the crash coming. Ouch! Some drivers just try to run into you. I've had my share. I don't get it. | ||
| Irideabuell |
I commute about 20 miles each way to work and ride most days. It's sad, but there are too many driver distractions (cell phones, TV's!, etc.) and a total disregard for one-another. If my car got 50 mpg, I'd drive instead as it's not nearly as stressful. | ||
| Winchcable |
Watch the video again and pay attention to the shadows on the road. There is a car in front of the red one that you can't see while the bike is trying to pass. My opinion, the bike is at fault for not being smart, paying attention and waiting for the right time. | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Gotta disagree Jeff, regardless of what the first vehicle was doing that car swerved into the bike and forced him off the road. I wonder why so many people think it's a mortal insult to be passed on the highway? Is it really something to kill another person over? | ||
| Paw |
This is how i saw it. It looked like to me the car and bike approached the cars in front of them then the red car had to slow down for the curve and the cars in front. When the road got straight the bike started to make the pass first if you watch the bike is in the left lane just starting his pass when the dip $hit in the car flies out in the left lane and runs the biker off the road. As i see it is a typical not looking before the pass or not checking your blind spot the car is at fault. | ||
| Court |
A motorcyclist should NEVER allow himself to be put in that situation. The car driver was wrong. The rider was unskilled. | ||
| 12r |
It was a half-assed overtake. 1) Check that the road is clear from your near-centre position 2) Move out and check again. No acceleration at this stage. 3) Gas it and aim for a suitable point in front of the car I see this 'swerve out and overtake' manoeuvre every day and it is just awful. | ||
| Glitch |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpOxMDE0acE | ||
| Kdan |
You guys are still trying to figure out fault? They're all trying to kill you. It's your responsibility not to be kilt. | ||
| Jackbequick |
The bike rider laid the groundwork for his own problem when he closed up onto the cager's bumper. The brake taps may have been a warning cut they could have easily been for slight slowing too. Both vehicles are going to make a go no-go decision about the same time because they are seeing the same things. So when the cager glanced in his side mirror and same out, the biker was already in the blind spot and probably out of the rear view mirror (assuming those were used). Bottom line to me? The biker had bad riding habits and weak survival skills. He did not have that accident coming but contributed to it and invited it on himself. When I do a pass like that on backed up cars, I start the passing run from three or four car lengths back, move out quickly, and use nearly all of the left lane until I'm sure I've got it to myself. The rule of the road (written or otherwise) is that if cars in front of you were backed up first and want to pass, they deserve the first chance at passing opportunities. If you're two or three places back, you can't jump the stack just because you bought a better power to weight ratio and acceleration capability. If this was a case of road rage, that was the action on the part of the biker that invited it. Dan has it right. Every moving object in your field of vision (and some of them that are out of it) are out to get you! Ride smart, ride long! Jack | ||
| Dongalonga |
1. The red car intentionally ran the bike off of the road 2. The biker attepted a very unsound passing technique. 3. As riders all of the responsibility ultimately falls in our hands becuase the cage drivers do not wind up getting injured/killed due to their negligence. (Message edited by dongalonga on March 29, 2007) | ||
| Swordsman |
I'm still not clear why everyone thinks it was intentional? Yes, the car very decisively pulled into the other lane... just like you would if you were going to pass the car in front of you. Either he didn't look behind him, or the bike couldn't be seen. There's nothing here that suggests otherwise. ~SM | ||
| Ryker77 |
The bike and car were going 75km/hr +. Prior to the red car the bike zoomed up at 91km/hr. The red car used its brakes to slow down in a curve and for another car. They both slowed down to 65. Then once the curve straighted out both cars attempted to pass. What you can't tell is what is the posted speed limit How many cars were ahead of the red car? If the red car driver was even aware that the bike was behind him? In most American states your only allowed to pass one car at a time. bikers fault Red car failed to use turn signals and failed to properly use his mirrors. cars fault. My guess is the red car was never aware of the bike. The bike was in a bad position at the rear of the car for just a few seconds. The driver was probably looking ahead for his own passing chance and never looked behind him. Which is why I hardly PASS ANYTHING on a two lane road. In my car or on a bike. Left turns and other passing cars is a huge killer. | ||
| Swordsman |
I agree totally Ryker. If I'm not mistaken, BOTH the car and the bike were trying to pass multiple cars at a time... I think there were 2, maybe 3 in front of them (can't watch the video from here at work to make sure). ~SM | ||
| 12r |
In most American states your only allowed to pass one car at a time Really ? I never knew that. Is it the law ? In England there are solid white lines in the centre of the road that you may not cross (and 'no overtaking' signs) but otherwise any number of slow-moving vehicles are fair game. I regularly overtake 5 or more vehicles in one go on two-lane roads and sometimes it runs into double figures, depending on the length of the queue. In these situations I am always very careful to look out for cars in the queue starting to move out. If I had to wait for a four-lane road before overtaking it would be a very very long wait  | ||
| Court |
I'm missing something here . . . one of the things I've learned in cruising Buells through 44 states is that I never all emotion, a law, "right of way", haste or any number of factors to induce me to surrender the safey of my ass to another. It makes NO differnece who is "right" who obeyed and who violated the law. If I am on a motorcycle, reading the communist manifesto, smoking a joint, while engaging in necrophelia in the wrong lane and poke my bike into the nose of the Pope driving a Dodge Fury III guess who "wins". My ass. My responsbility. | ||
| Dongalonga |
My point exactly thanks Court. We loose everytime against a cage, so it is our responsibility to be more aware than anyone else on the road. I believe that is one of the most basic and important principles of riding.....AWARENESS!! It doesnt matter how much riding prowess you believe you have when you become road pizza because you were too cocky. | ||
| Blake |
Excellent call on the shadow there Jeff (Winchcable). The car was obviously pulling out to pass the car in front of him that he was tailgating. I'm wondering if the bike might have been able to stay upright and get stopped or significantly slowed if the rider hadn't tried to steer back onto the road, up over the edge of the asphalt. I agree, the motorcyclist was riding recklessly. The video posted by Glitch is testimony that folks don't know the capability of their motorcycle's stopping power and/or are too hesitant to use it. That sure was a crazy accident. Watching the video I was thinking "slow down", danger ahead. But I've suffered the effects of having a slow moving car pull out in front of me. I guess wisdom comes with experience. I've finally learned that I'm not bulletproof. You'll note that I didn't need to be shot in order to learn that lesson.  I sure hope both riders were not seriously injured. | ||
| Wardan123 |
The Pope drives a Dodge Fury III???  Hunh? Who knew? Porbably a drop top - you know 'cause of the hat...  Man the stuff Court knows...  | ||
| Reepicheep |
Of course the pope drives a fury, it's in the bible!
If the pope was not so old, he would be riding a speed triple.
| ||
| Surf_boy |
In the youtube vid, I'm at a loss as to why the car locked it up in the first place??? When I ride, I look around me and I think; "What is the ABSOLUTE, STUPIDEST thing this driver could do"? Sadly, they usually don't let me down..... One of the few that caught me by surprise? A lit ciggy' tossed out the window. Went thru' my helmet lid (it was up, 25mph), burned my neck, then my chest, smoldered my shirt... FUN! | ||
| Rick_a |
I've been nearly sideswiped on various occasions. All you can do is get out of the way and flick off the ignorant driver that continues to pretend you don't exist. One time this crazy woman on the highway was squeezing me between another car. We were doing over 85 and I kept looking over wondering how the hell she could not see or hear me. She moved over very slowly and deliberately. I accelerated out of there and kept a big distance between us! | ||
| Tbolt_pilot |
I got merged into and squeezed out by a meduim-duty sized airport shuttle. He had jumped into the on-ramp from the right lane to run ahead of 3-4 more cars in stop-5mph traffic. He merged in cause I was smaller and missed me by 5 inches. So I beat on his window and he opened it up and started cussing ME!!! Told him he was #1 and to open his FN eyes. (and other things..) I ended up in front of him and he gets close up and revs his engine. OOOO, scary! Long story shortened.... Within the next mile I got in the other lane and he went ahead a little...exposing his company web address, lic plate, bus number, etc which I wrote on my arm above my glove. Got home and called his dispatcher and gave the whole story. Dispatcher said it wasn't the first time with this driver and this was the last straw. He was gone! JUSTICE!! My strategy: I ride like I'm invisible. | ||
| Rick_a |
I had a very similar occurrence with a mini-van driver. I yelled at him that he can't intrude into my lane. He said, "f-you, you have plenty of room!" in an Italian accent. | ||
| Ryker77 |
I've been to Italy. They don;t even paint lanes down the road. Or at least if they did have lane paint it was worn away because they don't care. They can fit 8 cars across with some scooters mixed in. They ride scooter/mopeds zig zag through traffic, bounce off of cars, jump on the side walk, and could care less about stop signs! Lol. They ride them little scooters wide open. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Here's the bottom line, as far as the States goes... It is illegal to pass more than one vehicle at a time. Both the bike and the car were about to do exactly that. My New York State Driving Instructor Certificate says so. Was the driver of the car stupid? Yes. Was the guy on the bike even more so? I think so. Why else would he have a video camera on the thing unless he was planning on being an ass. As for the video Glitch posted, it's proof posotive that in almost ANY accident, it takes two to tango. When you look back on just about occurance where two vehicles occupy the same space at the same, there's ALWAYS something you could have done differently to avoid it, even if it was not your fault. The Civic was retarded for locking up the rear wheel, wheather it was intentional or not. The bike made a number of stupid choices. The first being not braking at all it seemed, and the second being there was PLENTY of room to the left. I know, I know, Monday morning quartarback. People seem to see bikes get into accidents and instantly blame the driver of the car. | ||
| Don668 |
I'd agree with Court & Blake. The bike was being reckless. Tailgating and snapping out to pass is not a good way to do things. I always try to expect people to do the wrong things, that way I'm not surprised (i hope) when something happens like someone turning left in front of me. (and all motor vehicles, cars or otherwise) Don |
