marcusorelius
Well-known member
Saw on the noon phx news a smashed up silver/grey FJR that had hit a car in Scottsdale. Only info was a 55 year old man who died.
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That's defeatist, simplistic, and presumes too much. The brain is plastic, trainable, and all drivers and riders can ALWAYS do better including this.Other drivers just don't see us. They do see us but their brain can chooses what it wants to see.
You get that from operating emergency vehicles for the last 20 years. I do the same thing. Quick, count in your head how many times some clown has pulled right in front of you while you're running full lights and sirens. I bet it's more than the number of fingers and toes you have. I know I'm not the world's best driver, but it's become second nature to watch for the stupid things other drivers do in front of me. I've been glad for those skills many times while on my bikes!Maybe I ride overly defensive, but I don't know how I could be hit or cut off by a left turning driver. I am prepared for and expect drivers to turn in front of me at every intersection and it is never a surprise when it happens. Maybe living and riding in a urban environment would make me complacent but I can't see that happening.
It may vary by state, but in the states where I have lived, stating that you did not see the other vehicle does not clear you of blame or responsibility. It is simply a way for the guilty driver to ease his conscience. What it does for us is teach us that we need to do what we can to be seen, and to expect the other drivers to be complacent and careless when it comes to vehicles smaller than what they are driving.I read somewhere (probably on the internet, so it is true) that in Japan if a driver is in an accident and claims he didn't see the other vehicle, then that statement is considered an admission of guilt and financial responsibility. The law is that it is a driver's responsibility to see other vehicles. Here, most drivers use it to mean, "Not my fault". I wish we had the Japanese version... not that it would save lives.
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