What not to wear (the road)

[discotex]

So I got nailed today. I'm not starting this thread for sympathy or attention as I know how dreary all the "I binned" threads get and I already know we all hate it when a biker goes down.

I just thought I'd share the experience to help others learn from my misfortune. In this case I was doing almost everything right but there were still lessons to be learned.

If you think there was something I could have done to prevent or avoid the accident please let me know!

Setting the Scene:

- 8:30am Greville Rd
- Drizzling pretty hard but not really rain
- Cars backup up the northern motorway for miles. More than I've seen in a long time

The 'event'

I'm coming up to the roundabout (point A) and there are cars all parked waiting to get on the roundabout so I split up to the front (point B).

I got to the front of the queue and pulled into the right lane as the left lane was backed up all the way from the motorway.

Just as I came to a stop a gap in the cars opened in the roundabout allowing me to move onto the roundabout and into the right lane of the on-ramp as the intersection is designed.

Just as I started getting on the gas (point C) I decided that a differential of 20km/h was plenty so didn't push it. All the cars waiting in the left lane were stationary so I was wary of one pulling out and started to drift over to the centre of the lane just in case.

About halfway between point C and D the guy in the red car gassed it hard out of his lane without indicating. He'd just waited for the big car in front of me.

I regularly practice sharp countersteering and emergency braking (never both at the same time) so my instincts kicked in. My subconcious knew I couldn't brake so I went to veer out of the way. Only problem was I didn't have enough time to complete the manoeuvre. Just started pressing forward on the right clipon when the front wheel hit his front 1/4 and well...

The wheel hitting the car (thus turning it right as he was at a 45 degree angle) basically countersteered the bike into the ground on the left side. Got some serious lean on there! Knee, hip, shoulder, head down and all.

The aftermath:

Picked myself up off the road, hit the kill switch and sat on my bike to gather my thoughts.

There'd been a bunch of "should you call the cops in an accident" threads lately so when they asked if I wanted an ambulance I said sure. and where there in about 2 minutes which was great. The police took care of getting the other guys details etc.

The lessons:

1. So I'm a very defensive driver/rider who's very aware of what's going on around. I knew someone could pull out. In fact it was one of the thoughts I had seeing the empty lane. I knew my differential speed had to be low. I knew my stopping distance would be long. I knew not to fixate on the target and had picked my escape route.

The police have decided the other driver is 100% at fault but that leaves me a little empty. Sure it was as he changed lanes without indicating and looking properly but I wondered if I could have done something different that would have made him see me.

After a lot of thinking I came to one conclusion.

That entire lane coming off the roundabout is a blindspot. The angle that the cages are on means no matter what they won't see you in their mirrors unless you're massive. I'm 99% sure had I been in a small car I'd still have been hit.

The only thing that would have prevented the crash would have been to either tailgate the car in front or have used the bus lane to get ahead of the cars (like I normally do in rush hour as both lanes are normally blocked).


2. I didn't think I was hurt at first but after about 2 mins I started getting pretty woozy and my back started hurting so was glad they called the ambo. Seriously recommend you do that unless you're 100% sure you're fine if you find yourself in the same situation. Was great having the cops there to establish fault and get his details as I wasn't really up to handling it myself being so dazed.


3. Doesn't matter what your skills are and how alert and how aware of danger you are you can still be caught out.


4. Your gear makes a big difference how bad you get hurt. Even at the ~20km/h I was doing I hit the ground fuckin hard.

- Had I not been wearing a helmet it's almost certain I'd be dead or in a coma right now.
- Had I not been wearing gloves my knuckles would have ground off instead of the leather and plastic. Hell I didn't even know my hands had hit the deck my gloves worked so well.
- Had I not been wearing an armoured jacked I'd have a broken shoulder.
- Had I not had my pants on my left hip would hurt a lot more than it does.


So fingers crossed my insurance write off the bike. I know it's an unusual way to sell your bike for an upgrade but hey... Whatever works eh

I'm all good.. Back is a bit sore but otherwise fine. Obligatory pics of the damage attached as penance for this novel

[jrandom]

Well written up, and very glad to hear you don't have any significant injuries.

After a couple of similar incidents in the rain during rush hour, I now basically assume that if there's stationary or slow traffic, and a gap beside it, someone's going to try to leap into the gap without looking or considering the possibilities.

Only thing you could have done differently was to keep hard over to the right of that lane as soon as you entered it, thereby riding as far away from the cars as possible at every moment.

Heavy-traffic riding is at its most dangerous when gaps appear, and for some reason, wet weather seems to bring out every car driver's inner moron. Never ride close to a car unless there's something else in its way, visibly stopping it from swerving into you.

You've probably learned a good awareness skill from that crash, and for all you know it'll save your life one day.

Anyway, the most important question is, of course, what bike are you going to get next?

[Nasty]

Well written write up ... not nice reading .. but I am glad you are not too bad .. that you took advice and said yes to medical ... and that you know that you definately wear the right gear .. hard way to learn that lession though.

[EnzoYug]

Any crash you walk away from (or stand up after) is a good result from a bad equation. Good work on the gear, insurance, ambulance and cops. Sound to me like a semi-textbook crash.

Hope the insurance lets you 'upgrade'!
However - If you know anyone with a legal / insurance background it might be worth trying to settle privately. When I got hit the guy closed it privately and ended up paying out all my gear as well as my bike. And he left me the wreck to sell. Might be worth a shot?

[discotex]

Well written up, and very glad to hear you don't have any significant injuries.

After a couple of similar incidents in the rain during rush hour, I now basically assume that if there's stationary or slow traffic, and a gap beside it, someone's going to try to leap into the gap without looking or considering the possibilities.

Yeah I live by that mantra too. Has saved my butt a number of times. Basically when I see a gap open I start picking escape routes.

Only thing you could have done differently was to keep hard over to the right of that lane as soon as you entered it, thereby riding as far away from the cars as possible at every moment.

That's why I was drifting over but I didn't go hard right because I like to know my headlight is in their mirror but maybe that's not actually better. Works really well in the "fast" lane on the motorway but maybe not passing stationary cars.

Anyway, the most important question is, of course, what bike are you going to get next?

That is the key question! 3 weeks away from being able to get my full to start test riding but the short list is ZX-6R, gixxer 600 or SV thou. Duke 748 is a possible as well I guess. All depends on how they feel when I ride them.

Going to have to get the cage going until then I think

[discotex]

Well written write up ... not nice reading .. but I am glad you are not too bad .. that you took advice and said yes to medical ... and that you know that you definately wear the right gear .. hard way to learn that lession though.

You're telling me. That said I didn't need any convincing. Does make me wonder how I'd have faired in my kevlar jeans in the dry. Might have to check out some airmesh pants for summer.

Any crash you walk away from (or stand up after) is a good result from a bad equation. Good work on the gear, insurance, ambulance and cops. Sound to me like a semi-textbook crash.

Hope the insurance lets you 'upgrade'!
However - If you know anyone with a legal / insurance background it might be worth trying to settle privately. When I got hit the guy closed it privately and ended up paying out all my gear as well as my bike. And he left me the wreck to sell. Might be worth a shot?

To be honest I don't think the dude will have enough cash to pay me out in a lump sum and I wouldn't take part payment. Would really just prefer the cash in the bank from insurance. With any luck it'll be as much as I'd have got for a trade. Good idea though

[Nasty]

You're telling me. That said I didn't need any convincing. Does make me wonder how I'd have faired in my kevlar jeans in the dry. Might have to check out some airmesh pants for summer.

a few of us are looking at the armour for the inside of the kevlar jeans .. it uses velcro to them.

[discotex]

a few of us are looking at the armour for the inside of the kevlar jeans .. it uses velcro to them.

Wonder if it's worth cutting up some temperfoam for the hips as well. Then you've basically got the same level of protection without the heat.

[tri boy]

Only things I can think of, are:
Having a good noisy exhaust to let the wankers know someone is close by.
Possibly a bright headlight might have caught the drivers attention in his rear view mirror as you moved forward.
Glad your quite uninjured.

[rainman]

Thanks for the post, and glad you´re not badly hurt. That´s close to my normal run in to work, and your post provided me with a bit of food for thought.

[discotex]

Only things I can think of, are:
Having a good noisy exhaust to let the wankers know someone is close by.
Possibly a bright headlight might have caught the drivers attention in his rear view mirror as you moved forward.
Glad your quite uninjured.

ZXR250 has two hardwired headlights. They're pretty damn bright too. Guess I could have had high beam on considering the rain.

My new bike will have an aftermarket can for sure. Not that I'd want to rely on it but at low speed like this was he might have heard me. I guess the point is it all adds up right. Covering the bases etc.

Thanks for the post, and glad you´re not badly hurt. That´s close to my normal run in to work, and your post provided me with a bit of food for thought.

Me too. Appreciate all your best wishes. The whole point of detailing the sorry incident was to help someone else out so I'm glad you found it useful.

[paturoa]

I have my headlights on high beam all the time during the day. They are fecking bright too so that helps in some situations.

[pritch]

Good write-up.

If I read it right, your position relative to the car was in what Nick Ienatch describes in his book "Sport Riding Techniques" as the death spot.

When splitting lanes, filtering, or whatever tf, you are in the death spot of a whole succession of cars most of the drivers of which are thinking about anything else except driving. If they are thinking at all...

It might be cool and it is quicker, but it's also bloody dangerous.

Hope you and your bike get well soon

[discotex]

Good write-up.

If I read it right, your position relative to the car was in what Nick Ienatch describes in his book "Sport Riding Techniques" as the death spot.

When splitting lanes, filtering, or whatever tf, you are in the death spot of a whole succession of cars most of the drivers of which are thinking about anything else except driving. If they are thinking at all...

It might be cool and it is quicker, but it's also bloody dangerous.

Hope you and your bike get well soon

Thanks Pritch. I'll be fine in a day or so I'd say. Bikes a mess but you get that with sprotsbikes eh... Will be pissed if they repair the bike as I'll be wanting to sell it in 3 weeks anyway. A write off would suit me much better at this point.

Haven't read that book but I've always known passing a big gap to be a super dodgy place to be. I'm assuming that's what he defines as the death spot?

If I'm in that situation splitting I usually slow down or speed up to pick up a car to ride alongside. If it's just one gap I make sure I'm not in the blindspot or even better make sure I'm lined up with a gap on both sides.

The irony about today is that normally both lanes are blocked so I ride up the bus lane and merge where it meets the motorway.

Should have just done what I normally do and I'd have avoided the whole situation. Silly me decided not to be the cheeky biker today.

[obstacle]

told you you should have got the white helmet, there'd be no missing you then. Then again, i guess this time he didn't miss you either.

on a serious note, it sucks to hear from a friend in hospital no matter what the injuries are. i was happy to see you walking out this time, not being the guy delivering you. Here's hoping it's the last time eh?