What is the most unsafe thing that car drivers to that can get you hurt?

[mrchjohnson]

I always hear bikers talking about how much disregard for safety there is when it comes to the cars we share the road with. What is the most dangerous or most common mistake that our four wheeling buddies seem to make?

Is there an awareness in the states that allow lane splitting by the drivers of cars?

When do you know you are in the blind spot?

I am sure that there are a few things that could be done better by the box riders that would make it easier to avoid road rash. i just want to know what you think.

I think that lane splitting should be on a car drivers written test myself. i have never seen it mentioned before. I always get yelled at for splitting lanes even when it is perfectly legal.

[buellosaurusrex]

When do you know you are in the blind spot?

Always assume you are. And even if you are not, it doesn't matter because half the time they will stare you through like a ghost.
Word to the wise; every time you encounter a vehicle, ask yourself this; "What's the stupidest thing this person could do....right now....", prepare for it, and don't be surprised when they actually do it. This has saved my bacon more than once.
Some are actually out to kill you.
Some are innocently out to kill you.
The difference between the two doesn't matter.

[iamgumby]

This is the easiest way that I can demonstrate one of the problems. Hold out a pencil at arms length to your side. Turn your head and look at it like you are looking for oncomng traffic. The thin width of a pencil can hide a motorcycle a block away. Now go look at windshield posts of a car or pickup. 4" wide? 6" wide? 8" wide"? I know in my Impala the windshield posts are so wide they can hide a full size vehicle a block away! That is what we are up against. That is why you have to ride like you are invisible - you just might be! But as far as "common mistakes" it has to be cars making a left turn in front of an oncoming motorcycle (ain't no windshield post in the way) and running stop signs/red lights (or failing to yield - the same thing in my book). :mad:

[a1c_joker]

What's frustrating is when I'm driving my truck, I'm constantly on the lookout for bikes, simply because I KNOW that the Bike Vs. Car battle is one-sided. I'm always concerned with giving bikes their space on the road when next to my truck. In the motorcycle world, I've been preached "Safety Safety Safety" for a reason. So here's the kicker...no matter how safe I am in the truck, I've had cars, trucks, semi's, the works all act like I'm not even there...as if I have no existance on the road.

What kills me is I see people on cell phones, changing lanes w/o signaling, running stop signs...it's no wonder people assume motorcycling is an ill-fated sport because one slight mistake from a car has the potential to end lives on a motorcycle. I don't have enough fingers to count how many times I saved my own skin because I was looking out for idiot drivers on the road. And people wonder why we have flashy bikes or loud pipes...etc.

Personally I feel that since riding on two wheels, I feel like a better driver in a car because I have that mindset of both worlds. I'm constantly checking blindspots BECAUSE I know where bikes can/might be.

And that's what really grinds my gears. End rant.

~Joker

[Boots]

In States where it's legal to turn right on red, they'll pull right out in front of you - - happens way too often.

[BillTheCat]

In States where it's legal to turn right on red, they'll pull right out in front of you - - happens way too often.

Also 9 times out of 10 they have a cell phone blocking there view they are texting or what ever :eek:

[Boots]

Or putting on makeup, reading the paper, texting but the cell phone thing is the worse

[BH121869]

I think car drivers minds are not on driving at all. They have too many other things to play with. Radio, CD, phone, other people to talk to, and so on. In Florida it's the blue hairs and Q-tips to watch out for.

[Boots]

:) What the heck is a blue hair ?

[BH121869]

:) What the heck is a blue hair ?

An old, really old Far-. In Florida 1/2 the drivers have either blue hair or white and are over 80. You will see them drive a car and they can not even walk hear or see very well.

[Boots]

You're a riot BH :) I'm sittin here rollin

[BH121869]

You're a riot BH :) I'm sittin here rollin
Oh, did you grow your own? I used to grow some just for medicinal purposes but could never get the hang of rolling my own. You ever notice how the typing goes to heck as it gets later? My spell check is going nuts.

[Boots]

ROFL :)

[BH121869]

I rode around the Daytona area this weekend and it was heavy traffic due to being bikeweek. The main problem that I saw was auto's was their turning left in front of oncoming bikers and second, changing lanes into them. It seems people are always in too big of a hurry to be safe these days.
Some of the bikes have small rear lights like sports bikes and choppers and are not easily seen from the rear I have noticed. Visibility should be as important as wearing safety gear in my book.

[Urban Coyote]

when I'm driving my truck, I'm constantly on the lookout for bikes, simply because I KNOW that the Bike Vs. Car battle is one-sided. I'm always concerned with giving bikes their space on the road when next to my truck.


Totally agree. You'd think that people in cars would quickly realize that hitting a motorcyclist isn't like hitting a bumper of another car and a fatal accident will more likley to occur than $2000 auto body damage.
So ya think they would back off just a little more when behind a motorcycle??

On the opposite view I just loooove those bicyclists who ride in traffic as though they couldn't get hurt if a car would hit them. Sure they may have a right-of-way. But I certainly don't care about my rights if I'm on a bicycle negotiating against a car or truck and I could be killed.

I would be like.."I have the right of way, but since you are bigger, go on ahead I'll use the sidewalk!!"

[webhustler]

Every time I have a close encounter with a car, it seems that I can almost say to myself "they're on the phone" even before I look over my shoulder to confirm it anymore. I get so tired of people paying more attention to the phone than they do the road. I don't think I have ever seen a biker using a phone, but then again all of the phones on bikes are usually inside the person's helmet.

I swear it is the phones though.

[a1c_joker]

My girlfriend answers/calls on her cell phone all the time while driving and it drives me nuts. I get on her case constantly about not doing it, because not only is she posing a risk to herself, she's posing just as big or a bigger risk to other people. Is it that hard to not carry a conversation while driving? I know I'm young, but come on...human beings have survived years driving W/O a cell phone in the car. Hang it up...wait 5 mintues...pull over and THEN make a call. It's your darn phone and it's not going anywhere if you don't answer right then and there.

(End Rant)

[buellosaurusrex]

My girlfriend answers/calls on her cell phone all the time while driving and it drives me nuts. I get on her case constantly about not doing it, because not only is she posing a risk to herself, she's posing just as big or a bigger risk to other people. Is it that hard to not carry a conversation while driving? I know I'm young, but come on...human beings have survived years driving W/O a cell phone in the car. Hang it up...wait 5 mintues...pull over and THEN make a call. It's your darn phone and it's not going anywhere if you don't answer right then and there.

(End Rant)

Thank you....there IS intelligent life on this planet!!!!!!
Unfortunately, most of us have been programmed like Pavlov's dogs, to freak if we can't answer the bell right then and there! I say, if you can't resist the Siren's Song when driving, then just shut the damn thing off until you get out of the car....and THEN check your messages or missed calls!

[iamgumby]

I noticed that my cell phone came equipped ith Oil Field Frequency (OFF) and it works good! The thing is for MY convenience!

[cecilbdml]

Totally agree. You'd think that people in cars would quickly realize that hitting a motorcyclist isn't like hitting a bumper of another car and a fatal accident will more likley to occur than $2000 auto body damage.
So ya think they would back off just a little more when behind a motorcycle??



The only way that's EVER going to happen (and, unfortunately, it's a case-by-case basis) is if the driver were held criminally culpable for negligent homicide or reckless endangerment for that kind of inconsiderate and unsafe driving. Unfortunately, it ain't gonna happen.

One thing I DO know, is when you're on an 800lb touring bike, and you're 6'8" and a little over 300lbs yourself, folks in little econo cars HAVE to treat you like another car. Weight-wise, you're almost as heavy as THEY are!:D And, in my first bike accident EVER, that combination worked to my advantage in numerous ways, including the fact that the ENTIRE side of the kid's father's car needed repair/replacement.

Of course, lying there for a second to make sure everything was in one piece, then getting up like the Terminator and picking the Wing up by the handlebars like it was a bicycle helped, as well. I could swear someone behind me said,"He's gonna EAT someone!!":D

[greyboyfan]

Hey! You know what I've started seeing a lot of lately? or at least I've started noticing and thats these really old folks who are so shriveled up that when you are driving behind them, you can't see a head ( it's blocked by the head rest) and it looks like theres no one driving the car. They gotta be lookin' thru the steering wheel instead of over it. I crack up when I see that. :D
Ofcorse, I'll be there soon enough too, so I don't laugh to hard.:rolleyes:

[sacketts]

I know Iam always arguing with my girlfriend when she is driving not only is she always on her cell phone texting she is also deaf always scares the sh** out of me when i see her doing that or thinking of anyone riding next to her:(

[iamgumby]

I wish that I had gotten a picture. If I see the Jackass tomorrow I'll really try. The guy was driving around town today with a 12' (?) aluminum ladder that was tied (with the tieing twine you get at a lumber yard) to the door handles of his junky old Pontiac. Now, just imagine riding behind him when the twine holding that damn ladder breaks.

[Strider]

Good example as to why.......
http://www.dothetest.co.uk/

[jethangar]

Forget about people hanging up cel phones and obeying the law. It ain't gonna happen. That's like asking people in my area (Wash. Heights NYC) to stoop down and pick up the large pile of dog shit their dog just layed. Nobody gives a shit, the cops don't care, the world just keeps spinning around, same as it ever was. Of course, you could just start packing a rod and fire through the driver's side window whenever necessary...just make sure you have a rocket pack attached to you so you can fly to a safe area to make a clean getaway. That's about the best we can do. :)

[a1c_joker]

Of course, you could just start packing a rod and fire through the driver's side window whenever necessary...just make sure you have a rocket pack attached to you so you can fly to a safe area to make a clean getaway. That's about the best we can do. :)

The only time I "fought back" was when this dill hole in a 4-door white Taurus was changing lanes into my lane and didn't see me. It was a perfect day outside, and he even had his windows down. I wasn't making much noise as I was coasting down a small hill. So I see this smart guy making his merry way over like he's Lord of the Lanes...I lay on the throttle right in his ear. Thinking back on it, it was probably a very poor decision as he jerked his wheel back and forth from being startled, he inadvertantly could have hit me. So he rolls his window up and gives me the bird. None will believe this story, but just so happens Johnny Law on the Harley flashes his lights and pulls this guy over! Served him right. He had black Krylon all over his car in some punk band symbols and his hair was spiked blue with countless piercings. Makes me giggle...thought I'd share.

~Joker

[iamgumby]

Here is our hero!
http://iamgumby.smugmug.com/photos/268255673_iEi9y-M.jpg

[Vercer]

If you're on a bike and not paranoid, you're not paying attention. Always assume that the cage didn't see you. Even when you make eye contact with the driver.

[a1c_joker]

That being said, do you think that being a RIDER makes you a better DRIVER? I know I do. That's one point I'll always make...riding motorcycles has made me MUCH more aware and alert when I'm driving in my truck or car.

[BH121869]

I would say it does for sure. My wife also agrees as she is more aware of bikes because of all the years she rode on them.

[Strider]

That being said, do you think that being a RIDER makes you a better DRIVER? I know I do. That's one point I'll always make...riding motorcycles has made me MUCH more aware and alert when I'm driving in my truck or car.

Yes it does and to that point, when someone gets in an accident i think they should make them ride a motorcycle for a month and if they survive they will be better drivers. If they don`t then it`s one less idiot in the gene pool.

[cougar88mw]

I think car drivers minds are not on driving at all. They have too many other things to play with. Radio, CD, phone, other people to talk to, and so on. In Florida it's the blue hairs and Q-tips to watch out for.

[B]These two accidents happened on the same weekend and both involved cars that didn't yield the right of way to the motorcyclist! :mad:

A 41-year-old Surprise , AZ man has been killed in a crash in Peoria with a passenger car, according to police.
Mike Tellef, a Peoria police spokesman, said Tuesday that the incident was one of two motorcycle collisions that police investigated over the weekend, both of them involving vehicles driven by Sun City men.

The fatal crash occurred about 7:40 p.m. Friday while the victim, Steven A. Carbone, was motoring west in the 9400 block of West Peoria Avenue, Tellef said.

Investigators believe that Keith W. Piper, 70, the driver of a Honda Civic, was traveling east when he made a left turn into the path of the oncoming motorcycle, Tellef said.

Carbone was taken to a Phoenix hospital where he was pronounced dead, Tellef said. Piper escaped without serious injury.

The second crash occurred about 5:35 pm. Saturday when a car driven by Wayne Bearden, 75, pulled out from a driveway in the 16300 block of North 83rd Avenue south of Bell Road and failed to yield to an oncoming motorcycle, Tellef said.

The motorcyclist, David Gonzales, 19, of Peoria, who was driving north, was taken to a Phoenix hospital for treatment. Bearden escaped without serious injury.

"Both crashes are under investigation and no citations have been issued," Tellef said".



Y'all watch out for the crazy car drivers! Be safe;)

[Xian]

Yeah, we have a lot of blue hairs out here but thankfully they'll be going home soon now that it's heating up. but then they're replaced with the increased agitation that the full time residents here get when having to sit in rush hour traffic with no air conditioning after a long day of work when it's 117 degrees outside.

red light running is huge out here because people can't stay outside for that extra minute and a half. that's why i always enter intersections watching every possible car that can hit me and then thanking whomever i need to thank when they don't.

[Schneiderman]

Yesterday I was almost hit on the expressway twice, once in the morning and once in the evening. In the morning it was a middle-aged guy in a middle-aged buick on a cell phone, trying to change lanes without signaling so he could pass someone that was already doing 75mph.

In the evening it was a younger woman in a massive SUV driving erratically, luckily I spotted it quickly and kept my eye on her, traffic forced me in right next to her and right when I was beside her she swerved halfway into my lane. I looked into the car and she was fumbling around for something she dropped on the floor.

Basically, the most dangerous thing that car drivers do when driving, is not driving but talking and being in a rush and paying attention to things that have nothing to do with the road.

[CJ]

Now I know this will sound crazy, but I make a lot of trips thru New Orleans on business and I can't always hit the traffic at the best of times. When I'm on the interstate I'll stay in the left lane as much as possible. Now that does mean you got ta keep up with the flow of traffic. That way I've only got to look out for someone coming from my right. I feel safer there. Other times when I just don't want to go that fast I'll get over in the far right lane. I have to look out for merging from the right and those coming from the left wanting to exit, but it's slower pace. Now ridin in the middle lanes......there's a lot goin on, you've got the drivers wanting to get in the passin lane so bad they'll ride your butt and there's the ones coming out of the passin lane trying to make it to there exit before it's too late.

Keep an eye out for the front wheels of vehicles your passing, it will be the first indication that their coming into your lane. I don't mean stare at it, just be aware.

When your on 2 lane roads don't ever pass someone who looks to be slowin down and isn't giving any turn signals. They could be turning left. This happened to my best friends son who was 20 yrs. old, been ridin for 3 years, safe rider..............................except last week.

But to answer you 1st question about the most unsafe action...................I think for a lot of car drivers the most unsafe thing they do is get in the car and turn on the ignition.

MGM (make good memories)
CJ

[Strider]

Stop sign California stops for me are the worst.

[RED RIDER]

Face it my fellow chrome soldiers, we are one step above the bicycle on the food chain. Even a Ford Focus and the new Smart Car have us by the nether regions.

We don't stand a chance in any sort of collision. All we can hope for is that what we are wearing protects what is not exposed. Some riders, me included, wear just jeans, T-shirts, and some semblence of a boot oriented footwear that is more for looks than protection. I wear a helmet, sort of, it's a half shell. Might help reduce the head injury, but the face is vulnerable. I wear ear plugs to help with wind scream and sunglasses that transition to night with foam to protect the eyes. Trust me, cars and trucks and trains and the outside world are all loud enough that that the plugs aren't going to drowned out their sound. So when a car blows it's horn, I hear it loud and clear.

The biggest problem with automobiles in general is that when you encounter a driver who just doesn't care, you are vulnerable to attack. Said driver will usually wait for a Semi to pass or a larger vehicle, but, for some stupid reason, see you as no threat and pull out suddenly because he or she is tired of waiting. You make just as expensive a dent in their new car as any other vehicle. My thought is that I don't want anyone, bicycle or motorcycle to hit my car. So, if I have to wait for a bike to speed by before I pull into traffic, then I'll wait. But, the most unsafe thing that vehicle drivers do, they don't wait. They figure you are more scared of getting hurt then they are of getting their nice car all torn up, so they chance it, hoping you will do what is necessary to prevent the crash. In other words, they put the responsibility back on us. So, take it. You be the bigger man, or woman. Realize you are a vehicles b***h, and just ride accordingly.

[iamgumby]

Is it just my personal blessing or are Yukon / Envoy drivers borderline homicidal? I've had more more tailgating, "ain't no mc gonna pass me", "get the lleh outa my way", and no you stop - I'm more important than you from Yukon / Envoy drivers than anyone else! What gives?

[Strider]

Yuppies..........sheesh

[RED RIDER]

Is it just my personal blessing or are Yukon / Envoy drivers borderline homicidal? I've had more more tailgating, "ain't no mc gonna pass me", "get the lleh outa my way", and no you stop - I'm more important than you from Yukon / Envoy drivers than anyone else! What gives?

Maybe they are elitists who think because they own a Yukon or Envoy they are entitled to perks others are not afforded. Can't really answer that one, just throw an opinion. My biggest fear isn't the tailgater, it's the cars that should have a bumper sticker, "I brake for no apparent reason." Nearly have had two crashes because of this.

[JM-Team]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Blind_spot.JPG

This is a blind spot map that helps show when you are in a blind spot. It in kinda helpfull but like it was said before you should allways asume your are in a blind spot and watch the traffic around you.