Dear Bikers: Be Safe out There!

JBSchroeds

99 problems, and they're all turtles!
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With the weather finally decent for most of the US the number of motorcyclists will be increasing greatly for many regions (I'm in New England and the number of bikes on the road has gone way up in the last week or two). So, for all those bikers here in the Mayberry, remember: asphalt doesn't have a crumple zone, and neither does your skull. Don't drive irresponsibly and be aware that you aren't as visible to other drivers as they are to you (oh, and a helmet could save your life). For everybody else, make sure you aren't looking just for cars when you're on the road: too many safe driving bikers have been hurt by people in cars not properly paying attention.

The reason I decided to make this thread was because today I was in a situation that could have potentially hurt a dude very badly because he passed me illegally and speeding through a residential area. Thankfully I was paying very close attention to him in my mirror so it wasn't a close call. I live right after a turn that leads to a long straight and people sometimes punch the gas and end up doing 20+ over the limit (it's a 30 zone with lots of houses) and this guy looked like he was itching to pass me. He decided to do so right as I reached for my signal for my driveway (which is a left turn and could have taken me right into him). So, while this this guy went on his way probably without even realizing the potential danger he was putting himself in it was still a disconcerting experience for me: almost 20 years ago another biker actually died at that same spot for doing essentially the same thing. Back then there were two guys and one of them darted in front of my father while he was turning. My dad had to slam on the brakes and the other dude, who ironically was being the more responsible of the two and was going to go around on the right, plowed into the now stopped back of the truck while doing upwards of 50mph. This young man (IIRC he was 19 and a student at the local college) wasn't wearing a helmet, sustained massive head injuries, and died on the way to the hospital.

Enjoy the road, but really, be safe out there. The roads are dangerous enough for motorcyclists, no need to make things worse by driving like a hooligan.
 
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And don't pull that Hollywood Stuntz BS on the road. You may get run over by a Chinese guy in a landrover, and have to track him down, beat him with your helmets, then go to jail. And I have yet to see this yeehoos back on the road ever since that incident.
 
Most of the bikers around my area are jackasses. They speed, split lanes, and merge like they own the road. People wouldn't hate them if they didn't drive in such ways.
 
Most of the bikers around my area are jackasses. They speed, split lanes, and merge like they own the road. People wouldn't hate them if they didn't drive in such ways.

lane splitting is legal in Cali for a reason, reduces accidents and traffic
 
Most of the bikers around my area are jackasses. They speed, split lanes, and merge like they own the road. People wouldn't hate them if they didn't drive in such ways.

Pretty much this around my area.
 
I'm making this thread because today I might have killed one of you people because he was driving like an asshole and passed me illegally while speeding in a 30mph residential area. He did this right as I was about to signal the turn in to my driveway (which I must cross the lane to do and would have taken me right into him).

So basically you made a left hand turn without using your blinker and smoked a motorcycle?
 
A week ago one of my good friends was on his way to meet us at the bar, on his way he was hit by a driver who failed to notice him along side and as a result his bike is totaled, his femur was dislocated, his hip broken, his tibia fractured, minor lacerations on his spleen, and a punctured lung.

The helmet saved his life.

Be safe out there fellas, and of course have fun.

Shits a blast. Especially in the summer
 
So basically you made a left hand turn without using your blinker and smoked a motorcycle?

I've clarified the OP, it sounded too much like a close call when it was more a potentially dangerous situation. I was watching the dude closely in my mirror so he got away with something stupid that could have turned bad. My house is after a turn that leads into a long straight away that people often speed through. He looked like he wanted to pass (which is illegal on that section of road) and he did so right as I was reaching for my turn signal. The situation itself was more disconcerting to me because it was so similar to what happened to my father, and that resulted in a dude dieing. A few seconds different, some kind of distraction (there's a lot of kids who live on that road and its a popular jogging/dog walking area), and things could have gone very differently.
 
While the car/truck drivers in TN are some of the worst I've encountered, the bikers are fine. I expect to see quite a few of them on The Dragon. Hopefully no deaths
 
I don't get on street bikes I knew and know of too many people who have died in them. I rather just stay off road and have fun with quads and dirt bikes
 
I only ride my dual sport off road. I don't trust people in cars enough to brave the gauntlet of city riding. Fortunately I live where there is a ton of good trails and old logging roads where cars are rarely encountered.
 
As safe as can be. Helmet, spine protector, Kevlar jacket, gloves and trousers, and armoured boots.

Its still dangerous, but I love it.

The US is hard for bike riding. Lane splitting lowers accident rates incredibly, you can't do it here though, so you have to sit like a duck and hope the people stopping behind you actually see you and don't rear-end you or budge your tires. Most bikers on sportsbikes do it though, its so much safer.

Cars need to be aware. Daily I see people typing on their phone, messing with their coffee cup, playing with the radio, smoking all manner of stuff and not watching the road at 60mph+. They switch lanes without looking for signaling, they drift in and out of lanes, they have to slam on when they approach cars, bikes are sitting ducks for these people, and the downsides for us are a lot greater.
 
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