Close Call Thread

[OUTLAWD]

16 Mar 2009 ~7:30 am


Coming westbound in the lefthand lane on Arapahoe Rd in Boulder approaching 48th St. where the hospital is, just east of Foothills Parkway. I see a car in the intersection waiting to turn left so he's got my attention but there is a car in front of me and several to my right so he's not likely to turn.

Approaching the light, I see that the crosswalk lights are flashing so the light is going to change soon. I check behind me and there is a WRX at least 150' or so behind me. Plenty of room if I need to stop for the light but I'll keep my eye on him. With the guy waiting to turn left, I don't want to blast through the intersection.

The light changes and the guy in front of me speeds on through it but I decide to brake. It's a quick stop but nothing major, maybe 50% of capability. The light would be red when I'm in the intersection and I don't want to spar with the guy waiting to turn left.

Back to the mirrors to check on the Subaru and I'm wondering whether he's braking at all. If he can't stop, I can move into the crosswalk in front of the car to my right. He's getting bigger in the mirror and I see he has the surgically attached left hand, cell phone, ear combination. I decide it's time to move into the crosswalk and jump on over. I hear the screaching tires and he slides through the crosswalk and into the intersection. That would not have been pretty.

Pay attention and know your escape routes.

Dirk

Did you happen to have any post non-incident words with said subaru driver?

Whenever I'm coming to a stop, I keep an eye in the mirror and keep it in first just incase I need to take some evasive action...

[tarded400]

Too bad the left turner didn't plow into him.

[dirkterrell]

Did you happen to have any post non-incident words with said subaru driver?

I used sign language.

Too bad the left turner didn't plow into him.

He had already gone on through.

Dirk

[OUTLAWD]

Watch out for the cages on 36...going from estes to lyons, almost met the grilles of a suburban and a saturn in two different turns...

I was in the far tire track, near the white line, and they were entirely in my lane, the suburban passing three wide, and the saturn was just in my lane for no good reason...good thing I wasn't going that fast, moved over, and still had time for the

[Zach929rr]

Watch out for the cages on 36...going from estes to lyons, almost met the grilles of a suburban and a saturn in two different turns...

I was in the far tire track, near the white line, and they were entirely in my lane, the suburban passing three wide, and the saturn was just in my lane for no good reason...good thing I wasn't going that fast, moved over, and still had time for the

Yikes!! Happy I didn't meet any of that sheit today on 36. Sorry I forgot to give you a ring when me and Will stopped in Estes

[Wintermute]

36 sucks after work, you really gotta watch the commuters in their gotta-get-home-gotta-get-home frenzy.(Too bad these people don't get bikes, maybe they'd relax and enjoy the road like us.)

I was behind a bus up by Lefthand, a car behind me, and some asshole road-rageaholic in a Benz comes ripping around the car behind me and cuts in between me and the bus. There was all of 20' of room for him.

[mopoet178]

My closest call...

Place: Road K20, north side of Lawrence KS
Time: 9am ish morning commute
conditions: partly cloudy and ~70 degrees
when: early august 2008

I was returning from Tonganoxie, KS from visiting my sister and bro-in-law. On the old 1979 Suzuki GS550E, I knew it would take me a day and a half anyway and figured I would take the more scenic route 24 instead of the interstate.

About an 45 minutes after leaving, I turned up K20. A couple miles later, on a really mellow left hand turn, I saw this small honda econocar lazily just tangent of the curve and into my lane about 150 yards in front of me . He is going full speed at 55mph and so am I. At this point I cover the brake and lightly squese. I decided not to emergency stop yet, for some unknown reason.

He kept going straight and crossed my lane about 100 yards in front of me and dove into a 7' irrigation ditch. Still full speed, never any brakes in this, he continued along the ditch until he was about 50 yards in front of me when he hit the culvert of the driveway that crossed the ditch. At this point, he hits the driveway and goes about 10 feet airborne and rotates the car 1/4 of a (yaw) rotation. I pass by him at about 40mph about the time he starts to decend. When he hits the ditch on the other side of the driveway, he does one complete barrel roll and comes to a stop right-side up.

Now is when I hit the brakes hard and hook a u-turn. When I got out, another witness had allready called 911, so I went for the guy in the econocar. He had found his way out of the passenger door and had a huge scoop shaped flap of scalp on his forehead, evidently from the steering wheel. I gave him a shirt from my luggage to keep pressure o his forehead and kept him concious while the other witness directed traffic.

The ambulance showed up ~8 min later, police soon thereafter. The cop figured he fell asleep at the wheel, and I concur. I filled out accident report and went on my way.

So, If I had been 5 seconds earlier, I would have been completely creamed. I have no idea to this day why I didnt hit the brakes. Maybe just the predictability of his path dictated that braking was just unnecessary, I dont know. there was some shrapnell alongside the wreckage, but nothing that would have taken me out.

So I figure I have filled my close call quota for a while ....

[mtnairlover]

Never thought I'd be posting in here, but I guess it's only a matter of time.

So, I'm only one block away from home (yeah, one damn block...figures, huh?) and I'm approaching an intersection that has a stop sign on the East/West road, I'm going North/South and will turn left on that East/West road. I'm getting close and slowly letting off the throttle when I notice a car approaching the stop sign on the East/West road. I'm thinking to myself, "Dang, he sure is flying!" So, I let off the throttle completely and cover my brake. As we both approach the intersection, at the same time, I realize the guy is not gonna stop at all, so I begin to grab my brake and come to a quick stop, right before getting into the intersection and the guy doesn't even notice me until he's half-way through and then realizes what he's done and slams on his brakes. I'm thinking, "Oh yeah, now you decide to stop!" Um...had I not grabbed brake, I'd be his hood ornament now.

Sheesh!

[Snowman]

Ok so this morning on the way in…
I was heading south on Parker Road past Orchard. I was in the middle lane and traffic was moving along around 55mph the posted speed limit.

A black Lexus was coming up fast on my left, he was just cruising his way through traffic. Then he crossed into my lane, no signal, and right next to me. I had a truck in the right lane so giving him room was not an option.

With him moving faster than I was, I grabbed brake to let him cross in front of me. Luckily there was no one behind me. Once by I hit him with my ear cannon air horn, which immediately got his attention putting his Lexus into a slide.

Yes, he was sliding sideways down Parker at about 70+mph coming up on the stacked left turn lane at Lewiston Way. He caught the slide but over compensated the other way and came to a stop in the intersection. Amazingly, he didn’t hit anyone and at worst flat spotted his tires.

Now, if I wouldn’t have hit my air horn he might not have over reacted as he did. But I’m also sure he had no idea I was in that lane and if I wouldn’t have spotted him weaving his way through traffic behind me, he would have pinned me between him and the truck.

I’m not sure the right thing to have done was hit the air horn on him but he was very close when he cross into my lane.

[CanAm]

I’m not sure the right thing to have done was hit the air horn on him but he was very close when he cross into my lane.

Strictly speaking, the horn should be used to warn someone to avoid an accident, not to show displeasure for something that happened. But when someone almost kills another, I think they should know it. The fact that the guy lost control at the sound of your horn only proves how oblivious he was to what was around him. If he had hit someone it would have been because of his recklessness, not your horn. IMO. Hopefully the guy learned something and will adjust his driving for the better.

[Horsman]

Old Hampden and Login:
last night at about 6:30pm
heading northbound -
I was coming down the hill noticed a guy in his car not paying attention waiting to make a left hand turn from
the strip mall parking(near safeway). I know he wasn't paying attention because he was looking right the whole time while he was pulling out to make a left hand turn. The whole incident was like it was in slow motion. HE never once turn back to look to left where I was. Luckily, I romped on it and zipped right pass him before he totally closed out my lane (almost took me out).

Atleast I was close to the Swedish Hospital -
NEXT ITEM FOR MY BIKE -AIR HORN.

[RAGrote]

First new bike (1975 Honda 750F), first ride, going to get gas - a classmate made the left turn in front of me.

That's when I learned you can skid BOTH tires and NOT fall down.

I clamped on both brakes, front end skipping along (1975 - what damping?), rear end slides out to the right and heads toward the rear quarter panel. No choice but to let off on the rear brake. Ass end of the bike jerks back into line and JUST misses the rear of the car.

I go back - and she's sitting on the side street bawling like a baby.
17 yr old... Frightened her pretty bad. I didn't even have time to get an adrenaline rush.

They only got closer from there until I stopped riding like I wanted to die!!
Hooah?

[Motodrew]

First new bike (1975 Honda 750F), first ride, going to get gas - a classmate made the left turn in front of me.

That's when I learned you can skid BOTH tires and NOT fall down.

I clamped on both brakes, front end skipping along (1975 - what damping?), rear end slides out to the right and heads toward the rear quarter panel. No choice but to let off on the rear brake. Ass end of the bike jerks back into line and JUST misses the rear of the car.

I go back - and she's sitting on the side street bawling like a baby.
17 yr old... Frightened her pretty bad. I didn't even have time to get an adrenaline rush.

They only got closer from there until I stopped riding like I wanted to die!!
Hooah?

Did ya get her number?

[kawasakirob]

Almost every time I go out for a ride their is usually a close call. If not every day, atleast once a week.

[RAGrote]

Did ya get her number?

Didn't need to - 104 in my graduating class and most of us were together from Kindergarten on. Yeah... small town.

[tarded400]

Ha!!! 104?? We had 13!

[Wyck]

Last night on the way to bike night leaving my neighborhood. Going north on Downing approaching the light at Evans. One lane in each direction except for the left turn lane onto Evans. There is a line of cars in the one lane and noone in the turn lane. I cut into the turn lane a little bit early and a lady pulls out of the safeway parking lot through an open space in the line of cars into the turn lane and directly into my path. I brake hard and move to the very outside edge of the lane narrowly missing being sideswiped by her and running into the car going in the opposite direction that had just turned from Evans onto Downing. She gave me the apology wave when she realized she had almost just hit me. Moral of the story she couldn't see me through the line of cars so I should have been looking for her there and expecting her to do that. Luckily if something bad had happened there was an ambulance stopped at the light.

[Spiderman]

Good reaction & nice save, but ya, gotta watch for those ones being let thru!

[MetaLord 9]

Keep your eyes up & be aware kids! Look out b/c we're just starting to get into cold tire weather too.

On the way outta bike night last night I was behind a beemer get'n on 470E from Broadway N we weren't going that fast & I don't recall consciously cracking the throttle open, but the cold tires plus a bit of road dirt (beemr kicked some up too) caused my rear to lose traction. It kicked out what felt like a foot to somewhere between 7 & 8 o'clock. Just kept the throttle even & front pointed the direction I'd been going & the rear stepped back in. no highside or drop & I got to go about my merry way, but the exit ramps off of broadway seem a lot more slick after bike nights, so watch your traction!

[whitebrad]

so i am headed down colorado blvd to work... about 11:30 at night, and i see a rav-4-like creature coming out of one of those shops on a hill. he is stopped on the downhill slope. i ride in the middle lane most of the time to avoid the turn ins as much as i can, and so i think, when i see this fuckin fuck is that he is gonna be one of those fucks that turn into the middle lane.

so i get over into the far left lane and this fuck proceeds to turn into the middle lane. well, glad i got all the way over here, is what i am thinking as i am coming up on the car, truck, whatever it is... midway through patting myself on the back, and when my front wheel is even with his back wheel, and i realize that he is still coming over into my lane, rather fast... a fkin 3 LANE TURN? the oh shit bell goes off in my head and before the fuck hits me i bury the rear brake and start pullin hard on the front, and i guess had a little bit of dodge going when i notice the rear end is starting in a slide to about 4ish o'clock, and an apparent lowside on the way. still in the throttle, i jam my left foot down and the rear tire grabs, and the ass end gets back in line pretty fast with the bike seemingly launching itself back upright...

so the footpeg slams into my shin and proceeds to scrape its way to about my knee... pretty deep gash...
ffked up thing is my adrenaline is absolutely out of control at this point and i point my nose in between this rav 4 and a burban and go... i mean i am really going... way past those fuckers and i am still going... pass an unseen cop who promptly pulls me over...
i get off the bike and explain to this officer that man i almost just died, and some fucker almost got to tow my bike home in his wheelwell... my hands are shaking like a detoxing crackhead and my knees are fuckin rattlin... give the cop my info and he goes back to the car... he comes back and talks to me... tells me i need to relax, and looks at my plate, says hold on... goes back to the car as i fire up a coffin nail...
cop gets outa his car and comes back over... cool as hell... we talk for a second, him telling me i need to find a better way to ease off my adrenaline cuz i was absolutely flying... i said i know, because i really do, because flying down colorado could make that near miss into a fatality... and i get no ticket...

damn cool officer... good little talk, gave good advice and said in his line of work he understood adrenaline dumps and said you just have to cool yourself down or it could be curtains (my paraphrase...)

anyway and all that being said...

hi, my name is whitebrad and i am glad to be here...

[Matty]

On the way outta bike night last night I was behind a beemer get'n on 470E from Broadway N we weren't going that fast & I don't recall consciously cracking the throttle open, but the cold tires plus a bit of road dirt (beemr kicked some up too) caused my rear to lose traction.

but the exit ramps off of broadway seem a lot more slick after bike nights, so watch your traction!

It wasn't dirt. It was water. Both Dean and I got a lil sideways when we hoped on the 470 on-ramp as well.

[MetaLord 9]

It wasn't dirt. It was water. Both Dean and I got a lil sideways when we hoped on the 470 on-ramp as well.

Well some of it was definatley dirty b/c I saw the beemer in front of me kick up a cloud as we both hit it.

[whitebrad]

I left pretty early and there was dirt and sand all through that little trough you have to pass through to get on to the east bound 470... it was still sunny when i left, and i saw it and even slid a little... it was very soft like going into sand

[Davy4575]

Time: summer of 2000
Where: Monroe WA
Weather: Sunny for a change

Was a beautiful morning, heading out the some of the local roads, very rural area, and the pavement conditions are usually crappy at best. I had a 91 VFR 750. (Sport tourer is an oxy-moron). The bike usually held it together pretty well, but would get out of sorts occasionally.

I was coming into a sharp right hand on a farm road, barbwire fence right up against the road way, no shoulder to speak of. I slowed down considerably. Midway through the corner I rolled on the throttle pretty hard, but not as hard as I have previously in the corner at other times. The front end catches the ripples in the pavement, while still leaned, the front end starts to wallow like a stuck pig. The bike begins to oscilate front to back. friggin horrorendous. Not wanting to set the front end down with the mother of all tank slappers happening, I rolled on the throttle hard enough to get the front end to smooth out. This in turn caused or seemed to cause the back end to drift some. I got the front back down on the ground, but was in the oncoming lane by this point. If there had been a car there, I would have been toast, and at fault.

After pulling off in the nearest driveway and chainsmoking with shaking hands, i came to 2 conclusions. One, I hated the unpredictability of that bike, so I sold it. (not until I went down on it due to a sudden hail and snow storm though) Two. if riding with 20 to 30 percent in reserve netted this, I should ride with 40 to 50 percent in reserve.