[Dasher]

Hi guys and ladies, I just wanted to pass along a little excitement from last night and also a friends advice. have a good weekend.:beerchug:

Well, I was out for a little spin after work and I’m first up at a red light (4 way intersection). The light turns green, I count to two and look around. The car across from me starts to go, and as I starting to release the clutch I’m looking left and this woman in a SUV is showing no signs of stopping. I stop, the guy across from me stops and the woman coming from my left enters the intersection and when she’s half way thru it locks up the brakes and looks my way with this “oh my god” expression, :BLAM: releases the brakes and sails on by.

Well needless to say lesson learned. I could’ve been her hood ornament. The class we took has obviously paid off. They drill into your head:

Assume you’re invisible on the road

Intersections are the most dangerous place

from a m/c friend:

People's driving skills (and lack thereof) continue to amaze me. Nobody gives any credence to the amount of danger/potential disaster that lurks around driving a car. People are willing to pay attention to anything BUT the driving task at hand. That is something that you can never forget as you are riding a motorcycle and you can never "relax" like in a car because there just are no minor accidents on a motorcycle...the smallest of "fender-benders" has the potential to drastically change the remainder of your life, if not end it completely. I wish there was more "recurrent training" required to drive, but I don't imagine that will happen anytime soon. I have a couple of "close-call events" that happened to me while riding motorcycles that are as vivid in my memory now as they were the day they happened. I hope that I don't get to add to those, but I would guess that I will. Vigilance is your friend...trust nobody with more wheels than you have!

 

[DMAG]

Excellent reminder. THANK YOU!

 

[larryinseattle]

I had a big station wagon back up and almost hit me today at an intersection. He seemed to want to change lanes and had to back up to do so.... I was behind him and had to honk my horn for him to stop. He seemed peaved that I honked. He came within a foot of my front tire before he got it stopped. I was already off of the bike and ready to let it go and step to the side.

 

[fergy]

I was in Austin last Thursday after visiting Woods Fun Center and was sitting on the overpass, first vehicle at the light, waiting to turn south on I35. Cars coming up the service road and turning left (around me) by the hundreds, and I couldn't help but notice that about every 5th driver had a cell phone up to their ear. One lady, turning, going right past my bike, had a cigarette in one hand, flicking the ash out the window as she made the turn, with a cell phone held up to her ear with the other hand! I guess she was making the turn with her knee.

I agree! There should be yearly continued ed for car licensees. I would support that!

 

[wwmkwood]

Only one out of 5 was on a cell phone? I sat at a stop light last summer and counted 7 out of 10 had cell phones to the ear.

 

[Hizzo3]

I ride my bike to work... which is where alot of the richer peeps of the area work (irving, tx).... lots of jags mercedes and bmw's. maybe the occasional porshe or ferrari doing 140 mph. one day i was in my jeep.... MY JEEP, and the lady wants to do a lane change when i am right next to her and i can clearly see her through the passenger window...she starts to come over looking right at me and pushes me onto the shoulder as i lay on the horn.

From my perspective.....i think people view their vehicles as weapons....weapons that when u kill someone with...you get vehiclular manslaughter aka a slap on the wrist... i think something needs to be done...call and drive....go to jail.....

 

[Shaker666]

The average IQ of the North American driver has got to be in the low 50s. I don't understand how these people are allowed to acquire a drivers license! We should have strict and expensive licensing laws to keep the morons off the road. A few months ago, I was driving down a very busy road in Vancouver, BC (2 lanes going one way, divided highway) doing about 30 mph. An idiot decided to change lanes directly into my '79 Bronco from my immediate right. The truck almost destroyed his car. It was his fault.

 

[InsuredDisaster]

Well, I know that Colorado and Alabama have their DMV's as part of, get this, the Department of Revenue. Not sure about other states, but in those two, its clear that getting money from the license is more important than the actully skills a driver possesses.

 

[jimmiet]

Many years ago while on a road trip to Cape Cod MA, I was rear-ended by an old woman who must have been driving for nearly 70 years. After she put me to the ground she continued on down the road. My buddy who was riding ahead of me turned to motion to me that he had nearly been hit by this woman. He felt her fender rub his leg as she passed. When look for me, all he saw was my bike in the middle of the road, spinning around on the foot-pegs. After checking to see that I was OK, he sped off to pull the woman over. SHE NEVER STOPPED! She had no idea what she had done. Later at the police station, she kept telling everyone, including me that she had NEVER HIT ANYONE BEFORE! This was her first time so I guess she was proud of that fact. The point here is that she had no remorse for what she had done to me. Talk about insult to injury!

 

[Shaker666]

Yeah, there's some real idiots out there. In Arizona, most people have to renew their licenses when they reach the age of 60 or 65. I think this is probably a good idea as it involves an eyesight and other exams.

 

[fergy]

And an attitude test! My dad is 81 and still gets around probably at least as good as me, has good eye sight and is a pretty good driver, but the older he gets, the shorter his fuse! Little bitty guy, and I'm sure he's going to get his butt kicked by a truck driver someday from road rage.

 

[1986]

i agree they should make it harder to get ur lisence, seeing as i remember my test taking 10 mins AT MOST. the sad thing is 2 people failed it right before me because they couldnt park. u have to realize though, if they made it harder, the money hungry govt would have less people bringing in money, and we cant have that *eyes rolling. ive been backed into twice in my POS car (i wont drive anything nice for that reason) and had a close call or 2 on the bikes. you just gotta keep ur eyes peeled and be extra careful, my dad rides his 04 low rider everywhere and to work every day (over 20k), but hes also use the eyes in the back of his head