How I almost killed a motorcyclist.....

[sedanman]

.................. and what I learned from his mistake. This happened on a chilly, wet, overcast morning in November. It was a little after 7 am and not fully light yet. I was coming home from working the night shift. About half way home on my 52 mile commute there is a "Y" intersection. The main road has asweeping gentle curve with decent visibility and a big honking traffic light controlling the inersection with the smaller local road. I was travelling north and waiting to turn left onto the local road. The light for traffic on the main road was green in both directions and I was waiting in the left turn lane. I scanned the road looking for a break in traffic. I was a break that was more than adequate for me to safely make my turn. As I had committed to my turn I saw what had been hidden from me just a heartbeat before, the headlight of what I think was a Triumph Bonneville America headed right at my passeger side. If I tried to stop, the motorcyclist would not have been able to in the available distance. I was already moving fast enough that standing on the throttle was the best course of action to get me out of his way, so I did. We had a close call and I would have been the "cager" that "didn't see him". Well I DIDN'T see him until it was almost too late. He made two serious errors in my humble opinion. His lane position was to the far right and he was following the car ahead of him a little too closely. Had he been riding to left of the lane and a little further back from the car in front he would have been much more visible to oncoming (left turning) cars and he would have a far less obstructed view of the hazards ahead. Now I do realize that by the letter of the law if we had collided, I would be totally at fault, but that would not have spared him from serious injury. He should have been doing more to make himself conspicuous instead of hiding behind the car in front of him. I am now more aware of how something as simple as lane position can make a difference in being seen.

 

[BMW Triumphant]

Must have been a scare for both of you...

Can't quite visualize the distance between the masking car and the bike. If bike was very close, i could see you hitting the bike as you turned just behind the car. Otherwise, i am not sure the car was doing the masking, it was you just did not see the bike. Not throwing stones, we know this happens all the time...

So many factors, time of day, angle of light, traffic behind the bike drawing away attention, etc.

Must keep our awareness high, whether driving or riding.

Thanks for posting.

 

[sedanman]

Imagine you are a soccer goalie. A player trying to score on your goal could in theory shoot the ball in a 360 degree circle from his vantage point. If you stay near the goal you can only block him for a few degrees . If you get really close to him you could deprive him of 90 degrees or more. Distance makes the difference in line of sight to the goal. In the case of my near miss, distance and lane position made a difference in line of sight. Here is a very crude diagram. The two larger arrows are cars and the three smaller ones are possible positions of the same bike. Which bike would be easier to spot? Increase the distance between the oncoming cars and the purple "bike" would disappearwhile the browm one would still be visible.

 

[BMW Triumphant]

Thanks for the diagram, it does show my point too.

If you started the turn when the other car was abreast, all the bikes should have been visible, i would have thought.

From what you said first, you were able to be well into the turn, saw the bike, and had time (just) to clear the way. Does that not mean the bike was a fair way behind the car?

If so, there was some other reason you did not see the bike. I think this sort of failure to see bikes happens all the time, for lots of reasons.

Still no rocks from me on this. If i knew how to fix the problem i would be a happy man...

 

[sedanman]

Traffic on this road moves at 60 mph or more during rush hour. Higher speeds make reaction time more critical. Like I said, I would have been to blame had we collided but the rider taught me to be more carefull on my bike. I don't know if he learned anything or not. He probalby has a different opinion of what happened.

 

[MUNMI]

First, I am certainly pleased that both you and the rider survived this situation.
Secondly, it sure should serve as a reminder to me what my own responsibility should be to make myself as visible as possible.
Thank you for sharing this story.

 

[racer7]

There are a lot of variations on the "pulling out in front of a bike" theme. Here's another.

I suspect many of us ride a few mph faster than traffic to help control what is around us rather than always having to react to cagers coming from behind. Usually it works out fine but in a few circumstances it can also add to danger.

I live where every day I have to cross a 4 lane road (the busiest in a town designed by greedy fools) where traffic typically goes 55-60 in a 45 mph zone. Its also a few miles up the road from the local Harley dealer.

A few days ago, I was doing one of my regular crossings and having to do it looking directly into a setting sun low on the horizon. There was a usable gap in traffic coming my way so I got ready to pull out and just as I got ready to push the gas on the car I was driving, a Harley with one of those 3 across headlight setups became dimly visible in the glare of the setting sun.

I didn't move until he passed and no close situation happened BUT I took notice of how easily that rather well lit bike had disappeared against a setting sun until it was quite close. Its rider of course had excellent visibility of me with the sun at his back but was going a little bit quickly- though "everyone" does in this location. I found myself wondering if he had any idea how invisible he was even with those three large lights on his bike. And also wondering if my recognition of him as a bike and my reaction would have have been as certain and fast if I had not also been a rider.

I used to be but am no longer amazed at the number of riders who are almost invisible.
Literally every night now I see bikes and scooters ridden by folks with dark helmets, dark clothing, and no reflective gear commuting on this same road with a dinky and dim tail light as their only rear conspicuity. Some BMWs are among them- the GS tail light, for example is not very visible in stock form. The road has a high per cent of mostly young women on cell phones driving one handed and has recorded a couple thousand accidents (literally) in the past few years yet many riders go blithely along, nearly invisible.

 

[ANDYVH]

Thanks for the report, and glad the outcome was good for both. But my guess his attitude about the near hit was not favorable about you. Which brings up a point I keep pushing, here and on other forums, and with my MSF students. This would likely have been a classic "the rider couldn't do anything about it, and hit the car." Or, "it was all the car driver's fault."

Your story is an excellant example of what the rider did wrong, and how the rider was at fault for cause factors that created strong potential for a crash. Now, most riders would claim all fault was on the car driver. Yet, the fault of the rider DOES become evident in what he did and didn't do, before the crash. The moments before, are where we can make all the difference.

Your story also brings up an excellant training tool. When I drive my car or pickup, I do more than watch for cycles, I study all sorts of factors that can hide a motorcycle to my line of vision. Lighting conditions, traffic loading, traffic patterns, time of day, my line of sight in a car (windshield post), shadows that can hide a bike, how quickly I look and how many times I look, are some of many factors that can hide a motorcycle from my view. I use this to put myself in the car driver's viewpoint when on my bike. And over time I have realized that lane position and greater following distance have HUGE impact on reducing these instances.

 

[AKsuited]

the way I do it

How I approach an intersection with an oncoming car waiting to turn left:

Before I leave the house, I put on my white full-face, which helps me be more visible.

As I approach the intersection, my high-beam headlight is on, to be more conspicuous.

If I am following a car, I will move way to the left of my lane so that I shine my high-beam at the driver waiting to turn left.

Then as I go through the intersection, I will begin shifting to my right to give myself more space cushion. I can only do this because I have already established my presence by moving out from behind the car in front of me to make myself very, very visible to that left-turner.

Harry

 

[ANDYVH]

All excellant techniques to apply to traffic riding. It all makes a HUGE difference. Yet, way too many riders simply ride along with no strategies, expecting everyone to "watch out for them" because they're on a motorcycle? Well, aren't we special? Let's put the burdens on the car drivers to make up for our poor traffic skills.

Nope, we, like you, have to always ride to a higher standard. Ride our best abilities and techniques 100% of every ride, and expect more of ourselves before we can expect or request any help from our fellow road users.

 

[cehlbeck]

Imagine you are a soccer goalie. A player trying to score on your goal could in theory shoot the ball in a 360 degree circle from his vantage point. If you stay near the goal you can only block him for a few degrees . If you get really close to him you could deprive him of 90 degrees or more. Distance makes the difference in line of sight to the goal. In the case of my near miss, distance and lane position made a difference in line of sight. Here is a very crude diagram. The two larger arrows are cars and the three smaller ones are possible positions of the same bike. Which bike would be easier to spot? Increase the distance between the oncoming cars and the purple "bike" would disappearwhile the browm one would still be visible.

Often it's an optical illusion, really, but it's in the interpretation of the mind that makes it "real". Placement of the "target" is everything. In "Cover & Concealment" class I took we set up a fixed camera on curb, 4x4 post and cut out of a fire hydrant. We then took our picture right up on the object and then an arm's length back from it. It was amazing how that arm's length made a different in how little of you was visible as a "target" hiding behind a small object. It's nothing more then angles no matter what it is.

 

[AKsuited]

blocked vision

Blocked vision plays a critical role in many accidents.

Take this into account in your defensive driving. You must scan aggressively to discover every instance of other motorist's view of you on your motorcycle that could be blocked, which could be by another vehicle, a bush, a pole, a low-mounted sign, etc.

"Blocked Vision" is an entire scenario of accident causation and you need to include it in your scanning and risk management.

Harry

 

[ANDYVH]

I like to think of it this way. A motorcycle/rider combo, even a Gold Wing, has a thin vertical aspect ratio. When in motion, a motorcycle is very thin relative to its height. Being thin, it is easily hidden by foreground images, and background images, even shadows, in the field of view of a car driver. This thin vertical image has to close in on an object fairly close to register as a large enough image to give the sensation of presence, speed, and especially crash threat. No so with a city bus, a semi, a garbage truck. They are wide and tall, and as they approach they "grow" in visual size quickly. This registers to a car driver quickly.

Motorcycles have to get fairly close before they register enough physical size to be perceived as a threat. A cycle can also approach swiftly. If the car driver glances in your direction, and your image is blocked by a large number of envornmental images, even for a 1/2 second, that car driver may perceive that field of view as clear, and move out. This is really true if the car driver looks once to the left, right, then moves out. Then to them, the motorcycle is "suddenly" on them and a crash is likely. Even at just 35mph a cycle is travelling 50 feet per second, about the width of a typical urban two lane intersection. An effective high effort controlled stop from 35 mph, allowing for reaction time, is easily close to 50 feet.

Consider an appraoching bike 100 feet from an intersection. At 35 mph, the bike will be in the intersection in two seconds. If a car driver waiting to pull out glances, "see" nothing when the bike is 100 feet away, pulls out, in say one second time, the bike is now 50 feet from the car. Typical reaction time being 1/2 second, the rider is now 25 feet from the car, still at 35 mph! There is NO way the bike will stop from 35 mph in 25 feet. Its no wonder many cycle crashes are at 35 mph at intersections. And the car driver claims, "I never saw the motorcycle", and the car driver is likely not lying.

 

[deilenberger]

I think lane position and following distance are both vital for visibilty - both for people seeing you and you seeing threats.

My local club members rarely comment on it anymore (they got used to it..) but I'm all over a lane as we ride along. Enough that no one in the club would dare pull up next to me until they see my feet on the ground.

And I somehow cannot get closer then 3 seconds to the vehicle in front of me (even works at a stop.. try it..)

Moving around in a lane is done to maximize my vision looking for threats - which in turn makes me visible to the threat.

I picked up on both of these from the MSF about 4 decades ago.. the same year the MSF came into being. I was President of the Bell Labs motorcycle club (Holmdel NJ) and was looking for programs to put on for the members. I heard about the MSF somehow, looked into it (pre-web days..) Got hold of the President (and perhaps only employee) Dr.. forget his name.. Nice guy.

Rode up from Maryland/WDC area to address the club one lunchtime, and gave us a nice intro to what the MSF was trying to accomplish. He also brought along their one and only safety film (pre-VCR days.. 16MM) - which we got the Labs projectionist to show. It was a real eye opener, it went though a series of scenerios that showed risk/behavior/response. No MSF acronyms yet.. but whoever did the film was quite good... and the two things that really came across to me is my vision/visibility and giving yourself time to react. The club ended up buying that film, and for years ran it once a year in the spring as a "tuneup" for the members.

Oh - the rider with the sun behind him - should KNOW that he's really invisible, and make any and all riding adjustments needed to prevent being killed by some blinded driver. Best bet - SLOW DOWN. Reaction time, distance, planning an excape route and room to brake all help. I hated commuting to my job in the fall.. the job was west of home, so I had the sun behind me in the AM and PM, and could really see a big difference in how vehicles recognized me (or totally didn't.) A loud horn also isn't a bad thing sometimes.

 

[ANDYVH]

All these factors being mentioned above, are all those and many more that I feel are the sole responsibility of the rider. These factors ARE the ones we control with our awareness and actions. Being aware of the conditions presets us to proper actions and sharper reactions. When I refer to whatever a rider can do, or does, before the crash, these are the factors I stress that riders need to analyze, especially after a crash.

Because rarely is it the sole fault of the car driver. If the rider does not learn these factors, and rides with knowledge of them, then yes the rider will eventually learn from them the hard way. When a rider says "there was nothing I could do" I challenge them to think of all these factors and what did you do, or not do about them, that PUT you in that crash scenario.