How do you react when someone almost kills you?

[cmattina1]

I'm sure many of you have been there, as a new rider, today was my first.

Some minivan cut out infront of me and if i had been going any faster i would have went through the sliding door window. He actually pushed me into the other lane...

I half considered chasing his dow until he had to stop and get out so I could give him 'a good talking to.'

Have any of you tailed people to let them know what they almost did? As this drive, as with many, likely had no idea.

 

[azman857]

20 yrs ago, maybe. Now with guns, crack and who knows what running rampant, if you stop to talk to the fool, they might shot you where you stand or run you over after your lil talk. It's just better to go to a McD's or where ever and have a soda and calm down and celebrate your still breathing.

 

[cmattina1]

I hear you. I caught a glimpse of this guy, and he was not the type. I hear you though, i guess that is one reason to ride in a group...

 

[azman857]

Still....you never know.....

 

[retiredgentleman]

Motorcycling is not without risks.

This what I do:
1-drive super defensivly, assume all drivers will run you over if given a chance
2-never hang in a car or truck blind spot.........extreme danger area!
3-maintain a safety buffer area between you and the car ahead
4-never tailgate when driving or when stopped (similar to #3)
5-intersections are a prime danger area, try to get eye contact
6-obey the speed limits

I use the same rules for my car and my bike, and they have kept me alive so far, but a deer almost got me this summer when it bolted across in front of me and I braked hard but still hit its back leg.

 

[xjwmx]

^Excellent advice. I would add slowing down 10mph at intersections cuts your stopping distance in half. And when you face a potential left turner slow down until you're positive he's not going to go. And when stopped at a light plan an escape route and watch your mirrors. Flash the brake light a couple times if someone comes up uncomfortably fast. And there are lots more things. But there are whole books written about it.

 

[bergoff]

Now days I just flip out and swear to myself. A few years ago I would be ready to kick some ass.

 

[gggGary]

Drive defensively avoid the idiot, Assume they are all out to kill you, because a few are. An air horn can be VERY satisfying. I have had one in the past and the head snap when the brain dead thinks they're getting run over by a truck is priceless.

 

[manofsteele]

Now days I just flip out and swear to myself. A few years ago I would be ready to kick some ass.

Yeah that sounds like what I do. Just gotta assume that everyone around you can't drive for s**t, where I live it's mostly true.

 

[bloodthirstysystem]

1-drive super defensivly, assume all drivers will run you over if given a chance
2-never hang in a car or truck blind spot.........extreme danger area!
3-maintain a safety buffer area between you and the car ahead
4-never tailgate when driving or when stopped (similar to #3)
5-intersections are a prime danger area, try to get eye contact
6-obey the speed limits

7 - remove front brakes

 

[pamcopete]

Attitude. Humility. Patience.Skill.Anticipation.

These are the qualities that you have to have to ride a motorcycle and live to tell about it. Similar to flying. I remember in a former life that I was on final when some ass hole cut in front of me, forcing me to go around. I got on the radio and gave him a blast and got really mad that there are pilots like that. Part of the go around procedure was to retract the gear, which I did. Came back around on final again and pulled the throttle back fixin to get ready to land. The landing gear warning horn sounded! In my anger I had forgotten to put the gear down. So, I executed another missed approach, got my self gathered together and landed without further incident. This also gave the other pilot time to leave the field.

Moral of the story? Be ready for anything and don't get emotional. Shit happens. The time it takes to decide to blow the horn and then to actually blow it could be spent avoiding the accident.

 

[ReycleBill]

Cool heads prevail. And revenge is a dish best served cold.

Besides, if you chase the oblivious fool(s) down (s)he will only think (s)he did nothing wrong and you're some kind of crazed maniac and call the law on you.

This is going to happen to you a lot in the first few years. If you survive long enough and take an honest look back you'll eventually come to understand that you can prevent most of these situations from happening. Not that others won't still do stupid things but you'll develop a sort of sixth sense and know when (sh)it's about to happen.

Good luck.

That said, there are times when no matter how hard you try it only gets worse. I ride Interstates and other divided highways always remembering something that once happened to me.

I was traveling north on US29 when I saw an old lady pulling on in front of me. She had a long ramp but I knew she wouldn't use it. I slowed and moved to the left lane even though I was the only vehicle in sight. But she drove all the way into the left lane almost pinning me against the concrete dividing wall.

I started kicking her car with my right foot and she kept coming over. Finally I stood up on the pegs and kicked out her drivers side window. She then moved back into the right lane. She slowed and I grabbed a handful of throttle and put some distance between her and I.

A few more miles down the road an NC State Trooper chased me down. It took a lot of explaining and a whole lot of calling back and forth between him and the trooper on the other end of his radio before he let me go. The trooper told me that even though the other trooper had tried to make the old lady understand that the "accident" was her fault, she still believed I was a crazed biker who attacked and tried to kill her for no reason.

Thankfully, for me, both troopers were also riders.

 

[69er]

give a death stare, and continue on....almost hit a car this last weekend when a lady pulled out in front of me..

 

[schpud]

Week or so ago I was heading down some back roads, could totally tell this car was going to blow a stop sign from a neighborhood, I slowed down enough so that when they did, probably 100 feet in front of me, I was only going like 25 or so, luckley they saw me, slammed on their brakes and stopped in the middle of the road, I had enough space to go around the front of their car at maybe 10mph, was some 17 year old or so girl chatting on a cell phone, looked her right in the eyes, yelled "FUCK YOU!" gave her the finger, and kept took off, she looked like she thought I was going to jump off and shoot her.

Other than that, haven't really had too many super close calls yet (been riding only 8 months or so). Knock on wood. Have only yelled at this one person, but that was a couple minutes after some lady decided to back out of yard sale on the other side of the road because her lane was clear, take her escalade over the whole road, and almost made me have to go off the side in the dirt if I didn't brake hard, so I was already sick of shitty woman drivers for the day.

 

[xjwmx]

At the end of my MSF class after we'd all graduated, my instructor gave a little talk where he started "What do you do if somebody cuts you off?" Then he said "Slow down." And then "What do you do if...?" about a dozen different things in quick succession, and the answer was always "Slow down."

A guy I know had a crash and after he described it to me I told him he was going too fast. He said he was going 35, which was the speed limit. I said it doesn't matter what the limit was, you were going too fast for the situation.

 

[Travis]

...
Finally I stood up on the pegs and kicked out her drivers side window. She then moved back into the right lane. She slowed and I grabbed a handful of throttle and put some distance between her and I.
...

Really? You must have a hell of a kick because those windows aren't easy to break. Especially when you're on a motorcycle about to get pinned between the wall and the car. How was there even room to kick the car and why didn't kicking the door get her attention? More importantly, why didn't you just speed up or slow down and avoid the whole situation from the start?

Sometimes I find that going faster is actually safer... Like with merging.. sometimes instead of waiting to see what the chick on the cell phone is going to do, I just speed up and get ahead of her.

There have been times where I think someone is going to pull out in front of me and I'll put my thumb over the horn button. If they move at all I'll tap it and let them know I'm there. I may have honked a few times at people who saw me and weren't going to pull out, but better safe than sorry.

 

[cmattina1]

I am always cautious, especially of the common left hand turn in front you of you, like at an intersection... this was a bit of an odd one, where I was in the passing lane, and someone came from a side street to my left, cut accross to the right turning lane, and thus pushed me to the turning lane also. but yeah, SLOW down. Always assume no one can see you. thats what saved me.

 

[Growl]

About a year ago there was an newspaper article about a local guy who finally got his dream Harley and according to witnesses some idiot car driver started messing with him, forced him off the road. He gave chase, it got fast and in the process he munched it. Dead. His wife and kids said he was the nicest guy.

Years ago a pushy, seemingly wealthy, very pretty young woman cut me off in my lane, by maybe 2 or 3 feet. The blatant disregard for my life really pissed me off and I flipped her the bird. She flipped me off in return! The arrogance really made me mad and I started to chase her down but something overcame me as I realized the danger I was heading into. Don't fight with a car when on a bike.

The best revenge is living well.

 

[Fatman]

Before you start riding you must know that NO ONE CAN SEE YOU AND EVER SOB OUT THERE IS TRYING TO KILL YOU!!!!!!

 

[JR Roxx]

After years of riding and driving truck for a living I just assume everyone on the road other an me is an idiot and drive accordingly LOL