Another wake up cager moment.

I was about 20 seconds from turning into work yesterday, when this guy in the lane to the left of me, thought it would be a good idea to change into my lane right on top of me.

Luckily i drive with the mind-frame that EVERYONE is going to do something stupid like this to me A rather lengthy blast from the new horn from Chacal, and the guy over-corrected so hard he almost bashed the big truck in the lane to the left of him (3 lane road 60km/h max) lol.

Just a reminder that no one sees you, expect it, and always have a way out.

 

Good reminder. Also, try to never ride in someone's blind spot. Sometimes that means speeding up and sometimes it means slowing down but it is a good habit to keep in mind that YOU have to make yourself visible to other drivers.

 

Oddly enough, he was right beside me, the guy didn't even check to see me there right beside him lol. This guy was a true moron!

But yes very good advice!

 

Sometimes I wish I had a big 'ol magnet sticker to slap on those cars while passing them by. Wouldn't that be great?

"Watch out -- no license here"

"Student driver"

"Blind, but adventurous"

"Driving with feet"

"How do I work this thing?"

 

Good ones!

 

I know it's annoying to most but that's why I haveloud pipes. I remember when I was 10 or so riding in the back of my dads pick up truck and seeing a bumper sticker that read "loud pipes save lives." Always stuck with me.

 

Remember just because they make eye contact doesn't mean they have seen you!
Had drivers look straight at me and STILL move into my lane.

 

I just operate on the assumption that no one sees me anyway. Here in California it's a little easier, since motorcycles don't really have to pay attention to lanes. We just do what we want. I couldn't imagine not being able to pass a car in it's own lane, sit between two cars in adjacent lanes, or just sit in between two lanes. These places are where I live because I don't think anyone can see me anyways!

 

I say split lanes, but be smart about it. As I'm sure I've said before, I have a few rules about doing it:

1) Between lanes 1 and 2.
2) No faster than 25mph, maybe 30. Any faster, and I'll drop back into a lane.
3) Preferably, traffic will be at a standstill.

Loud pipes? Useless. More often than not, I don't hear them until they're right beside me... which defeats the purpose of having them.

 

With all due respect. Riding between lanes is stupid and dangerous.
If traffic is stopping or at a stop, it is even worse. Car drivers are thinking of only one thing. How get through the standstill. They do many stupid things in their feeble attempt to get through the traffic.

Johnny Crotch rocket comes between the cars and a opening in the other lane appears, next you see is a car making a dive for the opening and the bike broadsides the car. I spent 15 years driving a truck. I have seen that happen several times.

Bikes riding the shoulder during a traffic jam is just as dumb. I watched a guy get it when someone opened a car door

 

Fixed that for you.

Seen the car jump for the opening many times. That's part of the reason I go so slow when I do split lanes... which isn't often these days, because I don't hit congested traffic that much anymore. (Actually, I don't ride that much these days.) And yes, I watch for the openings. Would you rather have me threading through lanes at a relatively sedate 25 or whipping through full-speed traffic at 70 plus, which I see far too often?

I know, you'd rather not have me (or anyone) do it at all. Still, being able to split lanes is one of the perks of having a bike. (Plus, it's legal out here.)

 

Yes, the legality and commonality of it out here generates excess concern from those who are from areas where it is uncommon and/or illegal. Cages don't generally get upset anymore when bikes roll past them 15 times a day, every day, 365 days a year. Most move over, even though they don't have to.

I don't concern myself with the absolute speed as much as the relative speed. If the cars are going 40 in a 65 then I don't mind going 45 in between them. The cars pass by pretty slowly, but I'm not stopping and going, which is MUCH MORE DANGEROUS than being offset in a lane. IMO.

And when that opening in the lane is pretty easy to avoid when you're only going 5 mph (relative). And in between the leftmost and next (out of 5) lanes, there aren't a lot of openings anyway. If you see an opening that someone may want, slow down and let them have it...only pass where no one else can go. It's not like they suddenly appear, you can see them from 5 car lengths away.

I ride on these freeways 100 miles a week, and the last thing I want is someone coming up behind me that's going faster than me. Everything else I can see and therefore guard against somewhat. Given the way the lights work around here, I'm not overly concerned about the dreaded "turned left into me" scenario. Most of the close calls that I couldn't avoid are from people moving into my lane....mostly after passing me quickly from behind. Again, cars get into the MIDDLE of the lane, if I'm on the edge, then they can move into the lane right beside me and no harm done, whether they see me or not.

Riding on the shoulder is illegal wherever you are....but opening a door on someone should qualify as attempted murder, I would think, at least if you were on the freeway (absolutely no reason to open a door, if it's even legal) and either splitting legally or just in your own lane (which technically most of the time you are in your own lane, if on the edge of it).

Although I generally ride NEAR the shoulder, just in case someone stops suddenly or veers into my lane then I have the shoulder to turn to. And forget about the 2 second rule, if there is any more than 1 second of buffer another car will happily fill it. I don't even bother trying to stay out of blind spots anymore, I'm invisible, so I'm ALWAYS in a blind spot, right? I just don't stay beside a car for long, so that when they get over, it's not into me, just closely in front of me.

If you had your own lane where a car wouldn't or couldn't go, don't you think it would be safer for you to be in it?