How quickly it can go bad with an idiot cager in front...

**samgab** · 14th February 2009, 20:30

Originally Posted by aewilliam

...this is probably when a stoppie combined with a 180 spin finishing with the rear wheel coming to rest on the Civic may have helped. She really should have practiced that manouvere at home maybe.

Or possibly she needs the skills to be able to stop in a mere 2M from 60Kph. Or is that 2 Yards from 37Mph? I'm getting confussed...

**TLDV8** · 14th February 2009, 21:37

Originally Posted by aewilliam

Ima thinking target fixation? Civic was too much in the picture to suggest an escape path was being looked at rather than the impending 'oh f*ck'. (not that the target fixation is NOT something I would instinctively do myself, but God help me not to fixate...)
There was a wee bit of a gap betwixt the Accord on the rightand the Civic, and sideswiping the Accord may have been less injurious in the end?

That aside, this is probably when a stoppie combined with a 180 spin finishing with the rear wheel coming to rest on the Civic may have helped. She really should have practiced that manouvere at home maybe.

You could always go over to TLZone and PM "actls" he might be able to get his partner (Dawn,the rider in question) to come and tell you all in this thread what happened.
As far as i know she is also a accomplished road racer with at least two litre class bikes.

I am willing to bet a good percentage of riders would have froze and T boned the Civic.
You never know (and there is no way to prepare for) how you will react in a situation like that until it is happening.

**Manxman** · 14th February 2009, 22:02

Originally Posted by samgab

Rider was a she, but yeah.

At least there was a nice girl there to try to help...
I wished someone would shout at the idiot driver though.
"I don know what happen, I swerve, I swerve..."
That wasn't a "swerve" idiot.

My response to the driver would have been something like: "I don't know what happened there mate, my fist 'just swerved' into your nose"..

**BMWST?** · 14th February 2009, 22:05

it did appear as though she was going somewhat faster than other traffic....the silver car had already stopped.

**samgab** · 14th February 2009, 22:17

Originally Posted by TLDV8

...two litre class bikes.

Wow, that's amazing! She races two litre motorbikes! They must be fast!

**Mikkel** · 15th February 2009, 00:29

Only one way, had to go left. Guess she might have been able to brake faster too. It happened so quickly. Easy to sit here behind the screen and say. However, I was cringing as soon as she started to head right - nowhere to go from there.

Can't see how anyone would ever be inspired to try and make a handbrake turn at that particular point...

Nice cleavage indeed.

**samgab** · 15th February 2009, 00:43

Originally Posted by Mikkel

Only one way, had to go left. Guess she might have been able to brake faster too. It happened so quickly. Easy to sit here behind the screen and say. However, I was cringing as soon as she started to head right - nowhere to go from there.

Can't see how anyone would ever be inspired to try and make a handbrake turn at that particular point...

Nice cleavage indeed.

It's such an unexpected thing for a car to do, there was no way she could have known it would veer off to the right like that.
I wish I knew what that idiot driver did, and what was running through his mind. I don't know, but it sure didn't look like a blowout to me. There was braking smoke coming off the front and back wheels. It looked like he was approaching the car he was following too fast, and thought he wouldn't stop in time; but why he would yank the wheel to the right like that and spin around... Who knows! But it just shows what can happen at any second, with other motorists around.
I don't think she was approaching too fast on the bike, within her lane she was doing a safe speed, or would have been had the other motorists acted only mildly insane. But nothing can predict REALLY insane behaviour.

**Gremlin** · 15th February 2009, 01:34

I think the traffic in the left lane was stopped, and that civic might have panicked, tried to avoid/brake, lost control, and she didn't have any room.

I don't think it would be a normal instinct to head left at all (and with the length of the car, it would have blocked a lot of the room), and she acted as best she could, with pretty much nowhere to go. Sounds like she probably had the back locked up, which restricted what she could do anyway.

Also looks like traffic had suddenly slowed in the right lanes as well, which would explain why those cars were moving so slowly as well.

Auckland motorways are excellent at suddenly having one lane almost stopped. Not a fun situation at all.

**swbarnett** · 15th February 2009, 07:40

Originally Posted by Mikkel

Only one way, had to go left.

Exactly what I was thinking. There were no cars immediately behind the offending driver so there would've been room in their lane to make an avoidance maneuvre.

**Jiminy** · 15th February 2009, 09:09

Originally Posted by swbarnett

There were no cars immediately behind the offending driver so there would've been room in their lane to make an avoidance maneuvre.

Probably right in this instance, but it's easier to determine after the fact. You would have to start going left immediately, and it's not the most instinctive reaction. Plus, you don't know where the Civic will stop.

The only thing I can think of would have been to watch the traffic ahead, see it stalled, and anticipate that the Civic was about to be in a dead end and do something unexpected. That would have given her the chance to decelerate and move to the far right of her lane before the situation happened. Easier said that done.

**Sharry** · 15th February 2009, 09:18

I couldn't see evidence of the bike breaking. The speed at which it was passing the white lane lines did not slow untill just before impact. Having said that she still was not at fault.

**R6_kid:Me** · 15th February 2009, 10:07

This video shows the exact reason why you shouldnt wear a helmet cam when riding in traffic - because shit like this always happens when you're filming.

You only need to look at the mormon race vid for proof.

**vifferman** · 15th February 2009, 10:17

If you listen to the audio, the Civic driver (fat guy in white t-shirt) said he braked and swerved. It would've been fine for avoiding whatever it was he was swerving to avoid, provided he'd either let off the brakes slightly when he braked, or had ABS, or there'd been nothing in the lane to the right of him.

The motorcyclist? While this is one of those one-oof, weird and unlucky situations, it's not safe to be traveling too much faster than surrounding traffic. Perhps she should've been scanning the traffic to see if anything weird was happening. All this is easy to say in hindsight.

**ducatilover** · 15th February 2009, 11:10

she did what her instincts told her to do. danger coming from her left, go tot the right. i would like to say in a similar situation id go left, but i doubt i would. poor lady!

nice clevage though