I think I made the wrong decision last night

[Old Steve]

I'm posting this so our newer riders, and maybe some of our older riders, will see the importance of a couple of safety actions.

Last night, about 6.00 pm, I was within a kilometre of home. I came to a right hand curve, maybe 40 km/hr or so, with a street off to the left right on the apex of the corner. It was well lit, there's a dairy and a takeaway on the corner. A car was coming from the opposite direction but it came through the corner before I entered it. There was a car stopped at the stop sign on the side street to the left.

Coming up to the corner I eased off the throttle, checked the car on the side street and kept an eye on it. There are corrugations on the corner out by the centre line so I was taking the curve in the middle of the lane. And bloody Nora, the car's front wheels started turning, it came out from the side street and I was already leaning for the right hand curve. I emergency braked, front and foot brake, got it absolutely right but that stood the bike upright and while I was stopping the bike I was now steering at a tangent to the curve, taking me closer to the car.

Luckily the driver saw me and braked too. I came to a halt with the car stopped about 600 mm to the left of my left handlebar. That's when I realised that my front wheel was overlapping the front of the car by about 1/4 of the front wheel diameter. If the car hadn't stopped I'd have hit it in the last foot or so of my braking. I sat there with my hand welded to the brake lever, and tasted bile in my mouth. That was close. The car backed out of the intersection and I clicked the bike into first gear and headed off.

So what did I learn?

1. DON'T RELAX! I was within a km of home, I know the road well, cars have always stopped on the side road before, and I watched the car. But there was more I could have done.

2. ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN B, a 'what if?" plan. While I was watching the car on the side street, I hadn't done my 'what if?' planning. I was almost home this was the last corner before the roundabout at our street and our driveway.

3. I made the wrong decision when I was forced to take avoiding action without my Plan B. If the car hadn't braked, by braking my bike would have hit the car wheel arch or driver's door, albeit in the last of its braking but enough so the forks would have folded and the bike would have been a write off. I would have come off at a somewhat slower speed, but I would have come off and maybe suffered some injury. I should have opened the throttle and countersteered to tighten up my path through the corner, the car wasn't moving very fast. I had space in my lane on my right, I even had space on the other side of the road as the car coming from the other direction had passed and there was nothing else coming. I would have pulled across in front of the car, steered back onto my side of the road, and disappeared down the road.

So I want to strongly emphasise those two points. Eternal vigilance, no matter if you're close to home, don't relax. And have your 'what if? plan in your mind for every moment you're on your bike.

I was lucky, I came so close to hitting the car if it continued into the intersection and having someone leaning over me and saying those fateful words, "Sorry Mate, I didn't see you."

Take care out there, don't relax and always have your Plan B.

[old slider]

I'm posting this so our newer riders, and maybe some of our older riders, will see the importance of a couple of safety actions.

Last night, about 6.00 pm, I was within a kilometre of home. I came to a right hand curve, maybe 40 km/hr or so, with a street off to the left right on the apex of the corner. It was well lit, there's a dairy and a takeaway on the corner. A car was coming from the opposite direction but it came through the corner before I entered it. There was a car stopped at the stop sign on the side street to the left.

Coming up to the corner I eased off the throttle, checked the car on the side street and kept an eye on it. There are corrugations on the corner out by the centre line so I was taking the curve in the middle of the lane. And bloody Nora, the car's front wheels started turning, it came out from the side street and I was already leaning for the right hand curve. I emergency braked, front and foot brake, got it absolutely right but that stood the bike upright and while I was stopping the bike I was now steering at a tangent to the curve, taking me closer to the car.

Luckily the driver saw me and braked too. I came to a halt with the car stopped about 600 mm to the left of my left handlebar. That's when I realised that my front wheel was overlapping the front of the car by about 1/4 of the front wheel diameter. If the car hadn't stopped I'd have hit it in the last foot or so of my braking. I sat there with my hand welded to the brake lever, and tasted bile in my mouth. That was close. The car backed out of the intersection and I clicked the bike into first gear and headed off.

So what did I learn?

1. DON'T RELAX! I was within a km of home, I know the road well, cars have always stopped on the side road before, and I watched the car. But there was more I could have done.

2. ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN B, a 'what if?" plan. While I was watching the car on the side street, I hadn't done my 'what if?' planning. I was almost home this was the last corner before the roundabout at our street and our driveway.

3. I made the wrong decision when I was forced to take avoiding action without my Plan B. If the car hadn't braked, by braking my bike would have hit the car wheel arch or driver's door, albeit in the last of its braking but enough so the forks would have folded and the bike would have been a write off. I would have come off at a somewhat slower speed, but I would have come off and maybe suffered some injury. I should have opened the throttle and countersteered to tighten up my path through the corner, the car wasn't moving very fast. I had space in my lane on my right, I even had space on the other side of the road as the car coming from the other direction had passed and there was nothing else coming. I would have pulled across in front of the car, steered back onto my side of the road, and disappeared down the road.

So I want to strongly emphasise those two points. Eternal vigilance, no matter if you're close to home, don't relax. And have your 'what if? plan in your mind for every moment you're on your bike.

I was lucky, I came so close to hitting the car if it continued into the intersection and having someone leaning over me and saying those fateful words, "Sorry Mate, I didn't see you."

Take care out there, don't relax and always have your Plan B.

Crikey, thanks for posting that , I have just learned a bit more, certainly makes me think about the what ifs a bit more, making eye contact with other drivers is sometimes not enough either I have found.

[Maha]

A lot of accident happen close to home, drivers/riders are over familiar with their surroundings causing said road users to be less onto it than they would normally be. It is possible that the car driver lived close by also.


And sometimes, the twain will actually meet. Plan B should always be an option, not just in this situation.

[Ulsterkiwi]

good post, a reminder how even the benign situations can go to custard!

[AllanB]

Bloody Dairies. Friggen dangerous places.

[Banditbandit]

Damm ... I thought it was going to be a story about going home with some chick you met at the pub and waking up with crabs or something ...



But well done, that man .. did everything right and avoided a crash .. sometimes shit just happens ... and there's bugger all you can do about it .. this time you walked (rode) away without crashing ..

[YellowDog]

Thanks for posting. Yes, it is that last couple of KMs when we tend to go into auto-pilot.

I've had a couple of those happen in wet conditions and have had my arse saved by the ABS. Evertime I feel it kick in, I curse my poor decision making.

My 'heads up' from this is that: Pipping the horn, in a non-offensive manner and at all intersctions/roundabout, helps to alert the air-head cagers.

I now pip the horn, without having to think about it

[neels]

Sounds like a lucky escape, sometimes there's not that much time to think.

I've had a similar situation when someone turned in front of me, had to decide (not even sure how that bit happened) whether to brake or go, went for the go option which turned out ok (mostly) so was probably the right call.

Always looking for an escape route, hopefully will never be in the situation where there isn't one.....

[rastuscat]

Just imagine this happening to a newish rider.

I bet the front brake would have been grabbed, and that's that. Low-side, slide into the side of the car.

Good work keeping it together.

It's one if the reasons we encourage people to practise their braking. In the event of the adverse event happening, braking needs to be familiar and confident.

Your awareness is a credit to you.

[old slider]

Thanks for posting. Yes, it is that last couple of KMs when we tend to go into auto-pilot.

I've had a couple of those happen in wet conditions and have had my arse saved by the ABS. Evertime I feel it kick in, I curse my poor decision making.

My 'heads up' from this is that: Pipping the horn, in a non-offensive manner and at all intersctions/roundabout, helps to alert the air-head cagers.

I now pip the horn, without having to think about it

I have noticed a few riders flicking their lights up and down to High beam when approaching potential hazards, it may help getting noticed, similar to horn use is great, but only if they don't have their car radio blasting away.

[Gremlin]

There is an intersection close to my house where the side street comes in at an angle and it's on a reasonably steep hill. 15 odd years going past it most days and I never relax.

The key thing in my mind is timing. Don't arrive at the intersection as they are (assuming you can see enough). The shorter period of time they are at the intersection the more inclined they are to keep rolling and not check properly. Adjust your speed so you arrive later, giving you more time to brake if they pull out, or if too close, perhaps speed up (but this should really be secondary to slowing as it gives you more time to react).

You're reasonably safe if there are oncoming cars, but watch very carefully if there is a gap in the oncoming cars. Given quite a few drivers a surprise when they pull out and have a light shining through their window while I'm braking...

[AllanB]

It's one if the reasons we encourage people to practise their braking. In the event of the adverse event happening, braking needs to be familiar and confident.

The change last year from the Hornet 900 to the Ducati Streetfighter had many many differences to become used to - one of the instantly more obvious ones was the Ducatis brakes are significantly superior and come on stronger quicker - a lot stronger. A gun-ho approach to the new ride could easily have resulted in a somewhat less 'new' ride very quickly.

[old slider]

The change last year from the Hornet 900 to the Ducati Streetfighter had many many differences to become used to - one of the instantly more obvious ones was the Ducatis brakes are significantly superior and come on stronger quicker - a lot stronger. A gun-ho approach to the new ride could easily have resulted in a somewhat less 'new' ride very quickly.

I don't feel like I will have that worry if grabbing a big hand and foot full of my HDs brakes even with the twin front discs, thankfully the engine braking is ok, I just have to remember to not down shift too early.

[haydes55]

I have noticed a few riders flicking their lights up and down to High beam when approaching potential hazards, it may help getting noticed, similar to horn use is great, but only if they don't have their car radio blasting away.

DO NOT FOLLOW THIS ADVISE.

The only time I see people flash their lights coming up to an intersection is to signal other vehicles that you are letting them in. By flashing your lights, you're encouraging people to pull out in front of you.

Imagine lying on the side of the road with your bike wedged in a car door and the driver gets out and says "but you flashed for me to go".

[george formby]

DO NOT FOLLOW THIS ADVISE.

The only time I see people flash their lights coming up to an intersection is to signal other vehicles that you are letting them in. By flashing your lights, you're encouraging people to pull out in front of you.

Imagine lying on the side of the road with your bike wedged in a car door and the driver gets out and says "but you flashed for me to go".

Yup, agreed. It's very ambiguous.

And a good save OP. A close call is a win in my book. I practice braking and evasion maneuvers but still wonder if I need to, would I react correctly?
I can't figure out a way of practicing snap decisions, lol. Guess I will have to wait for my hindsight moment to find out.