First accident!

[Vinz0r]

Was a pretty entertaining crash actually, no major damage to me and the bike is repairable so I can look back on it without too much anger, it was a good lesson in why you should always believe that every other person on the road is trying to kill you.

It was a wet night, (not raining at the time but it had been earlier) and I was heading up Victoria Street doing about 55, it is a 4 lane street (2 lanes each way) and has a median strip in the middle. Ahead of me I see a car pull into the median strip and indicate right to turn into a parking lot, seeing that he has stopped in the median strip I assume that he has seen me and is waiting for me to pass (we are the only two vehicles around).
When I am about 8 metres away from him, he decides to cut straight out across my path to turn into the parking lot, I have 2 options; brake heavily and hit his car, destroying the front of my bike and the side of his car in the process. Or turn sharply and lay myself and the bike down on the road, thereby minimizing damage to the bike and myself and hopefully avoiding the car!

For obvious reasons I choose option 2, I turned hard to the right, lost the front wheel sideways and hit the road, bike landed on my ankle (ouch) but slid off rather quickly. Managed to just miss the car and ended up a little ways up the road.

After getting up and limping over to the car, the guy got out and apologized profusely. Apparently he hadn't seen me at all! I had him sign a statement on the spot admitting fault and after my engine decided to stop being flooded, managed to crawl home in first gear (bent shifter) with bent handlebars and no indicators!

Met up with the guy today, he's covering all repairs without dispute.

A good experience for a first crash I think, learnt some important lessons and came out of it with limbs intact and not broken!

[Thaeos]

Probably would have been better to brake..

[Vinz0r]

I did, but wet roads make for slippery wheels

[Milts]

Well avoided, and good to hear you and the bike are OK. Also good for you to find such a considerate cager, and nice thinking on getting something signed on the spot.

Firstly, a visibility point: in situations like this, in town and on the motorway/backroads, I nearly always flick my highbeam on/off/on/off to improve the odds I've been spotted, position myself to the left hand side of the lane, and throttle back a tad. This gives you more time before he's in your path if he pulls out, and possibly an opportunity to swerve around to the left - this is tricky because it's pulling in front of the driver, but often they spot you half way through and hit the brakes on the spot, which results in them stopping right over your lane. In this situation you want to be as far to the left as possible. You're also often better off hitting the front bumper than the rear because it's lower and easier to go over instead of into the car.

I also remember reading somewhere on kiwibiker a post from a rider who said that hitting his horn is a part of his emergency swerving and braking procedures, which should be practiced regularly (I know I don't practice them nearly enough). This is an excellent way to get the attention of a driver if they've failed to see you, albiet usually too late.

Tough call on braking vs evasion. In this case obviously your choice worked out - on a dry road when you have a reduced stopping distance maybe braking would have been better, because:
1) any impact you do have will be significantly reduced regardless
2) you are at no risk to oncoming traffic
3) if you try to evade and slide out, you can hit something solid (their car, oncoming car, traffic light, curb) at speed (painful).
If you are really good and have a good road surface you can both brake and swerve at the same time, but this really takes practice. I'd be interested to hear opinions from experienced riders on this forum as to which is correct in a situation like this in various conditions. However I think the standard is if in doubt, brake hard.

I would also seriously consider making a police report, not to be vindictive, but because it's very useful evidence in anything which may come up later (insurance etc). But do think about this because there may be reprecussions to the driver (not that he may not have them coming).

[Gremlin]

really depends on the situation and how much space you have and where, to work with. I've braked and swerved, depending on situation. Either could be wrong in the other case, ie, if I braked hard instead of swerving

[firefighter]

Firstly, a visibility point: in situations like this, in town and on the motorway/backroads, I nearly always flick my highbeam on/off/on/off to improve the odds I've been spotted, You're also often better off hitting the front bumper than the rear because it's lower and easier to go over instead of into the car.

hitting his horn is a part of his emergency swerving and braking procedures,

Flashing your lights and slowing down is universal for telling people you are giving them permission to cross your lane/you are letting them in, absolute folly if you do'nt wish for that to happen. I do-do this at night when passing intersections, not when there is a car I do'nt want to cross my path is sitting there. Vinzor you are better to swerve side to side a little bit, so you stand out without sending the wrong message.

Picking a bumper to hit..........i've been in an accident, and have been to a lot of accidents, and would love to see someone doing this in action. I know you probably think your really awesome, but usually the option is'nt there/you as a human cannot physically react that fast.
In all reality, it's mostly luck if your going to make an impact, it's not really up to you anymore as to what happens, and as if, in a split second accident where a car has pulled in front of you, you have the choice.

Playing with the horn whilst your already fucked and swerving is retarded, you do that beforehand or whilst someone is trying to occupy to your lane, not during an emergency stop. DO you want to give them a pre-emptive fright before you crash into them?! I choose maximum control.

[Vinz0r]

Thanks for the feedback guys, yeah I failed to mention in the first post that I did brake when turning, wasn't really expecting to make it around the guy whilst staying upright as I really didn't think there was enough room to do it, was just trying to avoid the car while killing as much speed as possible, which resulted in me going down. It could be a bad thing in some situations, but when I am about to crrash, I'll do anything to avoid actually hitting anything haha, would rather slide than crunch. Could be a pretty nasty habit on a busy road with cars coming from the other direction though so may have to practice the aforementioned, brake and sideway skid technique.

[Ixion]

If you are really good and have a good road surface you can both brake and swerve at the same time, but this really takes practice. I'd be interested to hear opinions from experienced riders on this forum as to which is correct in a situation like this in various conditions. However I think the standard is if in doubt, brake hard.

I respectfully disagree. I'll ALWAYS go for the dodge as number one option.

Yes, it is possible to brake and swerve at the same time. Not that easy (unless you have ABS, then it is easy), but can be done.

Best process IMHO, is brake as hard as you can for just for a moment while you assess the situation (or spidey does, leave it to him, he's better at it than you are); select the place where the danger isn't ; unbrake, look at the safe place and go there; once you're lined up, brake, more gently, if necessary. Always "go where the danger isn't". That's my mantra, and it's worked well for me for over 40 years now.

[red mermaid]

Good skills getting him to sign a statement saying he was in the wrong.

[Milts]

Hah good to get some feedback from experienced riders re braking and evasion. I think it's an often discussed topic but it's very important to learn the appropriate procedure if you intend to own a motorbike. Thanks for lending some actual experience to the thread.

In hindsight it probably is a bit retarded to flash your lights, although I'm not sure how noticeable that is on my bike. I do still think that hitting the horn can be useful though, especially if you are swerving to avoid someone who is trying to merge into you on the motorway, or pulls out to pass after you have already started passing and are alongside them.

[Jonathan]

I do still think that hitting the horn can be useful though, especially if you are swerving to avoid someone who is trying to merge into you on the motorway, or pulls out to pass after you have already started passing and are alongside them.

I doubt anyone could hear my horn on the motorway. I barely can..

[Vinz0r]

Good skills getting him to sign a statement saying he was in the wrong.

Hah, yeah learnt that lesson a long time ago. Make sure you get the facts straight before the other guy has a chance to go home and 'think about it'. Far too often 'thinking about it' involves calling the insurance company and being told not to admit fault, even if you definitely are at fault :P

[Ragingrob]

Well avoided, and good to hear you and the bike are OK. Also good for you to find such a considerate cager, and nice thinking on getting something signed on the spot.

Firstly, a visibility point: in situations like this, in town and on the motorway/backroads, I nearly always flick my highbeam on/off/on/off to improve the odds I've been spotted, position myself to the left hand side of the lane, and throttle back a tad.

This is just ASKING for them to turn in front of you!!!

[PrincessBandit]

Was a pretty entertaining crash actually, ................

.................... Managed to just miss the car and ended up a little ways up the road.

Met up with the guy today, he's covering all repairs without dispute.

A good experience for a first crash I think, learnt some important lessons and came out of it with limbs intact and not broken!

I think the fact the you "just managed to miss the car" indicates that perhaps option 2 was a lucky choice - if you'd hit the damage could still have been considerable.
Good plan for getting a written admission straight up - and good on the guy for admitting, and paying up without contest. Still, not nice for you. Hope your injuries are mild and you heal well; oh, and bike fixes up ok!

[caseye]

Given the conditions and the fact that there was LUCKILY only the two of you on the road how in the hell did this happen? Expect the unexpected, ride to the conditions, be able to stop in the visible road ahead, etc etc etc add nausium, sorry just preparing you for some of the more uncomplimentary commetns that will be coming your way.
You've learnt the first rule (least it is in my book) treat everyone else on the road as if they ARE GOING TO KILL YOU.
Now go forth with your new found wisdom and practice the art of spiedy/mind reading of cagers everywhere.
Glad you have come out of this Ok, but please if there is ever a next time seriously, either have an escape plan based on what you can see or simply be able to stop in time regardless of what the car/truck is doing.
Take care, ride safe.