Nearly took out a biker today

[Steam]

It was dark, and I was in a car turning onto the main road from a side street, I pull out and all of a sudden ZOOM, there he was! It was a scooter rider, but even scoots don't deserve to die. I missed him by 5m or so, but still, he woulda been sweating I guess. Strange but he didn't seem to react at all, no fist or middle finger or shaken head.
Where the F%$# did he come from? Lights on and everything, I just didn't see him.

I couldn't believe it, here I am all angry at scum who pull out in front of me, and there I did it to someone else.

I thought about chasing him and giving him a dozen of beer in apology, but then I thought the sight of someone following you who has just almost crashed into you would be a bit alarming!

Interesting, even though I ride now, my brain apparently still doesn't recognise bikes as traffic.

Mea culpa!

[RT527]

Had the opposite thing happen today trying to get my truck from a side street off henderson valley rd at lunchtime today, went to pull out and for some reason I stopped from going as if some sixth sense said to stop , And sure enough a motorcyclist was coming down the rd partly obscured by parked cars

[sunhuntin]

had similar when in the passenger seat of dads car...turning right and would of course be crossing the line of oncoming traffic. saw car headlights, far enough away to turn safely. half way through the turn, i take another look and see a scooter in front of the oncoming car. freaky, the scooter had lights, but i guess the car just blacked them out or something. very scary for the scooter i spose.

[dawnrazor]

two sides to every story ain't there. its not as simple as "i didn't see you", every crash or close call is usually a lot more complex.

Speed mightn't kill....but it's usually a factor

[sunhuntin]

aint that the truth eh? i dont think i would have seen the scooter even if id been on the bike....that car behind them was following way to close...like looking into a sunset, you cant see whats coming. the lights werent as bright, but same effect. luckily no injuries, but could have been easily.

[Hitcher]

I thought this was going to be a tale about unrequited love. Oh well then...

[motoGP]

It was dark, and I was in a car turning onto the main road from a side street, I pull out and all of a sudden ZOOM, there he was! It was a scooter rider.

For a second there I though that it was you who pulled out in front of me tonight, matched the criteria perfectly - then I read the scooter part.

[quickbuck]

For a second there I though that it was you who pulled out in front of me tonight, matched the criteria perfectly - then I read the scooter part.

Not to mention different ends of the island?

Anyway, I guess a lesson can be taken from this for all of us: It is even hard for bikers who are used to seeing bikers to see us, so it is a wake up call to be as visible as possible.

There have also been a few threads on here where motorcycles are following somebody for kilometers, and then the driver does something random like the bike was never there.

Got told by a riding instructor the other week, weave around all over the place when following cars. You may look like a bit of a loose cannon, but at least they noticed you.

I have also found if you do this cages back right off your tail. To them they think you are going to fall off or something.

[Ixion]

,,

Got told by a riding instructor the other week, weave around all over the place when following cars. You may look like a bit of a loose cannon, but at least they noticed you.

I have also found if you do this cages back right off your tail. To them they think you are going to fall off or something.

Yeah I do that. Course, in my case its because Im going to fall off.

[motoGP]

Not to mention different ends of the island?

Woops

[Karma]

Yeah I do that. Course, in my case its because Im going to fall off.

I like to listen to music and subconsciously have found myself 'dancing' around in my lane.

Otherwise I do it to warm the tyres in the morning or to keep upright in slow moving traffic.

[Bend-it]

It was dark, and I was in a car turning onto the main road from a side street, I pull out and all of a sudden ZOOM, there he was! It was a scooter rider, but even scoots don't deserve to die. I missed him by 5m or so, but still, he woulda been sweating I guess.
....
Interesting, even though I ride now, my brain apparently still doesn't recognise bikes as traffic.

Go give all your money to the poor, dedicate the rest of your life to community service and 40 million hail marys!

[outlawtorn]

sometimes the people on these scooters think they are indestructible, there's a guy who filters on the north shore motorway into town every morning on his little vespa, he has all the gear and that shit, but he filters at roughly 60-70 kph, he always rides up my ass and doesn't give you much time to move over before doing so. I can never catch him so I can give him a piece of my mind as I can't filter at those speeds, so I just think to myself 'fuckit, one day he'll get knocked off and then I can stop nearby and tell him why he just got knocked off, dumb fuck'

[Oakie]

Yeah, I've started to pull out in front of bikes a couple of times in the car over the past 12 months. They were both in the blind spot caused by the front left pillar. I always move my head backwards and forwards now to make sure nothing is behind it.