Forced out of my lane TWICE on this morning's commute

[OfficerImpersonator]

This morning I was "merged in to" twice in separate incidents, both on Interstate 5, our main north-south highway through Western Washington and downtown Seattle.

In the first instance, I was in the HOV lane, stuck behind a slow-moving bus. I merged right into the far left general purpose lane and was in the process of passing the bus when a Honda Civic merged into my space and forced me to grab a handful of brakes and swerve back into the HOV lane behind the bus. I have two VERY LOUD horns, and I was blaring them constantly while the car was merging into me, yet the driver never looked my way even once.

In the second instance, I was in the far left lane and again moved into the center lane to pass slower traffic in the left lane. As I was passing the slower traffic on the left, a guy driving like a bat out of hell in his Ford Explorer cut me off as he merged into my lane from the right. Again, my horn was useless and the driver never acknowledged my existence. The SUV driver continued to drive like a maniac, illegally using HOV lanes and a HOV-only exit ramp through downtown Seattle. I use the same exit ramp, and attempted to contact the driver at the red light at the end of the exit. He had the nerve to mimic dialing 911 on his cell phone to report me to the police. I would have gladly welcomed police involvement at that time.

Immediately upon getting to the office, I wrote a letter to my state legislators demanding that the state conduct a motorcycle awareness campaign, and demanding that the state increase routine patrols of our highways during peak commuting hours. When there is an accident, the State Troopers show up right away, but I rarely see them simply patrolling the highways and looking for traffic violations. I specifically suggested the State Patrol deploy their beautiful fleet of R1150RT-Ps to area highways, as that would accomplish two goals - a greater law enforcement presence during the commute, and more high-visibility motorcycles out on the roads with me.

Otherwise, I'm going to be fighting back, leaving boot prints on the doors of cars that merge into me. If the police won't enforce the traffic laws, I will.

 

[PAULBACH]

Don't get mad, get of a set of these:

Seriously,

SUVs and minivans are particularly worthy of caution. Sometimes kids are on board and the driver is distracted many different ways.

 

[OfficerImpersonator]

The problem with the 2nd driver was that he was the only occupant of the vehicle - which made his obnoxious use of the HOV lanes and the HOV-only exit that much more repugnant. If I had had a pen and a piece of paper, I would have written down his license plate number and submitted it to the HOV violator hotline.

This has pushed me even further towards the purchase of a RT-P. They'll be nicer to me if they think I might be a cop.

 

[WEZUL]

I assume that drivers don't see me, anticipating "stupid" moves. I try to put myself in positions that give me an "out". That is not always possible but I think it minimizes potential situations. Still, in the last couple rides I've found myself getting aggravated from traffic. It's part of the "game".

 

[OfficerImpersonator]

I think part of the problem is that many car drivers do view their commute as a game. Unfortunately, the stakes of the game are much higher for a rider than they are for a driver.

 

[WEZUL]

Indeed. That's why I have adopted a riding philosophy that is "defensive aggressive".
I also try to avoid "rush hour" rides. Those people driving to/from work are just plain pissed off!

 

[OfficerImpersonator]

99% of my riding is done during the morning and afternoon commute. Being able to commute by bike - and to enjoy the resulting relatively cheap gas and parking bills - is a big part of the reason I ride.

Otherwise, I'm stuck on the bus listening to everyone's cell phone conversations.

I pay my fair share of fuel, highway and law enforcement taxes (I don't just ride), and I'd like to see the system working just as hard to protect the little guy on the motorcycle as it does protecting the idiot racing through rush hour traffic in his SUV.

 

[PAULBACH]

Last Saturday M!KA had an article that might be worth your time to review:

Urban Guerrilla

Motorcycle riding tips for in the city

They are all out to get us!

 

[RGVILLA]

I also comute to and from Pittsburgh from about 60 miles distant. I leave home around 5:30 am and return at 5 pm so I get peak comute time. I call it combat comuting and I try and ride like I'm invisible, always look for outs and expect the cars around me to do stupid things as if they were deliberatelly trying to kill me. I also try very hard not to get in pissing contests with drivers, it helps keep my blood pressure down and keeps me from doing something I might regret. I also know those cars out weigh me by several thousand pounds! Take a deep breath, slow down, get your mental self back into the ride and survive! Ride safe!

 

[OfficerImpersonator]

Last Saturday M!KA had an article that might be worth your time to review:

Urban Guerrilla

Motorcycle riding tips for in the city

They are all out to get us!

Great advice in the article linked above. Unfortunately, I was doing all the things suggested - accelerating hard to assert my lane position and to get abreast of the drivers so they'd see me in their peripheral vision.

Unfortunately, they moved in on me before I could get out of their blind spots.

Of course, cars don't have blind spots when the drivers turn their heads to look for traffic before they merge over. Cars only have blind spots when drivers refuse to look before merging.

 

[henzilla]

Be Careful!!! I share the commuting pains and try to let the benefits of riding two wheels cancel out the boneheads...
Glad they were "near misses" since they typically can be direct hits!
I luckily can avoid the Slab on my commute, and even though it takes longer, I keep my sanity...I know that is not always possible for everyone and I respect those that must use it...
I had to go to our corporate office during the 9AM rush this morning after a beautiful pre -idiot drive in to my regular location...I had to cut thru the heart of downtown near the Capitol (session in) and was scanning my ass off when a gal on a bike riding on the sidewalk ran the light in front of me...I missed her but noticed she was leaning her head to one side while pedaling....YOU GOT IT...On the freakin' phone! I ride pedal powered also and that was a first...This town is TOO connected!

 

[SNOONE]

Every morning commuting to NYC dodging cigarette butts and unaware road hogs has hardened me into an assault biker. I find I rely on my horn more than ever and use it to jolt the daydreamers, left lane elephants, makeup applying, phone talking and newpaper reading cagers more than ever. A day does not go by that someone doesn't cut me off or do something so stupid that my mind wants to explode.. I'm truly surprised that more people are not killed on the roads.. It is truly dangerous out there for us and you have to be on top of your riding game at all times. I'm not sure its ever going to get better.. The quality of driving skills has yet to bottom out. Enforcement of existing rules and laws is not going to put a dent in the problem.

 

[globalrider]

This morning I was "merged in to" twice in separate incidents...

You're assuming far too much when it comes to your average driver. No further comment.

 

[BUBBAZANETTI]

somewhat difficult to shift with

 

[kbasa]

I'd be interested to hear where you were with relation to the automobile when these encroachments happened.

Most drivers are too lazy to do a head check before changing lanes and I suspect you might have been in their blind spot.

Riding in traffic is all about managing your position relative to blind spots, watching the hands and heads of drivers as you pass them and observing their behavior in traffic around you.

Eventually, you can almost forecast what they're going to do.

 

[OfficerImpersonator]

I'd be interested to hear where you were with relation to the automobile when these encroachments happened.

Most drivers are too lazy to do a head check before changing lanes and I suspect you might have been in their blind spot.

Riding in traffic is all about managing your position relative to blind spots, watching the hands and heads of drivers as you pass them and observing their behavior in traffic around you.

Eventually, you can almost forecast what they're going to do.

I freely admit I was squarely in their blind spots, accelerating around slow traffic in the left lane (part of the problem!), when they moved into "my" center lane from "their" right lane in both instances.

I knew I was temporarily traversing their blind spots, and I was cognizant of where I was and what I needed to do to get out of their blind spots and into clear lanes ahead.

It was in these two brief periods of time that the drivers merged over without looking to see if the lane was already occupied. I do try to follow the defensive/aggressive game plan - plan defensive space and aggressively transit indefensible spaces - but in both instances it just took that split second as I tried to pass that the vehicles came into my lane.

I think I'm going to duct tape one of those boat horns that run on compressed air to my mirror stalk. Perhaps if they think they're merging into an oil tanker, they'll think twice - or at least glance in my direction.

 

[PacWestGS]

Please do not lose your cool and retaliate or do something else in anger. A rider in dense traffic needs all his or her skills these days to survive. Anger and revenge ideas do not help. They just lead to taking chances that are not worth it. Almost every other vehicle on the road is bigger and tougher than a rider on a motorcycle and you or I can be bunted off the road and into eternity by some joker, idiot, hophead, drunk, nutcase or whatever - and they will just laugh.

Let them go. Get a plate number, if that is easy to do, and lodge a complaint with the cops. Then forget about it.

Even if you were riding a 1942 BMW R75 sidecar outfit complete with machine gun you would be unlikely to get respect from smog-box drivers. In traffic around my way they are usually on the cell phone, eating, drinking a latte, shaving, doing their make-up, etc., etc.,

Example -
Last fall I was stopped in a line of left turn traffic, the light changed and I followed a plumber's van around the corner onto a one-lane street. About 50 yards further on he braked to a halt to turn into a narrow driveway. I stopped behind him. There was a screech of brakes and rubber on pavement behind me and I braced for the impact. Nothing happened. (But it was close.) I looked behind and there was a 30-something blonde lady in a small yellow compact coupe. She had a whiter than white face. The van having turned in, I moved off and it was some time before the lady's car moved to follow. 300 yards further on, the road passed through a school zone (30 mph reducing to 25 mph) and she blew past me at about 50 mph. I saw - as she passed - that she was nicely dressed in a suit and using both hands to text message on her Blackberry device. What she was using to steer the car I couldn't see.

All I know is that it wasn't her brain - cause she didn't seem to have one.

PT9766

+1

dvandkq - Get used to it.

It is WARFARE out there and with experience comes patience and understanding. I have been forced to do something (avoidance skill) almost everyday - and I think I'm a better rider than some, but still they (cagers) keep coming and coming into MY space.

Horns are not and evasive maneuver. No matter how loud thay are.

Sounds like you are about ready to try lane-sharing

Ride like you are invisible... (And don't get mad, it only takes away from the next encounter)

 

[Bud]

Big time bummer. Most of us have had something like that happen and it makes one angry (mostly out of fear as to what could have happened).

Hope you don't have to kick doors.

 

[OfficerImpersonator]

Actually, I have, once, put my boot into the door of a car merging into me when I had no place else to go.

Driver was on his cell phone, oblivious to my presence in the lane abreast of him. There was traffic in front, behind and to my left as he came into me from the right. He didn't hear my horn, and I was quickly running out of options when I put up the sole of my boot to fend off his rapidly approaching Porsche Carrera 4S.

As my boot crinkled the sheet metal on the driver's door of his beautiful silver Porsche, he finally noticed me next to him and he swerved back into his lane. I never saw him again, but my buddy who runs an auto body shop tells me I gave him a several thousand dollar lesson as to why one should pay attention to one's surroundings while driving and talking on the phone.

 

[OfficerImpersonator]

Sounds like you are about ready to try lane-sharing

[sarcasm]I fully realize this entire episode is simply a conspiracy by you and Lamble to force me into lane sharing, against my will[/sarcasm]