Why to never trust a green light

[shiftless]

Warning!!!   This is a very graphic crash video.    As we get back into the riding season it may serve as a reminder that it can be dangerous out there, and also may server as a reminder to never assume that because you have the legal right of way that that's any assurance others will abide by it.

[Desmostro]

+11tyb

That sort of thing happened right in front of me. Almost got me too. Middle of the day - drunk woman blew through a red light & hit 2 cars and a guy on a Yamaha.
Missed me by an inch.

[He Man]

that guy was completely knocked out when he went from 40-0. man, i thought it was a dummy at first. hes really lucky he landed on the car first and not the pavement. on a scooter too.

that guy completely blew that red light too. many people never think to look twice about this kind of stuff either since it happens so rarely. Almost had this happen to me once. I was mid turn in an intersection, the guy completely blew the light, i threw the bike to get out of the turn and he just stayed on his course. nearly clipped my head off.

[ScottRNelson]

It looks like the driver was continuing his cell phone conversation after checking on the downed rider.  Or maybe he was quick to dial the equivalent of 911.

I find it interesting on occasion when I've split filtered to the front of traffic at a light and the light goes green but someone is still in the intersection trying to make the yellow light.  Cars often go even when someone is clearly already there oblivious to what other traffic is doing.  Usually I'm first away from the intersection when it goes green, but not if there's a chance of colliding with someone.

I have a friend who has been hit twice at the same intersection, several years apart.  The second case, he was the second one through the green light when someone came flying on through.  It was sharper than a 90 degree angle, so harder to see the car coming.

Good reminder to not trust people to always obey the traffic signals.

[ArcDeDucati]

I went down last year after a pickup truck decided to back across 3 lanes because he liked backing his truck into the driveway instead of pulling in forward.  His maneuver was move was so outrageous I didn't see it coming.  I assumed he was making a left but decided to stop mid turn and back across 3 lanes (smoking the Dually tires in the process as he was trying to beat traffic), I went into the side of him at between 50 and 60 and spent last summer in a wheelchair. I'm 90% better now after 3 surgeries and just bought a new S4Rt.

What I learned?  Don't assume anything, even if it looks like a car is routinely making a turn or maneuver keep a glance on them as they may decide to change there minds. Don't fixate on them, just keep a corner of an eye out.

I don't mean to scare people but I think it is good to watch videos like these.  I've tried to watch every gruesome crash video to prepare myself the best I can for any situation they may pull out in front of me.  As much as we don't like to think about it or see it, we have to.  It is a constant battle against bad drivers out there and videos like these show us what to look out for. Most of the maneuvers performed that cause bike/car accidents are so crazy that we would never been able to prepare ourselves for them.  They are so stupid you simply can't make them up.  We can prepare for the person making a left turn at an intersection and not seeing the bike coming the other way, but can't prepare for something we've never seen before, only keep a keen eye out and react accordingly.

Sorry for the minor rant, I just like to share my story to help keep everyone else safe.  Have a good season everyone, I hope to meet up with you all one some good 500 mi days through the Catskills.   

[Howie]

ArcDeDucati , that scenario would be quite something to predict.  Glad to hear you are 90% recovered.  Here's to 100%    I saw you found the Usual Suspects, perfect mates for your 500 mile twisty days   Do stop by Matchless on Monday nights to watch moto racingif you get a chance  http://www.barmatchless.com

[ScottRNelson]

Most of the maneuvers performed that cause bike/car accidents are so crazy that we would never been able to prepare ourselves for them.  They are so stupid you simply can't make them up.  We can prepare for the person making a left turn at an intersection and not seeing the bike coming the other way, but can't prepare for something we've never seen before, only keep a keen eye out and react accordingly.  

I cannot agree with this.

You're making the assumption that someone will be able to take you out if they do something stupid enough that you didn't expect.  I ride with the plan that I'm not going to let even the stupidest move take me out.

When I'm riding in traffic my mindset is like I'm in some big video game and anyone that I don't pay attention to can take me out if I give them the chance.  I don't trust anybody to do the right thing and if there's a chance of someone crossing my path I slow down and keep an eye on them until I'm safely past.  Whenever I see someone act as if they're thinking of pulling into my path I slow and switch to high beam until I'm past them to make sure they see me.

If I were to see a huge truck looking like it was making a left turn but then stop in an unnatural position there would be alarms going off in my head that something was wrong.  As soon as it backed up even an inch I would be slowing down in case they did something more stupid like backing across my lane.  There is no way I would still be going 60 mph.

If I truly believed that a dumb move by some car or truck driver could take me out due to "fate", I would quit riding.  You can identify most of the dumb moves others make in time to avoid them.  I would suggest reading both Proficient Motorcycling books as a good place to start, since Hough does such a good job of identifying hazards to watch out for (I'm rereading the book currently and I forgot how truly great the books are).  And don't trust any other drivers.

[ArcDeDucati]

Maybe I was unclear.  I'm not saying that in the situation where a bonehead car maneuver happens in front of you are inevitably going to be taken out.  If it was up to fate and not our control and preparation, I don't think anyone would be ridding. Frankly if you ride a motorcycle the way we do you may question fate like I do (but thats not a discussion for this forum). Your video game analogy is great and one that I have used to explain to people how I approach everyday on the road as well.  We are on our own on the road and must fend off all other vehicles with our superior reaction times, agility, and mental preparation.  What I'm saying is that we can't prepare for every exact scenario.  The best we can do is what you are talking about, identify everything that is going on around us and react the way our intuition tells us.  Good intuition comes from good experience and good practice like you are talking about when you slow and hit the brights to make sure they see you, I tend to use the horn myself. 

I will admit during my accident I was at fault by not seeing the driver through.  It was at an intersection, with a light, and I assumed he was making the left as anyone would, just as my fellow riders behind me did (one which has 20 years of experience touring the US, ex-bmw guy).  I hit because I took a glance at the car wash exit on my right as I know riders have gone down there in the past due to the Armorall and soap that collects in front of all car washes.  At which time he dropped it down in reverse and was half way in my lane already. I could do nothing but grab a handful of brake and brace for impact.  This was big truck, 20ft long.  If t were a honda I may have been able to goose it around but that wasn't happening.  I thought about laying it down but remember seeing that big driveshaft underneath the big 3500 Siverado and thought the side of the quad cab looked like a better choice.  My fellow riders said, you we're make the beast with two backsed, nothing you could have done. They were 100 ft behind me and just had enough time to stop.

Fractured Pelvis, hip, wrist and one of my balls still aint sitting right (still works though ) was the worst of it.  Fine now and will never let anyone/thing stop me from riding.

If anyone knows Long Beach road in Island Park, NY (south bound toward Long Beach) you know that it is a road that has a ridiculous amount of accidents.  Many bikes have gone down there which is why I don't take it anymore. Just a month after I went down a guy on a chopper died about 1/4 down the road from where I went down. Someone tried to make a uturn across the same 3 lanes and the bike hit hard, he was not wearing any gear but a stupid Kraut hat. 

I hope by writing this that others will benefit.  Be safe and watch out for arrogant ass holes with a Dually pickup. 

[ArcDeDucati]

I cannot agree with this.

You're making the assumption that someone will be able to take you out if they do something stupid enough that you didn't expect.  I ride with the plan that I'm not going to let even the stupidest move take me out.

When I'm riding in traffic my mindset is like I'm in some big video game and anyone that I don't pay attention to can take me out if I give them the chance.  I don't trust anybody to do the right thing and if there's a chance of someone crossing my path I slow down and keep an eye on them until I'm safely past.  Whenever I see someone act as if they're thinking of pulling into my path I slow and switch to high beam until I'm past them to make sure they see me.

If I were to see a huge truck looking like it was making a left turn but then stop in an unnatural position there would be alarms going off in my head that something was wrong.  As soon as it backed up even an inch I would be slowing down in case they did something more stupid like backing across my lane.  There is no way I would still be going 60 mph.

If I truly believed that a dumb move by some car or truck driver could take me out due to "fate", I would quit riding.  You can identify most of the dumb moves others make in time to avoid them.  I would suggest reading both Proficient Motorcycling books as a good place to start, since Hough does such a good job of identifying hazards to watch out for (I'm rereading the book currently and I forgot how truly great the books are).  And don't trust any other drivers.

Will guys be watching the WSB on sat?  If the weather is good, which it looks like it will be, I'll be out.  If its not i'll buy you guys a round for letting me be a part of your elite club...

[ScottRNelson]

Will guys be watching the WSB on sat?

WSBK was last week.  I already watched both races twice, once for the EuroSports 2 version and once with the Speed TV version.  Or were you referring to something else?

[Mash]

My daughter got her drivers license a couple years ago.  I bought her a brand new car, which was totaled exactly a week after she got her license.  A guy blew a red light and smashed into her.  She was okay, but spent a couple hours in the emergency room getting xrays and a checkup.  The car was destroyed.  Could she have avoided it?  Maybe, but her inexperience definitely contributed.

My point is that it's not just motorcyclists that have to watch out for the crazies, you have to be an aware driver even in your car.

I've been driving a car for 35 years, and I have a feel for the road, other drivers, conditions, cops, etc.  My year on a street bike has been a real learning experience with the machine, but I bring my road skills with me from years behind the wheel.  I watch the drivers around me very intently, just like when I'm in my car, only now I pretend I'm invisible and no one sees me.  Saves my ass a couple times a week.  I never really appreciated the constant risk street bikers take until I started riding street.

[z0mb1e_DUC]

I make this same point to both my daughters.  I have one who is over 17 who waited a year to get her cage license & 15.5 yr old starting to learn.  You can never get complacent in or around an intersection.  Even with a green light, I always check for on coming traffic.  Assume everyone is out to get you.

FYI, I personally log more than 40k a year in a cage as a field engineer.  When I was working the ENTIRE East Coast a few years ago, it was more than 60k.   

[ArcDeDucati]

WSBK was last week.  I already watched both races twice, once for the EuroSports 2 version and once with the Speed TV version.  Or were you referring to something else?

No, I screwed up my weeks.  My DVR didn't though!  Looks like Speis murdered it.  I wouldn't count Bayliss's old bike out though, Haga is going to be on his ass all season.

[Statler]

let's keep the race talk over in the race forums.

[DLSGAP]

I cannot agree with this.
  I ride with the plan that I'm not going to let even the stupidest move take me out.

I ride with the mindset that everyone is trying to take me out... and sometimes it seems as though they are...  thats why i say screw street riding.. when's the next  track day