Let's Be Careful Out There!

[FJRMGM]

ahhhhh, life on a motorcycle.

Let's be careful out there people.

These are all good reminders about getting complacent and not driving "aggresively defensively".

 

[isisonaride]

This is a good reminder we always have to be alert. We lost a Motorcycle officer killed last year-he pulled out into traffic and got hit by a SUV. We had one of our Mtorcycle Officers telling us that he had to lay down his bike because a woman almost hit him as he was going to an accident-he had lights and siren going-going through an intersection he slowed down to ensure the intersection was clear and she just did not see him--had he not been paying attention he would have had mortal damage to his body rather than the bike. Not only do we have to pay attention to what we are doing-we also have to watch those cagers.

Glad you are okay.

 

[LetzRoll]

...death isnt so bad, just hard on your loved ones.

...one of us could be taken out and the rest of us might never hear about it.

Sobering thoughts indeed.

In 1981, I crashed into a '73 Dodge Charger. (A tank of a car) I was accelerating hard and going about 65mph on the way (way) up. My bike was so far into that car, it was still standing after the crash. My friend who saw the crash said my skid was only about 2 feet long. I got last rites 3 times, spent 91 days in the hospital, about 17 of them in ICU. I spent years thinking it was my fault, because I was speeding, despite the fact that the driver of the Charger "rolled" through a stop sign. Then I realized, as many of you probably know, it only takes one person to be "wrong" to screw up a day on a bike, and it doesn't matter who's wrong, the person on the bike usually ends up paying the price.

There's no question what we choose to engage in (MCing) is dangerous. We try to equip ourselves and manage the risks as best as we can. Threads like this help because they remind us all to be vigilant. :eh:

 

[throttlejockeyTJ]

A close call not only gets you paying attention, but grounds you to Life. A deeper appreciation can be the result. We all make mistakes. I would have a tuff time forgiving myself for something stupid like driving drunk. Ride Safe, TJ

 

[Toecutter]

We had one of our Mtorcycle Officers telling us that he had to lay down his bike because a woman almost hit him as he was going to an accident-he had lights and siren going-going through an intersection he slowed down to ensure the intersection was clear and she just did not see him

All the motor officers in our area only wear their regular uniform with the exception of a helmet and high boots. No safety apparel at all, other than a Kevlar vest for bullet resistance. I figured it was just because they were so good that they never fell down, but reports like this shake my confidence in the law. FWIW, as brutal as is sounds, it appears from your description that the incident was the officer's fault. As a fire engine driver, I know that the flashing red lights don't entitle me to the right of way at an intersection against the traffic signals. It's only a courtesy request. If I'm crossing an intersection against a red light and a car hits me that 'didn't see me', it's my fault. Now, the cars I have seen slam into the back of the car in front that stopped at a green light to let the fire engine go through are a different story. I still feel bad for the injured who felt they were doing the right thing by panic-stopping for the emergency vehicle. Don't get yourself hurt to make way for an ambulance. Always check your rear-view before stopping at a green light. Chances are, we are not going to fail our mission because we had to wait 5 seconds longer for the intersection to clear. In fact, if we are enroute to a call and witness an accident where injuries are suspected, we have to abort on the original call and attend to the injured. A lose-lose situation all around.

 

[Woodstock]

We had one of our Mtorcycle Officers telling us that he had to lay down his bike because a woman almost hit him as he was going to an accident-he had lights and siren going-going through an intersection he slowed down to ensure the intersection was clear and she just did not see him--had he not been paying attention he would have had mortal damage to his body rather than the bike.

I'm not sure how to read this, he slowed down to ensure that the intersection was clear, but was hit anyway? Sounds like it wasn't clear (or did he think that the cage was slowing down for him?)

 

[deanw]

Just over a week ago, an acquaintance / business contact of mine was killed on a bike, going home from work between 10-11pm, when a 16 year old in a hurry to get home popped out to pass a slower moving vehicle. They hit head-on, the rider died at the scene.

A few weeks before that, a friend of mine witnessed a Portland (Oregon) motor officer smash into a pickup, when the motor cop ASSumed that cross traffic (which had a green light) had heard her siren- didn't even slow down for what was a red light in her direction. Problem is, there's a big brick building on that corner, no visibility and the siren bounces all around so you can't tell where it's coming from... the driver of the pickup hadn't heard the siren, couldn't see the lights. Nobody hurt, in this case.

Seems around here motor officers are pretty much at their discretion as to what they wear on duty. Most of them wear gloves all the time, but when it gets warm, the jackets are left hanging in the office. They may be better riders, but caught up in the moment, they can still get distracted and do something stupid. I've had a couple tell me it's a huge mind shift from driving a cruiser to riding a bike and being vulnerable again.

 

[EastTNFJR]

Sorry to hear about your close call. I had one of my own making the other day. Pulled out on the highway as an old lady went by and pulled a sweet power wheelie ( I had let he rgo far ahead, divided highway, no one to get hurt other than your truly..no anti-wheelie retorts please) and was laughing my butt off inside my helmet. Gaught up with said old lady about 2 miles down the road we were in a 45 mpg zone going 40 so I was just coasting along behind feeling good with the world when she for no apparent reason, slams on her brakes in the middle of the road, no signal, she did not turn and I was not tailgaiting. I braked hard and slapped myself back to the here and now. Man what brakes these bikes have (last bike Harley Road Glide..brakes, what brakes?) . Anyway I stopped so hard I noticed my bar risers had loosened over the miles, just a little shift under my forward weight load. So check your risers occasionally and watch out for the old lady in the blue Buick Century.

 

[FJRocket]

as an old lady went by and pulled a sweet power wheelie

Wow, what kind of bike was SHE riding?



Did you ever figure out why she hauled on the brakes?

 

[wpbfjr]

another sobering thing i do is use google news with the custom search word of 'motorcycle'...

everyday i read of nine (max allowed) new motorcycle incidents: either fatalities, crashes, or general m/c news...



in fact, here's a story 100% on topic:

Benzie County sheriff's deputy dies in motorcycle crash

8/10/2005, 9:38 a.m. ET The Associated Press

LAKE ANN, Mich. (AP) — A Benzie County sheriff's deputy and volunteer firefighter was killed in an off-duty motorcycle crash.

Cory Lee Gunther, 27, died Tuesday morning after a car pulled into the path of his motorcycle on a rural road, state police said. He had been with the department for four years.

Previously, he was a police officer in Frankfort.

The name of the car driver, a 20-year-old woman, wasn't immediately released.

:angry:

dana

 

[NoCage]

Off topic...

Hey wpbfjr... is your avatar a tiger shark?... that or maybe a bull (shark).

 

[EastTNFJR]

as an old lady went by and pulled a sweet power wheelie

Wow, what kind of bike was SHE riding?



Did you ever figure out why she hauled on the brakes?

I believe it was a Little Rascal Glide (FLTLRG), Euthanasia Glide (FLTDED), or some other Harley model. ...poorly worded. Have no idea why she decided to stop in the middle of the road and then continue on her way. I wasn't tailgating or anything that you think would provoke that kinda stuff. Probably thought she was going to turn and then realized she was in the wrong town or something. May have reminded her of her youth and how she drove the Model T she had to have been driving at the time. Herd of wild bison flashback.....when dinosaurs ruled the earth...