On my way home yesterday evening, I was passing (at the posted speed limit) a semi on the interstate that, inexplicably and without warning, decided to move into my lane. As scary as that would have been in my Pathfinder, it was downright terrifying on my motorcycle! Fortunately I’ve come to expect these things (especially from truck drivers) and had time to slow down (while applying a judicious amount of horn and middle finger) and get behind the truck before anything bad could happen. When the driver finally noticed me, he swung back to the right and waved his apology to me. That made me feel LOTS better, asshole!
Ironically, this happened less than a mile past a highway warning sign flashing “May is Motorcycle Awareness Month – Share the Road”. (That IS an example of irony, isn’t it?)
Off the road, I’m sure individual truck drivers are just regular Joes (and Janes). In my experience, it’s a different story entirely once they’re in their trucks and on the road. As much as I hope the driver from yesterday contracts a nasty stomach virus and shits his pants every 15 minutes, at least he finally noticed me and acknowledged that he fucked up. Most of the time truck drivers just do whatever the hell they want without any regard, or seemingly any notice, of other vehicles.
Not that the “regular” vehicle drivers are any better; last week when the wife and I were riding, within five miles two different drivers tried to come into our lane with us right beside them. We weren’t in their blind spots, and were in fact in the process of passing both, and in both cases the drivers failed to give any indication that they were coming over or looking around properly before they did. So no, it’s not JUST truckers, but they are the ones who scare me the most.
Motorcycle riders understand that we are responsible for our own safety while riding, and we have to pay attention to everything and everyone around us. There’s no room for daydreaming when you’re only on two wheels. Of course there’s really no room for that on four wheels, but zoning out on four wheels likely means a fender bender; on two wheels it can kill you.
Wearing helmets and not driving drunk are no brainers, of course. Or they should be; I’m constantly amazed how common it is at motorcycle events like poker runs or other gatherings to see riders throwing back drinks left and right. Just about every rider I know has a story about a wreck they’ve had, and very few of them start “I was stone-cold sober one night when…” Of course it can happen; even sober riders have to deal with the other idiots on the road. I’ve had some close calls on my bike and none of them involved alcohol (because I don’t drink when I’m on the bike.) Any of those close calls could have been accidents had my reflexes been slower for any reason; alcohol isn’t necessary for a driver to make mistakes (or fail to react properly to other drivers’ mistakes), but mistakes seem to be a lot more common when alcohol is involved.
Now that the weather is getting nicer, there are more bikes (with and without motors) on the road. It’s easy to overlook us when you’re used to looking for cars and trucks, and when you do see us it’s harder to gauge our distance from you and our speed. A mistake that might normally be just a fender bender can become much worse for a biker, so please take the time to look a little bit closer.
Ironically, this happened less than a mile past a highway warning sign flashing “May is Motorcycle Awareness Month – Share the Road”. (That IS an example of irony, isn’t it?)
Off the road, I’m sure individual truck drivers are just regular Joes (and Janes). In my experience, it’s a different story entirely once they’re in their trucks and on the road. As much as I hope the driver from yesterday contracts a nasty stomach virus and shits his pants every 15 minutes, at least he finally noticed me and acknowledged that he fucked up. Most of the time truck drivers just do whatever the hell they want without any regard, or seemingly any notice, of other vehicles.
Not that the “regular” vehicle drivers are any better; last week when the wife and I were riding, within five miles two different drivers tried to come into our lane with us right beside them. We weren’t in their blind spots, and were in fact in the process of passing both, and in both cases the drivers failed to give any indication that they were coming over or looking around properly before they did. So no, it’s not JUST truckers, but they are the ones who scare me the most.
Motorcycle riders understand that we are responsible for our own safety while riding, and we have to pay attention to everything and everyone around us. There’s no room for daydreaming when you’re only on two wheels. Of course there’s really no room for that on four wheels, but zoning out on four wheels likely means a fender bender; on two wheels it can kill you.
Wearing helmets and not driving drunk are no brainers, of course. Or they should be; I’m constantly amazed how common it is at motorcycle events like poker runs or other gatherings to see riders throwing back drinks left and right. Just about every rider I know has a story about a wreck they’ve had, and very few of them start “I was stone-cold sober one night when…” Of course it can happen; even sober riders have to deal with the other idiots on the road. I’ve had some close calls on my bike and none of them involved alcohol (because I don’t drink when I’m on the bike.) Any of those close calls could have been accidents had my reflexes been slower for any reason; alcohol isn’t necessary for a driver to make mistakes (or fail to react properly to other drivers’ mistakes), but mistakes seem to be a lot more common when alcohol is involved.
Now that the weather is getting nicer, there are more bikes (with and without motors) on the road. It’s easy to overlook us when you’re used to looking for cars and trucks, and when you do see us it’s harder to gauge our distance from you and our speed. A mistake that might normally be just a fender bender can become much worse for a biker, so please take the time to look a little bit closer.
I feel for you man. As a cyclist and a runner I've had to learn to watch out for myself because drivers won't. I tell my daughter, who is just starting to run, to never cross in front of a car at a stop sign until you've made eye contact and gotten a smile. Also, if you watch the wheels instead of the car itself, you can see it start to move quicker.
ReplyDeletei'm glad you are OK. Keep you eyes open man, my brother's on the road.
I have a lot of friends that ride, so I try my damnedest to watch out for motorcycles! Of course, it didn't help one day when 4 riders went screaming between my right front bumper and the left rear edge of a flatbed I was passing at 70mph on I-81 near Raphine. One hink by me, the truck, or a rider and the carnage would have been awful. I watched them continue to ride like this until they were out of sight. So it's not just the cars and trucks that have crazy drivers. I don't know why we've moved to a society on wheels where it seems that NASCAR mentalities take over, and it's every man for himself. Screw the other drivers. And we wonder why insurance rates are so high.
ReplyDeletePeace <3
Jay
Oh, yea, the biker culture absolutely has its share of idiots and asshole. I see insanity like you just described way more than I like, and it's usually the ones on the sports bikes.
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