Posted on 04/07/2011 10:58:19 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
In 2009, 5,474 people were killed on American roads due to distracted driving. Now, April has become National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The MSF has put together a list of 10 things cagers need to know about driving around motorcycles. I hope youre not reading this on your iPhone from the drivers seat.
1. There are many more cars and trucks than motorcycles on the road and some drivers dont recognize motorcyclists. They ignore them, usually unintentionally. Look for motorcycles, especially when checking traffic at an intersection.
2. A motorcyclist may look farther away than he or she is in actuality. It may also be difficult to judge a motorcycles speed. When checking traffic to turn at an intersection or into (or out of) a driveway, estimate that a motorcycle is closer than it looks.
3. A motorcycle can be easily hidden in a cars blind spots or masked by objects or backgrounds outside the car. Thoroughly check traffic, whether youre changing lanes or turning at intersections.
4. A motorcycle may seem to be moving faster than it really is. Again, dont immediately rely on your perceptions.
5. Motorcyclists sometimes slow down by downshifting or merely rolling off the throttle, thus not activating the brake light. Dont tailgate motorcyclists. At intersections, anticipate that motorcyclists may slow down without any visual warning.
6. Turn signals on a motorcycle are not often automatically self-canceling. Some riders, (especially beginners) sometimes forget to turn them off. Try to determine whether a motorcycles turn signal is for real. And if youre driving a car, remember to use your turn signals too. Theyre a great communication tool for riders and drivers when used properly.
(Excerpt) Read more at hellforleathermagazine.com ...
You must really, really hate me then.
12. Motorcyclists dont believe that traffic laws and lanes apply to them and often pass on the right especially when in heavy traffic
13. The medical community refers to motorcyclists as organ donors for a reason
#14. Intentionally endanger the life of a motorcyclist with your negligent or reckless driving, or deliberately provoke the motorcyclist, and he may machinegun you and the occupants of your vehicle.
Sir, Madam or Small Child: I don’t know you, so how could I hate you? Hate is a virulent word, not to be used lightly. It is not a word I used in my comments. The jist of my comments was: cyclists are, in the main, arrogant. Arrogance is to be disdained, but hate? I’ll leave that to others. sd
Don’t be so literal. I just meant that since I’m an avid cyclist (pedal) and a biker (vroom), that I must be your favorite person, since you’re a tolerant guy except for bikers and cyclists when I happen to be both.
I wish we had lane-splitting in MN.
It’s the only part of the road without potholes.
Eschew arrogance, keep to the right, stop at stop signs and we’ll all be friends. “nuff said. sd
Alot people believe paying attention might solve your dilema.
I don’t cut off truckers. My Honda Civic would crumple like a beer can under their front wheels.
I nearly became an organ donor in 2008, when I was rear-ended by a pickup doing better than 50, while I was waiting to turn into a park-and-ride. Fortunately, I got off with general muscle stiffness and a contusion on my right hand.
My passenger wasn’t so lucky; he had a broken arm and a neck injury.
No,
It's called defensive driving and I practice it every day as should everyone.
And it's "Dilemma".
And I bet most of those are CARS. Car drivers can be some of the most obnoxious people on the road (I should know, I are one). If it's not the slowpokes acting as though they're the only ones on the road, it's the tailgaters riding your ass.
I'll be out there again tomorrow...;^)
No, the article should read: "10 things motorcycles should be aware of when driving in traffic"..........
Kansas allows trucks over 40 tons on the highways? (Your profile sez Kansas.)
Yes on secondary (non-interstate) roads as does Colorado where we also have an overweight permit. It is good as long as we abide by the limited bridge map. Most states I’ve worked in will sell these permits in one form or another.
I’ts really quite simple. The law does not forbid “lane-sharing” It is not lane-splitting. Lane splitting is the act of riding the Bots Dots, lane-sharing is using the extra space in the 10-12ft lane that a car isn’t using. Typically the fast lane is the lane of choice for this maneuver.
I can count on both hands the number of times its saved my life, because inattentive “cagers” decided to ignore safe following distances and not be aware of the slowing traffic in front of me. The most memorable was a Volvo wagon rear-ending the Corvette I was following, until traffic came to a screeching halt. I lane-shared, and the Volvo impacted the Corvette instead of me and the Corvette!
I'm a native Californian, and have been seeing bike riders do that for as long as I can remember. Because I'm so used to it, I have a tendency to look for it, while maneuvering in traffic.
In Texas (where I now live), the law doesn't permit lane splitting, but after six years, I find myself still looking for that motorcycle coming up the lane between cars.
Another thing about lane splitting. Experienced riders won't normally do it, unless traffic is light, and they can see that advancing to the front of the line between cars is safe.
Darwin Award candidates are the ones you catch zooming past your door handle, with no warning.
There are bikers, and then there are Bikers. The types of riders you're referring to, are normally what we call crotch rocket jockeys, i.e., sport bike riders.
The other half of the riding world are what we call 'cruisers'. These are your big V-twin type riders (think Harley). There is significantly less of what you're complaining about, in that sector of the riding community.
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