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Goddam Left Turners....

5K views 45 replies 21 participants last post by  Clone 
#1 ·
Well, I get to try it all out today- the shoe, it seems, is on the other foot for the insurance guy.

A driver turned left in front of me on Hastings Street at Kaslo. The 'Strom stove in their front fender and parked there like it was in a bike rack. I don't know the extent of the damage yet - hopefully it isn't much.

God damn f---ing god damn inattentive god damn biatch. F---.

"Geez, I'm sorry... I... I just didn't see you..."
 
#2 ·
Friends of mine back in Vancouver ask me "It must be nuts driving/riding in Los Angeles." I tell them I prefer riding/driving in L.A. over driving in Vancouver. Drivers here are predictably crazy. Drivers in Vancouver are UNpredictably crazy. Glad you didn't get hurt, hope your ride doesn't need much fixing.
 
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#4 ·
Ouch, hope there is no residual muscle aches after the rush wears off. I replaced a set of bent fork tubes on a salvage Wee. It's about $400 from the Italian suppliers.
Hopefully the cagers INS will cover everything as did the company that covered the cagers that ran me off the road.
 
#5 ·
Did you know your cousins in Oz have an acronym for that?

SMIDSY

Sorry Mate, I Didn't See You
 
#13 ·
Yup, I almost typed that in due to the great video (thanks @V-Tom) from the UK.

What did you do to be proactive in the situation?

Not dogging you but there are things the rider can do to prevent most of these type accidents.
Share your approach let this be a learning opportunity for everyone.
Oh, I agree! No "dogging" taken, and let's be honest, I've had my licence for one year. Before you say anything about that, you need to understand that BC, and most of Canada, has a graduated licencing program for motorcycles as well as cars, and you don't just do a slow-speed parking lot MSF course to get your endorsement here, including a full road test.

That said, the thing I did was travel in a high occupancy lane on a 6 lane busy road, meaning I was in the curb lane. I slowed a bit, to about 40km/h, as I approached the intersection as the two lanes of traffic to my left were full for a block. The intersection was clear as the two lanes on the other side were also blocked for the next red light down the road. Apparently the two drivers to my left waved the car through, both pickups. There were two dismounted pedestrican cyclists, I saw them, saw the stopped traffic, but she started to go as I approached the intersection - I did not see her move, and did not see her until she was starting to cross my path. I was to the right side of my lane, and hit my brakes when I saw her - which was just before I crossed the white stop line (behind the pedestrian line). I tried to stop, abs worked hard, screaming banshee horn did too, but hit her right front fender as she was straightening out of her turn. I couldn't have mounted the curb if I wanted to, as the cyclists were there. One of them said I "had the reflexes of a cat" as she was turning quickly and they saw me start to slow almost the same time she was turning, according to them. I was busy hauling on the brakes, and I know I fixated for the last half second on looking ahead - mostly to try to keep the bike up, i think.

I wish I could have thought of something else to do, aside from being stuck in traffic rather than using the HOV lane.
 
#6 ·
I ended up riding into a ditch on a Yamaha 175 Enduro to avoid getting hit decades ago when a middle aged woman left turned into me at a T intersection. I chased her down on the bike and screamed at her for about fifteen minutes (I was a grad student in college). I thought she was going to heave heart attack in front of me and she was still shaking when I left. I felt better. I always wondered if her awareness level improved?
 
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#8 ·
#9 ·
Front-end damage adds up quickly. Forks and wheels are not cheap.

I made a claim years ago and the insurance company (Intact) added up the cost to replace every single piece that was damaged, even the fork that had a very, very tiny blemish. I took the cash payout instead and still have the same very slightly damaged pieces on the bike. I was actually very pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Make sure the insurance company catches everything even slightly damaged by the crash. You may find it all adds up to more than the bike is worth. In that case, you will have a decision to make - take the cash, buy the bike back (ends up with rebuild status), or go buy yourself a new ride.

Glad to hear you're okay.
 
#10 ·
Well, I get to try it all out today- the shoe, it seems, is on the other foot for the insurance guy.

A driver turned left in front of me on Hastings Street at Kaslo. The 'Strom stove in their front fender and parked there like it was in a bike rack. I don't know the extent of the damage yet - hopefully it isn't much.

God damn f---ing god damn inattentive god damn biatch. F---.

"Geez, I'm sorry... I... I just didn't see you..."
My number one biggest fear!

My old commute had 2 areas where the opposing traffic had a left turn lane in a 55mph zone.... AND I HATED GOING PAST THEM. Neither had a good escape route. If someone had turned in front of me, I'd been a hood ornament.

Glad to hear you are still able to bitch about it.
 
#11 ·
What did you do to be proactive in the situation?

Not dogging you but there are things the rider can do to prevent most of these type accidents.
Share your approach let this be a learning opportunity for everyone.
 
#16 ·
What did you do to be proactive in the situation?

Not dogging you but there are things the rider can do to prevent most of these type accidents.
Share your approach let this be a learning opportunity for everyone.
I'm not sure I would agree with the "most" part of this. IMHO, this is one situation that we have the least amount of control over. Doing what you can to give yourself the most reaction time and keep an eye on them so you can react as soon as you see them start to move is about all you can do. Just knowing that the potential is there is a good start.

If anyone has any other tactics, I'm all ears.
 
#12 ·
Happens to me so often, I made a video collage of some of my encounters (on different bikes)...
I still vid every ride, but stopped clipping out the left-turning asshats... just didn't have the ambition any longer...

https://youtu.be/0C9yW59pzRI
 
#24 ·
Dude you have a lot of those type encounters!
More than I've had in 20 years of riding.

Change up what you're doing, it's not working.


SMIDSY for sure. Your just riding straight into those things. Try and get some attention.

Riding in all black? Try riding with just a H-Viz vest and see if you don't notice a difference.

Get some conspicuity lights on the front of your bike.
 
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#14 ·
I've found lighting helps a lot to reduce inattentive drivers see me better. I have two LED spot lights mounted up front that I use mostly during the daylight hours. I've found the LED light wavelength (a bluer white) really helps the bike get seen. The more yellow halogens get ignored now that practically every car has daytime running lights, I think. I suspect it causes people to not see our stock headlights as much.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 
#15 ·
I've found lighting helps a lot to reduce inattentive drivers see me better. I have two LED spot lights mounted up front that I use mostly during the daylight hours.
...
Be careful how they are aimed... bright lights in driver's eyes can act as camouflage and/or reduce the ability of others to see your distance, speed and what kind of vehicle you have. Without know these they simply may not be aware there is a thread of a collision.

Having the running lights laid out so a triangle is formed with the headlights can be helpful but make sure the main lights are not on high beam and that the low beam is pointed properly as well and as I mentioned above that the running lights are not overly bright in the driver's eyes.

..Tom
 
#27 ·
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#21 ·
I think one of the most over-looked safety considerations is route planning.

This can mean avoiding sketchy roads/intersections or choosing one lane over another, or even the time of day. Sometimes your options are limited, but that left turn across Hastings the woman was making is not a good choice on her part. And that curb lane is killer dangerous for the left turn crash.

For example: my daily commute involves a lot of highway riding and the point where I exit is typically a point where extreme congestion begins. Traffic can be humming along and then come to an abrupt stop right where I would be typically merging across 3 lanes to get from the HOV lane to the exit. I have made it a habit to ensure I merge early on, not leaving it to the last second when I might make a stupid decision just to get across to the other side to make the exit. I have already decided that, should this ever happen, I will continue to the next exit rather than forcing disaster. If I am late for work, so be it. (However, I will not be late for work because I always leave in plenty of time. This is another way to ensure I'm focused on the riding and not the clock.)

It's always a balancing act out there in traffic. There's no way to eliminate risk, but it can be managed and a good way to do that is proactively.

The other thing that I notice about the OP's experience is that two stopped vehicles waved the woman through. I hate it when people do that. The woman took it to mean it was safe to go when all they intended to communicate was that they were okay with her proceeding. She put her safety in their hands. It works when it's just two vehicles involved, but in a multi-lane setting, it is a recipe for disaster.
 
#23 ·
#29 ·
Yea some people pull out in front of fire trucks with their lights and sirens going.

Most people see them and don't though.


Making your self more noticeable on a bike is a good strategy.
If it helps just one person see you....
 
#37 · (Edited)
As a bike riding fireman once said
True enough. With a completely tuned out driver, no attempt at conspicuity -- visual or aural -- will make a difference.

Conspicuity is not a panacea: hence, the criticality of all the other approaches already mentioned for how to mitigate risk and respond as effectively as possible before and when dangerous situations arise.

That said, there's a broad spectrum of driver distraction and decision-making: not just the completely tuned out driver, but also many who are temporarily and lightly distracted, others moderately so, some prone to minor poor decisions, others inclined to make outright terrible decisions.

And while I don't have any specific research to note, I will say my anecdotal experience absolutely indicates conspicuity -- primarily visual, but also on occasion aural -- is effective at drawing the attention of and / or positively affecting the decisions and behavior of a wide variety of drivers along the spectrum.

And that, to me, is worth the efforts at conspicuity -- gear, lights, LOUD horn, brake flashers, anti-SMIDSY maneuvers, lane positioning, etc. -- even if it won't make a difference to a very small number of drivers deep on the dumb-ass side of the spectrum.
 
#42 ·
i had a woman pull out infront of me and wrecked my bike. i had 2 aux lights and one of the headlights cut off to make it look odd and noticeable. this person never bothered to look, she just pulled out infront of me. i now have FOUR aux lights. 1 set as flickering capabilities and i run a flasher on the high beam. i also wear a yellow vest and when coming up to intersections where a vehicle can turn i weave left to right as i slow down. IF they still manage to not see me, god have mercy on their soul.

the damn cell phones and electronics in cars are getting out of hand. motorcycle fatalies are up %50 in virginia from 2017 and were only a third of the way into 2018. i avoid the cities as much as possible and stick to rural roads but they can be just as dangerous. Remember it only takes one clown and in a funny car to ruin the circus. Try your best to favor the odds towards you coming home to your loved ones.
 
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