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 you’re not reading this on your iPhone from the driver’s seat.
1. There are many more cars and trucks than motorcycles on the road and some drivers don’t “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 motorcycle’s 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 car’s blind spots or masked by objects or backgrounds outside the car. Thoroughly check traffic, whether you’re changing lanes or turning at intersections.
4. A motorcycle may seem to be moving faster than it really is. Again, don’t immediately rely on your perceptions.
5. Motorcyclists sometimes slow down by downshifting or merely rolling off the throttle, thus not activating the brake light. Don’t 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 motorcycle’s turn signal is for real. And if you’re driving a car, remember to use your turn signals too. They’re a great communication tool for riders and drivers when used properly.
(Excerpt) Read more at hellforleathermagazine.com ...
I swerve to the shoulder during sudden backup as a matter of practice in a car (that "cager" thing is the most embarrassingly gay slang term I've ever heard , BTW). I really doubt a cop is going to give me a ticket for driving on the shoulder to avoid a collision. Perhaps one for tailgating, which you would face on a bike as well.
So it's a bit silly to say that a law that allows motorcycles to drive between lanes to advance in stalled traffic saved anybody's life, wouldn't you say?
Been there, seen that “OMG, Tiffany! Like a nasty biker just like, viciously roared their motor at me, fer shure!” stupid blank ferret amazement look too many times.
They don’t even bother pulling the cell phone off their empty heads.
[usually when I’m passing highway on-ramps, minding my own damn business]
Proudly “obnoxiously” still alive in spite of innumerable idiots,
Salamander
LOL!
Come drive I-70 in western MD where the troopers usually don’t bother to patrol.
The flatlanders rip by us like the devil’s riding their ass.
“Motorcycle was hit by a woman trying to beat a light.”
Motorcycle rule #1:
NEVER assume a green light means jack squat.
Look both ways, anyway.
[that question actually comes up on my state’s motorcycle license test]
A few seconds of delay will NOT kill you.
[a rule which I also observe when “safely enclosed” within 6000 pounds of Yukon]
You’re back in this, now.
Suit up.
The “Wing” has Harley pipes. It’s a lot louder (safer) than you might think.
Actually, the reason it’s allowed is that air cooled bikes will quickly overheat in slow or stopped traffic so to save the rider’s thousands of dollars in repairs, they allowed them to keep moving by lane splitting.
On several of my first “Rolling Thunder/Run To The Wall” rides, [before they got a better traffic flow and ride co-coordinator] it was very common to see riders broke down with overheated or seized bikes.
If you will observe, HD riders do not accept or acknowledge riders of other motorcycles, they are in a zone of their own.
I have NEVER seen a sportbike rip away from a populous spot, deliberately creating earsplitting noise.
Open highway, sure, BTTW is what the bike is about, but never to solely create a "look at me" moment in front of Starbucks............
ALWAYS watch the _wheels_ on an oncoming car *and* one sitting an intersection.
Never rely on the driver’s face to telegraph their intentions.
We ride a *lot* of back roads with side roads and it’s how you stay alive.
-Always- *assume* EVERY oncoming car *is* going to turn into -any- road to the right of you as you approach it.
Adjust your speed, cover your clutch and brake and be prepared to evade way ahead of time....just in case.
Good man!
It sure is... got to about 50 today and the snow is mostly gone!
Riding time is near... with these gas prices it sure will be nice to not spend the family fortune making the rounds!
Imagine our surprise when we topped the mountain at the zero-visibility bend [”Dead Man’s Curve”] to find an entire -pack- of Spandexers _moseying along right in the middle of the actual road_.
If we’d been on two-wheelers or a heavy vehicle, we’d have died trying to avoid killing them all.
Thank God for Wilwood brakes.
“Herger the Joyous”
Best man in the whole movie.
“Tis but a small matter.”
;]
OMG.
I’m SO sorry.
You’re a biker.
I don’t care what you ride.
This is just an ongoing “principles” thing.
Welcome to the war zone.
Enjoy your stay.
:)
I nearly died when run over by a horse.
Came out of the coma and got back on.
Much like Garp and the airplane, I figured, what are the odds of *that* happening again?
Glad to hear your kin’s okay and was not “broken” by the wreck.
He and his girlfriend have too much invested in Harley *accessories* not to have another bike :^)
Okay...now *that* literally made me LOL.
It’s so pragmatic, stoic and *me*.
I have enough leather to build my own herd of cows...I couldn’t ~that~ all go to waste....;D
Not quite.
Ya see that doesn't' help a bit when someone left turns directly into your direction of travel...There won't be time to blink.
ALWAYS watch the _wheels_ on an oncoming car *and* one sitting an intersection. Never rely on the driver’s face to telegraph their intentions.
lol... The grave yards are full of experts who were launched over intersections onto their heads.
Lemme tell ya something friend, if Maria don't see ya, is jabbering on her cell with Jose, or munching a taco, and decides to suddenly make a left turn directly in front of you, you're getting launched and you won't have time to blink...Many times you'll get run over by additional vehicles that will never see ya falling from 30 feet high. The fire dept will came along and hose down what's left.
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