Lane Position Question - Nearly t-boned!

OK Guys and Gals here is a question for you. We are taught that the best lane position on a two-way street is in the left wheel track of the car in front. Now there I was last evening coming home from work in the dark under the street lights among a line of cars. High beams on, marker lights on, saddle bag lights on. As I approached a car waiting to enter the flow from a side street on the right, the car entered the street and nearly took me out, stopping just in time. It was really close, my pant leg brushing the paint. There was no time to adjust - he started to move quickly because his perceived time window was small, and he hit the gas just as my front wheel drew even with his car.

The question is - was I saved by my position, or could the near-miss have been avoided had I been in the right side of the lane and perhaps more visible?

 

id say the other guy was a moron and probably too busy talking on their phone or doing three other things when they should be focused on driving. you probably couldve been on fire and they still wouldve pulled out. ive had people look right at me and still pull out in front of me in the middle of the day. id still say the left third of the lane is best. watch out for those morons.

 

Glad you only polished his door a little bit. I know a guy that got some pretty major injuries from a similar situation.

The LH position in the lane is a generality. It makes it more likely oncoming traffic will see you sooner, cuts down on someone trying to use your lane to pass you and makes it less likely someone will pass the cage behind you and not see you before entering your space.

On the other hand, that position makes you harder to see by the guy entering from a side street into your lane.

You need to watch those guys, often you can "sense" their impatience. If it's not clear to me that a driver on a side street sees me I'll usually aim right at him. That puts the headlight square in his face. Also, my profile is moving across the vehicle behind me improving the odds that I won't blend in.

 

You need Hi-viz Gear.

If you ride at night ... you should be wearing a set of reflective belts like you see most Motorcycle Cops never riding without.

You can get then at a Police Supply Store or at Galls.

Or ... on like this:

http://www.galls.com/google/style.html? ... 7&cat=3149

 

I would order a Icon Vest, they cost around 50 USD, we are required to wear a Reflective Vest or the Icon vest anytime during hours of Darkness or while in a Military Uniform (DOD Policy). The Icon Vests meet all Department of Defense and Department of Army Specs. I wear mine almost all the time, even in the day time (don't have much light colored long sleeve shirts (another policy).

 

When approaching an intersection, I move to the right groove to give me as much opportunity as possible. Drivers look out the window and they are looking for CARS. Often times I think they look up see a motorcycle and their brain just says... "OK to go, no cars coming." Sometimes I swear we could be wearing a neon flipping jacket with sparks flying out of our heads and car drivers still wouldn't register.

 

I have the white vinyl straps that go over your shoulders and cross in the back and front with the around-the-waist strap holding it all together.

Looks exactly like a BikeCop's .... because it is!

I bought it at a Police Safety Store and got some "Winged-Arrow-Wheels" Patches for my jacket to.

You can see that criss-crossed belts from a mile away. Whenever I have to go a long distance at night ... on it goes. I won't go near a Boston Area Loop Road at night without them on.

The night drivers are like NASCAR around here.

 

Higher visibility gear and equipment is never a bad idea, but I also think that what is really needed is more emphasis on the "Pull your head out of your butt and pay attention" part of the Driver Training courses. Tougher penalties for neglegent driving might also be in order. What are we supposed to do, put strobe lights on our helmets and air raid sirens on our bikes?? Holy cow, is it always our own fault that cagers don't see us?
Okay, enough crying. Glad you're okay.

 

I think it has something to do with this time of year, as motorists are not used to seeing bikes as much. Case in Point...last wednesday, I was riding down Highway 99W on the way to work. Every day there is a truck that crosses 99 at about the same time as i go down the road. Usually he sees me, waits till i get across if need be and thats that. Well this day, he looked right at me , then proceeds to go across 5 lanes of traffic and nearly t bones me. I was going about 60 mph, in the right hand lane and had my backpack that has high reflective material. I firmly believe the driver wasn't aware of my presence. Got next to him and proceeded to give him my thoughts on his maneuver. Kicked his drivers side door and left. Heck i was running late for work anyway. Seems almost like time to stop riding for a while.

 

When riding on the highway to and from work, I usually traverse the left-third, too. However, if I'm approaching a situation where there's a car wanting to enter or cross my lane on the right, I'll drift over towards the fog line and highlight him with the headlight. If I get the sense he's impatient, I'll flicker him with the high beam to be sure he sees me (I hope).

Lane position is important when riding, but not only should we be concerned with where we sit in the lane (left-to-right), but where we sit with regards to the perceived opening (forward and after) we create by being less visible. If you're in a long line of cars, the waiting motorist's patience lessens exponentially with every passing car he must wait for. If he looks down a line of cars and sees an opening--any opening--he just may go for it. Especially if that opening is followed by another string of cars.

Being aware of your surroundings will allow you to identify these pitfalls and plan for them. What's the solution? Of course it depends on each particular situation, but if you do find yourself looking like the only opening for a merging car, use the car in front of you to run interference. By this I mean momentarily sucking up to the car in front of you while moving towards the right of the lane. As you get closer to the waiting car, drift back towards the left. As soon as you've passed the car, drop back to a safe riding distance.

The likelihood that the waiting motorist will hit you is pretty slim as he'd have to really time his entry close to hitting the car he's trying to get behind (the one your're following). If you're already in a leftward moving motion and he does enter aggressively, you just need to lean more to the left.

Is this solution perfect? Absolutely not, but when it comes to riding a motorcycle, you can't rely on others for your safety. Any extra precautions you can take may just save your life.

 

Wise words Gamuru. And thanks to Everyone for your feedback. In the case above, I actually had sucked up to the car ahead just in case this guy became impatient. Problem was he was REALLY impatient and really hit the gas, stiff enough to hear his engine through my earplugs. Next time I see that impatient eye gleam, I may just slow or stop and let him/her in. Better ahead of me than me under his car.

BTW we are nearly to the same weather induced point of PMS in eastern Chilly Beach as the temps drop and snow predictions become more dire.

Looks like she'll go away for the winter this week and I'll have some clean and fix time. And dream of being below the snow line, riding through Christmas. Sounds like a great way to get a winter vacation...hmmm....

 

Time for us Northern Hemisphere riders to pass the torch to the SunBelt guys and the Mates from OZ.

I inagine they are experiencing light-jacket and good-weather riding down in OZ just about now.