Cars and trailers

[sunhuntin]

why is it cagers with trailers seem to be even worse at driving? i had one pull out from a fruit stand on the other side of the road down kapiti way. luckily, i spotted him, took a stab at what he was likely to do, and had applied the brakes before he even started to move. i was fully loaded with gear for a two week trip, so it would have been a case of gear all over the road had i been hit him.

[Little Miss Trouble]

why is it cagers with trailers seem to be even worse at driving? i had one pull out from a fruit stand on the other side of the road down kapiti way. luckily, i spotted him, took a stab at what he was likely to do, and had applied the brakes before he even started to move. i was fully loaded with gear for a two week trip, so it would have been a case of gear all over the road had i been hit him.

Because they often fail to compensate for the extra time it will take to complete a manouver with the extra length and resistance a trailer provides

[Greyham]

Where exactly did it happen, I have watched the exact same thing happen at the whitby turnoff intersection!

it was at the james cook drive turn off

[DarkLord]

Who will the insurance company be most likely to blame?

It sounds to me like there is fault on both sides - he obviously didn't look or didn't "see you" as he claims and probably failed to compensate with the difference made because of the trailer.

But Greyham could also be considered at fault in a way for expecting him to not pull out and therefore not adjusting his riding accordingly.

Thoughts?

[Greyham]

Who will the insurance company be most likely to blame?

It sounds to me like there is fault on both sides - he obviously didn't look or didn't "see you" as he claims and probably failed to compensate with the difference made because of the trailer.

But Greyham could also be considered at fault in a way for expecting him to not pull out and therefore not adjusting his riding accordingly.

Thoughts?

well usually you can see if someone is about to pull out, thats all good, but when you are really close and they are statioary and then decise to turn, who is to blame?

[mdnzz]

Any driver of a vehicle that pulls out onto a road without giving way to on coming traffic is in the wrong if their actions cause an accident. If there was sufficient room and you failed to take action then your in the wrong.
From the sounds of it his admission that he didn't see you does not mean that he was in the wrong, it just means to him you were not visible enough to warrant his attention.

One thing you never mentioned though if you reported the crash to the police, regardless of injury or not.

[Ixion]

Thing is, right or wrong doesn't really matter. Motorcycling is about surviving, not about being right.

He's driving a cage. Ergo, he's probably stupid. So you have to do his thinking for him, because he's incapable of it.

Not right, not fair, but that's the way you survive on two wheels.

[Greyham]

police were there in a matter of minutes

[Greyham]

Thing is, right or wrong doesn't really matter. Motorcycling is about surviving, not about being right.

He's driving a cage. Ergo, he's probably stupid. So you have to do his thinking for him, because he's incapable of it.

Not right, not fair, but that's the way you survive on two wheels.

Well after walking away from this, i can tell you although i'm am stiff, sore and grazed I have never felt more alive as I do right now

[MsKABC]

How fast were you moving Greyham? If you were in danger of running up the back of his trailer, it sounds as if he had time to pull well away from the intersection before you got there.

(You said "when you are really close and they are statioary and then decise to turn") This suggests to me that either he pulled out quite quickly (unlikely) or you were perhaps going a bit too fast? This may have had the two-fold effect of:

* he couldn't accurately judge your speed and you were approaching faster than he thought

and

* you had less time to react.

As someone who tows a trailer on a regular basis and who also rides a motorcycle, I can see both perspectives. I also resent the assertions that cagers & people who tow trailers are stoopid!

No, he didn't see you (didn't look properly) and technically he was in the wrong. But if you could see him, you should have been able to anticipate his intentions and escape.

Also, I don't understand why you are out of pocket almost 2 grand if: (a) you have insurance and (b) it was his fault anyway? You can probably get your gear repaired, and yes you'll need a new helmet, but insurance may cover that. Small claims court is probably not worth the piss-assing around.

JMHO, FWIW