Almost had SMIDSY this morning
Discussion
Travelling alomg the A5 this morning on my bike, slowly going along the outside lane, when all of a sudden, with no signal and no mirror check ( I always look at faces and arms and wheels when filtering to ascertain whether someone is likely to suddenly turn ) this guy in an auto Mercedes boots it and in one very quick maneauvure, turns into the lane aI was in. The purpose of this numpty driving?. He gained two car lengths FFS!!
I reckon if I were travelling a bit quicker and been less observant/anticipation, then I would have hit him.
Be careful out there guys 'n gals on your bikes!!
It only takes one
I reckon if I were travelling a bit quicker and been less observant/anticipation, then I would have hit him.
Be careful out there guys 'n gals on your bikes!!
It only takes one
Streetcop said:
Mmmm....more mind making up stuff for me...
Thanks Blademan..
You be careful too mate..
Street
Let me give you some balance then Gary. Picked up my ZZR1200 from the dealer in Gloucester early on Saturday morning and decided to take a scenic route home. Ended up getting back after 9.00pm. Went across the A48 and aimed for the mountains. Spent the day on a heedy mixture of A and B roads, fast stuff, slow stuff, regular stops to take in breathtaking views. The sun shone, the birds sang. At times I seemed miles away from any other road user. Met some great people in a coffee shop in the middle of nowhere (Llanpwllgych...or something) and took the aging proprietor for a ride a mile up the road (first time he'd been on a bike since he'd sold his last BSA in the late sixties). The smile on this man's face made my day, my week and my year.
Didn't see a scamera van, nobody pulled out in front of me and didn't get cold or wet. The best day out on a bike I have had for a very long time.
>> Edited by Mon Ami Mate on Wednesday 6th October 09:11
Streetcop said:
I was joking anyway...I've SORNed mine now...in anticipation of selling it...
Went to another bike crash at the end of last week...biker not at fault...overtaking car head on, on the crest of a hill....biker very very lucky...still alive..
Street
I understand that your job ensures that you find yourself dealing with the aftermath of messy bike accidents, but I must admit I find it hard to understand why you have allowed your own view of riding to be jaundiced by this.
You must see many more messy car accidents than bike accidents, but would you give up driving?
Life is full of risks. If we don't allow ourselves to do anything that includes an element of risk, we'd never get out of bed (although I suspect that most people probably die in bed and it's therefore statistically the best place to avoid!). After one no-fault accident a few years ago an incredulous colleague slated me for not giving up biking, but she'd had a very large car accident weeks earlier that she was wholly responsible for and couldn't see the irony when I asked her if she was going to give up her car.
After 20-odd years of riding I've seen lots of death and disaster among bike riding friends, but I understand the risks and operate accordingly. I've known many more people who have been killed and injured in cars.
I couldn't live without a bike, it will always put a smile on my face after a crap day in the office. I know it might kill me, but so might a lot of other things and my life would be far poorer without it.
I'm not criticising you for making your decision, but I honestly don't understand. Do you not enjoy riding any more? Is your decision partly motivated by a feeling of guilt at enjoying using something almost exclusively for pleasure that has so much performance potential? Or have you just become sickened by dealing with dead and injured bikers?
Morning mon ami mate.
Yes I was thinking this as well. I have seen quite a few nasty bike accidents; indeed one happened right next to me last year. It has made me even more careful. Take this morning for example. Once I had ridden away from said numpty, I was talking to myself saying" right..........remember that. I was still travelling a little too fast for the conditions. Dont normally do this. Could have been nasty if he had pulled out 2 seconds later. Dont do that again."
Or something along those lines. It hasnt put me off biking. It just serves to remind me how vulnerable I am on a bike, and how quickly it can end, with just a moments lapse of concentration, or whatever. Got to admit though mon ami, I have often wondered if I would give it up if I had an accident. But I love biking, and do agree with what you say. Just remember that you could have been riding for years without an accident, and in a few seconds all that can change. This "incident" has been stored in my memory, and as I have said, it will make me even more careful. I reckon I am anyway, but TBH, I had just overtaken someone, and was carrying a little more speed than I would have done normally. I have been riding since 1985 and have only had one off, and that was on my own on a 125 whilst a little p*ssed so that was totally my fault. I never ever DD these days. Not even one drink. Not worth it.Esp on bikes
This was the only even remotely near miss in doing this journey hundreds of times. But, it only takes ONE incident.
Ride safe mon ami mate
Yes I was thinking this as well. I have seen quite a few nasty bike accidents; indeed one happened right next to me last year. It has made me even more careful. Take this morning for example. Once I had ridden away from said numpty, I was talking to myself saying" right..........remember that. I was still travelling a little too fast for the conditions. Dont normally do this. Could have been nasty if he had pulled out 2 seconds later. Dont do that again."
Or something along those lines. It hasnt put me off biking. It just serves to remind me how vulnerable I am on a bike, and how quickly it can end, with just a moments lapse of concentration, or whatever. Got to admit though mon ami, I have often wondered if I would give it up if I had an accident. But I love biking, and do agree with what you say. Just remember that you could have been riding for years without an accident, and in a few seconds all that can change. This "incident" has been stored in my memory, and as I have said, it will make me even more careful. I reckon I am anyway, but TBH, I had just overtaken someone, and was carrying a little more speed than I would have done normally. I have been riding since 1985 and have only had one off, and that was on my own on a 125 whilst a little p*ssed so that was totally my fault. I never ever DD these days. Not even one drink. Not worth it.Esp on bikes
This was the only even remotely near miss in doing this journey hundreds of times. But, it only takes ONE incident. Ride safe mon ami mate
Mon Ami Mate said:
You must see many more messy car accidents than bike accidents, but would you give up driving?
I don't know the figures, but I have it somewhere in my head that percentage wise, more bikers are killed per 1,000 road users (or however many they use) than car drivers.
Doesn't matter who's at fault (and from my own (non biking (so far)) experience), it's usually not the biker. Trouble is that in a collision, the biker generally has less protection than a car driver.
Mind you, when there is a bad collision, invoving whatever type of vehicle, it's usually the "at fault" party who walks away, and the third party normally gets the rough end of the deal.
[/over_simplification]
Dibble said:
You must see many more messy car accidents than bike accidents, but would you give up driving?
I don't know the figures, but I have it somewhere in my head that percentage wise, more bikers are killed per 1,000 road users (or however many they use) than car drivers.
Doesn't matter who's at fault (and from my own (non biking (so far)) experience), it's usually not the biker. Trouble is that in a collision, the biker generally has less protection than a car driver.
Mind you, when there is a bad collision, invoving whatever type of vehicle, it's usually the "at fault" party who walks away, and the third party normally gets the rough end of the deal.
[/over_simplification]
Hi Dibble,
I accept that in an accident car vs bike, the bike will always come off worst. And that statistically bike riders are more likely to be involved accidents than car drivers. But there are still many more car accidents than bike accidents.
I've had four accidents with other vehicles in 20 years of biking and all four were the fault of the driver of the other vehicle (one sudden U turn and three right turns across my path).
Stats from the Government's own PACTs office sent to me recently put the figure at approximately 66 per cent of all bike accidents being the fault of the operator of another vehicle.
Mon Ami Mate said:
I've had four accidents with other vehicles in 20 years of biking and all four were the fault of the driver of the other vehicle (one sudden U turn and three right turns across my path
That seems to be the most common type of bike accident in built up areas. After this mornings "incident" I started looking even more at car drivers eyes whilst I was going around roundabouts. TBH it looked as though they are not looking for bikes,as they didn't seem to acknowledge that I was riding past them.
blademan said:
After this mornings "incident" I started looking even more at car drivers eyes whilst I was going around roundabouts. TBH it looked as though they are not looking for bikes,as they didn't seem to acknowledge that I was riding past them.
Big discussion about the size of A-pillars on cars obscuring bikers on roundabouts here on PH 3-ish months ago? A-pillars seem to have expanded hugely, and you can lose a whole car in them, let alone a bike.
I actually did get SMIDSY'd ten days ago - luckily I got off lightly. I don't intend to give up biking - I tried to ride mine last night, for the first time since the accident - it refuses to go in a straight line with the bars held straight. Looking at the front of the bike 'head on', it would appear that the front wheel is nowhere near lined up with the mudguard - it veers off to the left. I think the forks have been twisted in the yolks from hitting the ground. A real shame - I was really looking forward to riding again.
Mad Dave said:
I actually did get SMIDSY'd ten days ago - luckily I got off lightly. I don't intend to give up biking - I tried to ride mine last night, for the first time since the accident - it refuses to go in a straight line with the bars held straight. Looking at the front of the bike 'head on', it would appear that the front wheel is nowhere near lined up with the mudguard - it veers off to the left. I think the forks have been twisted in the yolks from hitting the ground. A real shame - I was really looking forward to riding again.
Dave,
Have you had the bike assessed yet? Don't try to ride it until you know there's nothing structurally knackered. Any word from insurance companies?
Size Nine Elm said:
blademan said:
After this mornings "incident" I started looking even more at car drivers eyes whilst I was going around roundabouts. TBH it looked as though they are not looking for bikes,as they didn't seem to acknowledge that I was riding past them.
Big discussion about the size of A-pillars on cars obscuring bikers on roundabouts here on PH 3-ish months ago? A-pillars seem to have expanded hugely, and you can lose a whole car in them, let alone a bike.
Yes I first noticed that on our Peugeot 406 and I feel it has become much more of a problem. We may be better off structurally in the event of a collision, but I think it now requires more care to avoid the collision in the first place.
Best wishes all,
Dave.
>> Edited by TripleS on Wednesday 6th October 18:58
Mon Ami Mate said:
I actually did get SMIDSY'd ten days ago - luckily I got off lightly. I don't intend to give up biking - I tried to ride mine last night, for the first time since the accident - it refuses to go in a straight line with the bars held straight. Looking at the front of the bike 'head on', it would appear that the front wheel is nowhere near lined up with the mudguard - it veers off to the left. I think the forks have been twisted in the yolks from hitting the ground. A real shame - I was really looking forward to riding again.
Dave,
Have you had the bike assessed yet? Don't try to ride it until you know there's nothing structurally knackered. Any word from insurance companies?
Still waiting on the assessor (sp?) - insurance company said they have no problem with me riding it and I thought, perhaps rather naively, that the bike had only dents and scratches as it only went down at about 20mph, maybe even slower. I did check for cracks etc on the frame and couldnt see any.
My solicitor has been chasing the assessor all week but they appear to be a band of useless b*stards.
Dibble said:
You must see many more messy car accidents than bike accidents, but would you give up driving?
I don't know the figures, but I have it somewhere in my head that percentage wise, more bikers are killed per 1,000 road users (or however many they use) than car drivers.
Doesn't matter who's at fault (and from my own (non biking (so far)) experience), it's usually not the biker. Trouble is that in a collision, the biker generally has less protection than a car driver.
Mind you, when there is a bad collision, invoving whatever type of vehicle, it's usually the "at fault" party who walks away, and the third party normally gets the rough end of the deal.
[/over_simplification]
25% of deaths on the road are bikers although they account for only 1% of the traffic
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