Dingbats without a clue...

[Daniel Meyer]

From my blog

The most dangerous thing...

My wife worries about me when I'm out on a road trip. My Dad does too. Both have told me so. Mom just sprouts more white hair.

But it's not the road trips that will get me...it's the commute.

This morning I had four (!) oncoming cars turn left in front of me. In pairs no less...2 of them at one intersection, 2 at another.

An oncoming car turning left in front of a motorcyclist is the #1 cause of fatal motorcycle wrecks.

At both intersections, had I not been alert to what was going on, I'd have t-boned the 1st car of each pair with lethal force.

Again, at both intersections, had I not been alert to the second car of each pair, it would have run me down during/after my evasion of the 1st car.

I'm not convinced any of the 4 paid any attention to what they had just done, despite my evasions and quite loud Rivco horns.

I just don't get it. Traffic was very light. My lights are on and working (3 of 'em, totalling ~120 watts!). Visibility was excellent. I was not shielded from view by other vehicles or terrain. I was not speeding.

What were they doing if not actually piloting the cars they were behind the wheel of?

Will they care when another one of us dies?

As far as danger...a cross country road trip pales in comparison. Even Alaska. Even this doesn't even come close. Even the high speed jaunts up/down Pikes Peak I take at nearly every opportunity don't require half the skills and alertness one single commute does.

This commute...is arguably the most dangerous thing I do...or have ever done.

I wonder how long I can keep it up?

[Black Dog]

Agree Daniel...  About 6 years ago, my office moved from downtown Milwaukee (close to a 30 mile ride 1 way), to a suburban office, much closer to home (10 miles 1 way).  I no longer need to take I94 to work.  The back roads, in much smaller towns/villages, are now my route every morning and evening.

I used to just boil inside, as I'd be passed up by women putting on makeup, men shaving, folks with open laptops on the passenger seat, getting ready for the big presentation...    Then, once off the freeway, city streets, where speed limits and traffic signs are treated more like sugestions than laws 

When I pleasure ride, it's to the north, west or south west...  Open country roads.  I hate the Commute 

Ride with yer head on a swivel.

Black Dog

[sugerbear]

been hit 3 times(on a bike). all three time during commute.
have several thousand miles on long trips never an problem (yet).((knock on wood))

[humshark]

AGREE'd

Black Dog I did the Germantown / Falls commute to downtown for 7 years and had my share of close calls.  But we are lucky in WI.

I have been in TN now 1 year, and would have to say that the manners and demeanor of the traffic here have resulted in at least as many close calls in 1 year as I had in 7 up in WI.  Talk about polishing up on your skills!

There is undoubtedly some skew of my experience due to the MANY more days I am on the road down here, but just the same, the drivers appear to be even less aware and less caring down here.  A close call here results in the cager being "pissed" at me!  Like I'm in his way!

I miss the WI dirvers that come to their senses and give you a wave to let you know "my bad".  Ain't happening here!  They ( WI dirvers ) make up for the poor signage on WI roads!

I'll keep exercising my neck now, and ride ALERT!

[Black Pearl's Captain]

Paintball guns with florescent orange balls, mounted to the front of every motorcycle. When we see an idiot in a cage fire one off and mark them with the orange paint. Hopefully the next rider will see the orange idiot before it's too late. Some of the cages would be all orange in just a short length of time.

Can we get government to signoff on that idea?

Raymond

[Big Rig]

If we get the gov't involved they would make us register our paint guns and then try to find ways to take them away...imagine a run on paint balls???


 

[Bonzo]

I am in 100% agreement! I learned to ride in a urban setting, The Bronx, NY. I live in a rural area now and commute 114 mikes a day by bike if possible. The most dangerous part of the trip is getting to the highway!

Last week coming home from a local Bike Night with my wive,a cage ran a stop sign off a highway exit, flipped a u turn in my lane and got back on the highway entrance.
I missed him by feet and I had my brake lever covered @ 30 mph!
Be alert and never under estimate the stupidity of other drivers!

[stormrider]

"Ride often, ride safe, and ride like everyone is trying to kill you."

[fast black]

My commute is pure hell.  I refer to it as riding down blood alley.  Unfreakinbelievable
The road between Bentoville and Centerton is being widened now and that only makes it worse.
I really get pissed at those that are text-messaging.   Freakin morons
adios
fast black

[solo1]

When I drive my Highlander, No one pulls the left turn bit  It has DRL's but it seems to be the size.

When i drive the Mazda Miata it's just like riding the Valk.  left turns, pull outs after looking right at me, tail gating, etc.  The Miata forum has a number of threads talking about installing DRL's .

Overall, i think that there are just more idiots out there that are part time drivers (my term) on their cell, texting, eating, drinking,  reaching for something, etc.  I do think that a bigger vehicle intimidates them (maybe).

Yeah, when Harry Hurt did his study in 1978, there weren't any cell phones or text messaging then and it was bad then.  IMHO, most of the time, if you T bone a left turner it might be because you let your guard down.  I don't know how many times I've seen riders fat, dumb, and happy, barrelling through an intersection looking cool with their feet on the highway pegs. Lots of faith there in the ability of cagers.

Maybe a.50 caliber machine gun painted yellow and pointing forward would do it, then again, maybe not.

[Steve K (IA)]

Daniel,
My bet would be the people were on cell phones, either talking or texting, or as Blackdog mentioned...laptop computer. I'll be happy when they make the penalty for cell phone use in a moving vehicle prison time!    Big story in todays Des Moines Register about truck drivers and cell phones.  Just take a look next time your out on the interstate, just about every truck driver you see is on a damn cell phone.  In the past I have talked about how scary it is to come up on young mommies in big ass suv's on cell phones, that's nothing compared to a  distracted semi driver.

[X Ring]

When a friend of mine was killed last November, I got off the fence and installed a headlight modulator.  Hasn't stopped all the freakin idjits but the number of people that pull out or turn in front of me has gone way down.

Marty

[Valker]

I think that if they replaced the airbag in the steering wheel with a "00" 12 ga. shotshell, it'd make for more careful drivers.

[franco6]

on saturday on the way back from inzzane ,going through fortworth, a chevy van merging from another hywy just kept coming onto my lane, into us (chantal and i) my air horn blasting ,the modulator firing, i could see him watching me in his side miror. he finaly realized i was not moving so he gave up.
cage riders do not see the riders, in their mind we re just a motorcycle much lighter, much smaller, so we better get out of the way!
we had great heat on that day . in fortworth at 7:30 pm it was 103f
i did have an accident at a gas station in brian. made asharp left ,too slow, too heavy ,droped the valk on my left foot ,broken fibula ! lessons: accidents happen when you least expect them !
don t ride too long in the heat (18.5 hours)!
stop for a motel long ago!
  can t wait to get back on the sadle!

[franco6]

 
Daniel. thank you for all the info about the valk you gave us in Frisco! hope you had a safe return. see you at the next one!