Just when think all is fine a new incident happens

**rocketman1** · 31st March 2011, 20:06

Coming up the west coast of the south island a few months ago.
I was following 3 camper vans for a while, saw straight signalled to pass them all, off I went the two cars behind me came as well, as I was approaching the front campervan, moving quite fast, the campervan indicated to turn right, stuffed if I know why there was bugger all to turn right for, anyways here I am hooning past this camper two cars up my exhaust, and campervan half way into my lane.
I didnt have time to hit the horn, but I heard horn, must have been the car behind. I braked hard hoping that the guy behind could stop in time.
Anyway the camper straightened up at the last minute just enough to let me past.

Hey this happened withing a few seconds. Luckily all was well but could have been nasty.
Just thought Id share this so someone else might avoid the same problem
I hindsight it may have been safer to let the car behind me go first, but us bikers rarely do that aye.

**schrodingers cat** · 31st March 2011, 20:14

Probably confused as to which lane they were supposed to be in in the first place.

Fucking camper vans. If I was in Mad Max land I'd have a rocket launcher or the like to blow the fucking things into the shrubbery.

**idb** · 31st March 2011, 21:18

Originally Posted by schrodingers cat

Probably confused as to which lane they were supposed to be in in the first place.

Fucking camper vans. If I was in Mad Max land I'd have a rocket launcher or the like to blow the fucking things into the shrubbery.

Yeah, or throw a big tiger at him...

**jim.cox** · 1st April 2011, 06:51

Originally Posted by schrodingers cat

camper vans. I.

also known as "Road Maggots" to bus drivers...

**oneofsix** · 1st April 2011, 06:58

That could have been interesting. You aren't allowed to overtake a right turning driver on the right but also if someone is overtaking you you aren't allowed to pull out on them. Guess you never worked out why he was indicating right? Perhaps an Aussie avoiding a possum

**The Everlasting** · 1st April 2011, 07:03

Bugger,most likely a tourist who can't drive,thankfully you didn't come to grief.

**The Baron** · 1st April 2011, 12:44

I had a camper van driving towards me earlier this year on my side of the road. That was fun. (Coro loop)

The look on his face as he threw the camper to the left - priceless.

**CookMySock** · 1st April 2011, 13:31

Originally Posted by rocketman1

[...] as I was approaching the front campervan, moving quite fast, the campervan indicated to turn right, stuffed if I know why there was bugger all to turn right for

I won't pass cars at very large speed differentials. It makes the rider into a missile that must hit some target, and thats not what you want to be dealing with when a gap closes up.

On bikes its trivially easy to wander out onto the white line and casually amble past almost anything. Sometimes it doesn't feel right, but the fact is there is loads of room, even if you miscalculate and are unfortunate find yourself factoring oncoming traffic into the equation. At this point, you can accelerate to clear, brake to withdraw, or "don't panic" and stay on the centreline and go between. In a car of course you are completely fucked, but not so on a bike.

Expedite by all means, but mostly keep your options open by keeping speed differential to some safe minimum* when overtaking.

*left as an exercise for the reader

**Smifffy** · 1st April 2011, 16:38

I don't think letting the cars go first would have been a better option. If the camper still pulled out, it would be in front of the car who would either stand on the picks, or shoot that gap.

Either way MUCH less gap left for you.

IMO if you are passing a LINE of traffic, then you do need a relatively high speed differential, since every vehicle in that line is another unknown quantity. I tend to only pass lines of vehicles if i have a dedicated (passing/motorway/express) lane to do so, else I tend to pick them off one at a time.

Then again maybe what I think is a high speed differential on my lumbering old beast is in fact tiny when compared to the all powerful DB hyo-missile.