Folks, watch for motorcycles on the road

[monkycndo 0]

Yes, it's an obvious statement. But just another reminder. Found out this morning that a high school friend was killed last night while riding his motorcycle. Driver cut him off.

Blue Skies Gerald Lance Glasper.

Thanks for your service to this country.

Semper Fi

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[rmarshall234 14]

Amen. It's dangerous out here.

Sorry for your loss..

[Nataly 38]

Oh dude, I'm so sorry to hear that

I wish every driver was tested on at least a moped before a car licence was issued... It would give them a sense of our vulnerability on the road and they might just learn to LOOK before switching lanes

This is very sad news.. Sorry again for your loss.

"There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse."
- Chris Hadfield
« Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. »
- my boss

[skyrider 0]

Quote

Yes, it's an obvious statement. But just another reminder. Found out this morning that a high school friend was killed last night while riding his motorcycle. Driver cut him off.

Blue Skies Gerald Lance Glasper.

Thanks for your service to this country.

Semper Fi

Sorry for your loss!

You might suggest the family contact the Patriot Gaurd Riders for funeral escort and honor gaurd, (I'm a member)

[d_squared431 0]

My brother in law was hit almost 2 yrs ago. He was very lucky he basically walked away with minor injuries. The person who cut him off pulled out in front of him. He was going 55mph and had the right of way. When they collided he flew over the top of the car and did a superman about 20 ft or so. They are still in litigation for his medical bills. He had shoulder surgery, bruised intestines, and his boys(from what he said) were severely swollen from hitting the handle bar. Again, he was very lucky.

TPM Sister#130ONTIG#1
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You having a clean thought is like billyvance having a clean post.iluvtofly

[kbordson 8]

Sorry for the loss of your friend. My sympathy to his friends and family.

[turtlespeed 221]

In El Paso, waiting at a friends house for him to get home froma ride to the store for camping stuff. Lean out on the terrace and watch the highway, 1800yds away. See Michael get into the turning lane and slow down, then we watched a flatbed trailer slam on his brakes and kinda jacknife right in front of him - decapitated him right in front of our eyes.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[Zep 0]

Think once, think twice, think bike.
When I was learning to drive
I had that drummed into me by my dad
40 years on and I still remember it

Sorry for your loss.

Gone fishing

[JohnMitchell 16]

Sorry about you losing your friend, Sean. I should have been killed a couple of times when I used to ride. Probably a good think my new bride asked me to sell them all years ago.

Yes, Blue skies to Gerald Glasper.

[CSpenceFLY 1]

Sorry for your loss.

Ride like half the people don't see you and the rest are trying to run you over.

[rmarshall234 14]

> It would give them a sense of our vulnerability on the road
------------------------------------------------------------

"Vulnerability", yes. The best -single word- I've come up with as well. Riders are fully exposed on a 500 lb machine and drivers are fully protected in a 2 ton vehicle.

[Amazon 7]

Quote

Sorry about you losing your friend, Sean. I should have been killed a couple of times when I used to ride. Probably a good think my new bride asked me to sell them all years ago.

Yes, Blue skies to Gerald Glasper.

I have not riden on the roads for many years. After my third crash where my Triumph Trident was completely smushed, I decided that shareing the roads with people in four wheelerrs trying to kill me, I decided donorcycles just were not for me. I will ride offroad from time to time.. but not on the road. Too meny people are just too god damn clueless on the roads and are out to kill you.

I just prefer to have some steel around me

Sorry about your friend Sean

[Racenic 0]

Sorry for your loss!

I myself am recovering from a motorcycle accident this past Memorial Day!

Check out the 2:45 minute video my son made of his bike which I wrecked
http://youtu.be/wFgphaBnjCI

Nick D

The key to Immortality is- first living a life worth remembering”

[captain1976 0]

A few years ago I was pulling out of a parking lot. I looked to the right and then left, nothing there so I proceeded. Scared the shit out of me but as I pulled out making a left turn there was a motorcycle coming from my right who had to swerve to avoid me.

I then realized that when I looked right, somehow the motorcycle was blanked out, he just wasn't there.

I also read somewhere where the brain can cancel out things like bikes because of their size. To this day I swear he wasn't there but he actually was, giving credence to what I read.

From that point on I always do a double-take.

You live more in the few minutes of skydiving than many people live in their lifetime

[skyrider 0]

Quote

A few years ago I was pulling out of a parking lot. I looked to the right and then left, nothing there so I proceeded. Scared the shit out of me but as I pulled out making a left turn there was a motorcycle coming from my right who had to swerve to avoid me.

I then realized that when I looked right, somehow the motorcycle was blanked out, he just wasn't there.

I also read somewhere where the brain can cancel out things like bikes because of their size. To this day I swear he wasn't there but he actually was, giving credence to what I read.

From that point on I always do a double-take.

Was that you?????

[normiss 814]

I refuse to believe bikes "can't be seen".
If someone misses them they aren't checking well enough.
More so when the god damn things are over six feet long, almost five feet high, four feet wide and weigh 850 lbs, headlights on bright and/or pulse, and exhaust loud enough to hear over ghetto blasters.
If you can't see that then you have no business being anywhere near pedestrians nor railroad crossings.

Holy jebus people, LOOK before you pull out!!!!
(that's what she said)
Or change lanes for that matter. Dude in the 911 was real pissed to lose the rear view mirror he neglected to use on I-4 a few years ago.

[skyrider 0]

The problem is, "People look for cars"!

Thier brian totally misses the motorcycle , it is bad driver training from day one..

If they are trianed to "look for motorcycles" I promise, they will always see the cars, AND the motorcycle!

[captain1976 0]

Quote

I refuse to believe bikes "can't be seen".
If someone misses them they aren't checking well enough.
More so when the god damn things are over six feet long, almost five feet high, four feet wide and weigh 850 lbs, headlights on bright and/or pulse, and exhaust loud enough to hear over ghetto blasters.
If you can't see that then you have no business being anywhere near pedestrians nor railroad crossings.

Holy jebus people, LOOK before you pull out!!!!
(that's what she said)
Or change lanes for that matter. Dude in the 911 was real pissed to lose the rear view mirror he neglected to use on I-4 a few years ago.

Love to hear from perfect people like yourself.
The fact remains that motorcycles can and do blend into the surroundings.

You live more in the few minutes of skydiving than many people live in their lifetime

[normiss 814]

Somehow we see pedestrians though.
I find that odd.

Never claimed to be perfect.

[skyrider 0]

Nver ending battle going on there..

The fact is "If not trained to look for motorcycles, people don't see them"............

[nigel99 523]

Quote

A few years ago I was pulling out of a parking lot. I looked to the right and then left, nothing there so I proceeded. Scared the shit out of me but as I pulled out making a left turn there was a motorcycle coming from my right who had to swerve to avoid me.

I then realized that when I looked right, somehow the motorcycle was blanked out, he just wasn't there.

I also read somewhere where the brain can cancel out things like bikes because of their size. To this day I swear he wasn't there but he actually was, giving credence to what I read.

From that point on I always do a double-take.

I ride bikes and I think you are partly correct. First of all modern cars have huge struts with all the airbag and safety stuff - if people do not make a concious effort it is quite easy for a bike to be "hidden".

Secondly a huge number of bike and car accidents (at least here in the UK) while the biker might "technically" be in the right, they are driving abnormally. Good examples are filtering through traffic (especially near intersections). Higher speed and not driving on the crest of the road are others.

Lastly (and this might not apply to non-sports bikes) but rapid acceleration can be very deceiving. I know that if I really hammer the bike I can go from a red traffic light and be well over 30MPH at the other side of the junction - I have seen drivers get caught out by this. Mentally drivers see you "stopped" and they don't realise that in 2 or 3 seconds you are doing the national speed limit (60-70).

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[riddler 0]

Quote

I refuse to believe bikes "can't be seen".

I believe they can. All vertebrate eyes have physical blind spots (punctum caecum) in which we can not see. The brain fills in the gaps with what it expects to be there. A motorcycle, from a distance, comprises a small enough area to fit into a blind spot, and your brain will fill in that space with background.

The mitigation for this is continuous scanning. By moving one's head back and forth, the eyes have a chance to pick up what it missed. But when scanning 360 degrees, travelling at 60 MPH, it's an overwhelming task for most drivers.

Riding motorcycles in traffic is inherently dangerous. This past weekend, I was rear-ended in my SUV (which I had bought exactly four days prior), after I was at a complete stop. The car that hit me was totaled, and the car in front of me got some minor damage after I was pushed into it. The driver behind me simply wasn't watching the road and whacked me at about 30 MPH. $10,000 damage to my SUV (everyone had insurance, and everyone was wearing seat-belts). This same accident on a bike almost certainly would have killed me. The driver behind me completely destroyed the front-end of his car.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[AggieDave 6]

I'm on a very large motorcycle for over 40 work hours a week. Its a Honda ST1300, sitting me up higher than a lot of motorcycles do. It also has reflective decals all over it. It's nearly daily that I have to make aggressive avoidance movements to prevent someone from making me meet the pavement. The only thing that has saved me a few times is the very high level of rider training I've been privileged enough to receive and the electronic ABS on the bike.

Its simple, people need to hang up the phone and look past their windshield!

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[cocheese 0]

Please tell me you write as many citations as you can for those that aren't trying hard enough to be safe.

[david3 0]

Quote

Somehow we see pedestrians though.
I find that odd.

Never claimed to be perfect.

Sadly we don’t always see pedestrians now do we? Or cars or trucks for that matter. People miss seeing them all the time. Defensive driving with your head on a swivel is our only chance on a cycle cause they are out to kill us. Even then they might still get you.