…three motorcycle accidents, two of them fatalities.
In all three instances, it was idiots in cars at fault, turning left in front of oncoming bikers.
A couple of days ago, an oncoming compact car crossed the center line, aiming for me.
Yes, I said aiming for me. It was not random inattention. He saw a biker, and was determined to fuck with him. I eyeballed the bastard for several hundred yards and held course, all the while making plans for evasive action. A good lean and a lot of throttle when he got close (too close for him to react), and I missed him by a wide margin. He was damned near all the way in my lane, and sneering right at me as he flashed past.
I've often said that my ambulance would be better equipped with twin watercooled .50s and a snowplow bumper than it would with lights and siren. The same goes for my bike. In a just world, the compact driver should have been greeted with a 180 grain salute to his driving habits, right betwixt the headlights…and I think we know exactly what headlights I'm referring to.
But that would have meant shooting with my weak hand, and lots of ambulance paperwork, and I don't do ambulance paperwork on my day off.
*sigh*
If I hadn't spent the past fifteen years dodging idiots who do stupid things – both purposely, and by accident – when they see an ambulance with its lights on, it would be enough to make me paranoid.
That is, more paranoid than I already am.
I figure that's a good thing, if not an entirely equal tradeoff for the lack of protective sheet metal around me.
Update: Make that five motorcycle accidents, and three fatalities. Same cause as before, except that the last two bikers' reaction time was not helped by the alcohol n their systems. I took care of the lucky one, if you could call a mangled leg that'll likely never allow him to ride a bike again lucky.
33 pithy observation(s).:
While I tend to agree that there are many stupid-ass drivers out there, I've seen more than my share of stupid-ass bikers. In my state (MN) helmets are optional AND a significant number of bikers decline to drive their bikes according to the rules of the road -- they split the difference between lanes of traffic on the freeway, pass on the shoulder and generally don't make it easy to drive around them because they are very unpredictable.
What really infuriates me is that these bozos are usually without helmets -- and when they get a brain injury and can't work, they'll go on state assistance and I'll end up paying for their stupidity.
Since I don't want to kill someone with my Toyota, I try to stay away from them as much as possible -- but, you and other repsonsible bikers need to realize that these bozos are highly visible and make a big impact -- so, if you see them in a bar, have a 'chat' with them -- or something, please.
A warning to those new to motorcycling: this happens a lot. Mostly, they aren't trying to hit you. They can look right at you, and they are thinking about a car, or truck. A motorcycle doesn't register in their head, and they will turn left in front of you
Remember, if they are making a left in front of you, even when they look right into your eyes; don't trust 'em.
I have a theory about folks turning left in front of bikes. In some cases, perhaps it's a depth-perception issue.
Because the four-wheeler driver only sees one headlight, he doesn't distinguish distance as well because he doesn't have the second light as a reference (by judging the distance between the headlights to have an idea of how far off the other vehicle is).
Consequently, by being unable to accurately gauge the distance, the driver would also be hampered in gauging the bike's speed. Double whammy.
Does this make sense? I don't mean it to absolve the drivers -- if you've only got one light to work with, you slow down and wait until you're sure before pulling out. Still, I think it might be a contributing factor.
inside the philosophy factory,
If someone is going to injure themselves on a motorcycle, don't complain about the cost. If you do not like it, put an end to socialized medicine. Treat everyone, who ends up costing the state money, the same way. Cigarette smokers, obese, those who do not exercise regularly, stupid people doing stupid things - make a law against all of these things. At least if you want to be fair.
While you worry about the possible cost of injured motorcyclists, motorcyclists have to worry about people in cars who are killing them. Stop whining about telling other people to live their lives.
Also, lane splitting is safer than sitting in traffic and waiting for an inattentive driver to hit you. The only state that I know of that allows it does so because the California Highway Patrol has opposed attempts by "offended" car drivers to pass a law. Such a law would also lead to longer lines of traffic. The motorcyclists actually decrease the traffic backup by splitting lanes. You should be thanking them.
Glad you missed him, the ride is more important than shooting the fellow, but I do wish I had some digital camera to catch the license and vehicle for the courtroom, must be some lawyers that want to earn some portion of the civil suit. Keep riding and know that the fools will always be waiting. I like helmets and seat belt, personally, but I am old and wrinkled and don't need to subject the youth to the real me.
Earl,
I like helmets and seat belts, too. I don't like seat belt and helmet laws for adults. Attempts to regulate stupidity are only a demonstration of a different kind of stupidity. A much more dangerous one.
If they lived today, the founders of this country would be locked up for recklessness and other assorted indiscretions.
An avid biker told me he has to expect cars to do the absolute stupidest thing imaginable and be ready because they will do it.
Glad you're okay!
We get both tpes of driver/rider over this side of the duck pond (Atlantic ocean) as well.
and we do not have the added avantage of being able to carry guns (legally that is)
glad you are ok and that you are still riding.
My rule of thumb is that when you're on a motorcycle, about 1/2 of the drivers just flat don't see you. The rest see you just fine and are aiming to hit you.
I've been hit three times while driving and in every case I was sitting still. If these idiots couldn't see a (bright red) car, what's the chance they'll see a motorcycle?
As for bikers w/o helmets, two words: Organ donors.
We could use some .50's on police cars as well. When I was in patrol, I was rushing to an Assist Officer call, using lights and sirens.
For some reason, every idiot on the road thought I was pulling them over, and stopped in front of me. It was enough to make me want to shoot out their rear windows.
People, when you see the lights and sirens, get the Hell out of the way!!!
My driving instructor was an ex-police officer. He gave me the best bit of advice - drive as though every other person on the road (car/van/cyclist/pedestrian etc) is an idiot. 9 times out of 10 you will be right.
I'm shocked at the idiot driving straight at you, though!
There are many, many stupid people on the road. No wonder I hate driving.
"My rule of thumb is that when you're on a motorcycle, about 1/2 of the drivers just flat don't see you. The rest see you just fine and are aiming to hit you."
Yep, that's my theory as well.
Glad you are OK!!Yikes!
If you're going to ride, do what I do: I pretend I am invisible. This works, because to most people you ARE.
It's easy to understand if you think about it: We're only as big as a person when on our bike -- from the "oncoming" perspective.
As to the econo-box idiot, there's a simple cure for them, too: A pocked full of large ball bearings or marbles works wonders, especially at the sort of combined speeds such opposition will generate.
DD
I've been an advocate for cattle catchers on the front of every ambulance since the day I first drive with lights and sirens.
That being said... I'm just glad you're okay.
Stay safe, AD.
I've told Kat in comments above that a LOT of car-bike accidents are cars turning left in front of the motorcycle. Through every intersection, I roll through with my hands hovering over the clutch and brake and move over to the far right of my lane so IF they see me, they see me sooner. The drag pipes help at least warn them that SOMEONE on a scoot is around, but I still almost got killed when a girl ignored that sound.
All I can say is that people on bikes have to be totally into that situational awareness mode while riding.
This post hits home. Almost a year ago to this day I was hit by a car on my Harley. I lived because of my DOT helmet. I was still in the hospital for 5 days with several broken bones.
I've whined and cried enough over the punk kid on drugs who turned left in front of me. Now i would rather just acknowledge the EMT's that came to my rescue.
Thanks for the great service those guys did for me. I can remember some of the ride to the hospital and can remember the guy in back with me trying to talk to me. I heard what he was saying, but didn't really feel like saying much back. I don't think he took any offense to it though, he was very kind. Thanks to Ambulance drivers everywhere! You guys are angels.
A few days ago, my friend and former partner, Medic Mike, responded to a "serious" MVC involving a motorcycle.
Serious wasn't the word. She blew past the PD so fast, he couldn't get the patrol car in gear and turn on the lights before she hit the car about a half-mile down the road.
The damage? Impact to passenger side of the car with >18 inches of intrusion. The motorcyclist was a trauma code to the nearby hospital with bi-lat femur fracturs, bi-lat humerus fractures, bi-lat tension pneumos and bi-lat degloved forearms to the bone.
Yeah, she was wearing a helmet and yes, I said "she."
Motorcycles, like cars and guns (and butcher's knives and baseball bats, etc) are only as good as the person using them.
TrekMedic251,
Women can ride just as well as men - or just as badly.
Did she get points for symmetry, since everything she did appears to be bilateral?
Recently in our area, some assholes deliberately hit a bicyclist with their car. I keep thinking some day I'll stop being astonished at what people will do, but it hasn't happened yet.
This is why I gave up riding about 30 years ago. I was driven off the freeway, off the shoulder, and into the grass, five times in one year. In every case, it was intentional, with the driver moving up beside me, matching speeds with me, looking me right in the eye, and steering hard over into me. The last one gave me the finger as he did so. I learned to anticipate stupidity long before and it saved my neck each time.
I finally had enough. It's just transportation, and it ain't worth dying for.
Inside the Philosophy Factory,
So are the only stupid drivers you see Bikers? If there are auto drivers in the mix, do you single them out for a little lecture on good manners? If you do, how does that work for you? If not, perhaps you should lead by example, I'm certain education would follow, whose remains to be determined.
I'm not a rider, but have family and friends who are. The solution to both clueless and creepy drivers is open carry. As my dad said "They can't see me, a big man on a big bike, but they sure see my .45 in the holster!" He did recommend wearing crossdraw on the left for maximum visibility.
Even for people who drive in a daze, the possibility of Really Bad Consequences is enough for them to wake up and pay attention, at least much of the time.
Get the plate number.
Address from the D-M-V.
Molotov cocktail.
There's my haiku for dealing with this sort of thing...
[..] Ambulance Driver discovers scooter hunting [...]
Glad your OK. Wish I could say that in my experience this is almost unheard of, but I can't.
Stay frosty, man.
I have been riding for over 30 years and I practice what Hammer said, "Expect the driver to do the stupidest thing imaginable" I do, and I am never surpised when they do it.
Glad to hear you're still in one piece.
It's not paranoid if they really are out to get you.
A riders course will teach you how to avoid the T bone when the driver turns left in front of you.
The rest is up to you.
Way back when from teens to 20's, my only trans was a bike.
Being well endowed with testosterone and having the brain of of said young male, I rode at approx Mach 1.2 - and a lot of that on one tire.
About 10 years or so, a bunch of crashes and 100,000 extra cars around, it occured to me that - Shit! This could be dangerous! Got rid of the bike and got a small sports car that did 145 with the A/C on. :)
(much safer, huh)
Glad you're OK.
Watch the old Mad Max movies for neat tips on mounted hardware...
Philosophy factory - Try decaf.
We ALL pay for stupidity. Helmetless bikers are a pittance of the money taken from us.
Wyatt earp - If they didn't stop you WOULD shoot out their windows and then charge them with a felony.
And you blame them for not being able to read minds?
Monday morning we had a bad cycle vs car crash because Dudette decided to pass the SEMI in front of her on a double yellow line, in the fog and on a hill. The cycle driver westbound had no way to avoid her and Dudette could not move back into her lane because of the semi in the way. He isn't dead, but he will probably lose at least one leg.
Sounds like you need a helmet-cam so you can record that kind of loser for posterity.
Do you think a Grand Jury would hand down an Attempted Murder charge if they saw a video that captured the whole thing, especially the sneer at the end?
A hundred or so bucks and you have your own evidence capture device...
inside the philosophy factory:
I've been told by a Physical Therapy worker that it's the motorcyclists who wear helmets who stand a large chance of becoming a drain on the Medical System.
Those who don't, as noted above, are referred to as "organ donors".
With that in mind, I've been driving a 2-wheeler in the Detroit Metro region for a little while now. Haven't been attacked by drivers yet, though I did have a left-turner cause me to panic-brake.
Greetings from one of those nozzle-nuts and Goddam-dipsh*tters. Er. Dispatchers.
Used to ride, laid my bike down once, hard enough to shake me up without serious injury, and never rode again - just not something I wanted to deal with.
I completely understand the people doing stupid shit in front of red lights and a siren; on the plus side, only the suicidal or insane want to play chicken with a 30-ton fire truck.
Enjoying the blog... touches awful close to home here and there.
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