Be careful out there

[Jeffhorn_imp]

He Y'all, leaving my workplace for an appointment just a few miles away, I was forced out of my lane before I even got out of the parking lot then a couple of hundred yards down the road was again forced out of my lane. All within a just a minute. Let's be careful and alert out there. I want see all us ride another day.

[pdedse]

He Y'all, leaving my workplace for an appointment just a few miles away, I was forced out of my lane before I even got out of the parking lot then a couple of hundred yards down the road was again forced out of my lane. All within a just a minute. Let's be careful and alert out there. I want see all us ride another day.

There are days, it seems, when the entire automobile world seems to have it in mind to bring about your personal destruction as you ride. May they be few and far between.

[Elevenminusoneblade_imp]

I've been riding for 20+ years. I've never taken a spill. I've never been in a wreck. That said, I pretty much ride like every driver is insane/asleep/drunk/out to get me. It's constant Nixon-level paranoia.

That's the background, here's my question: how are we as vulnerable riders to confront (if at all) the distracted driver? I've seen so, so, so many drivers texting and looking down at their devices, now up, now down again, and still down, oh, now up...that it's beyond unnerving and into the what the heck do I do about it territory. And what I mean is generally since the motorcyclist is the weak link (i.e. the party most likely to get killed in a wreck or in some road-rage incident) I've never confronted even the most irresponsible of drivers. Blow through a stop sign, I won't even honk. You missed me and you may be drunk or maybe your girlfriend just left you and you're one finger away from snapping so imma let it go. But the preponderance of distracted drivers has me re-thinking my tolerant attitude. Should we be shaming them? Honking and pointing? Honking, pointing, wagging our fingers and shaking our heads? Or should we be just keeping our distance, because that's what I'm doing and that only seems to lead to me being closer to ANOTHER distracted driver.

Not intended as a thread-jack, I'm just frustrated with what I'm seeing out there.

[the Ferret]

There is nothing you can do about distracted drivers except get away from them when you spot one. It's the new reality.

[crutch_imp]

I agree, thought long and hard before getting back in to motorcycling, cellphones are a plague on human attention spans.
I try to take the back roads as often as possible, less traffic, less opportunities for danger. Usually better scenery as a bonus.
crutch

[dave]

Here in California they passed a law to legalize "recreational use" of marijuana. I used to smell it frequently at intersections coming out the windows of cars, but now I am smelling it more. I take a walk during my lunch break every day and I smell it in the park I walk through, and on public streets. I'm not sure what the law is concerning public consumption, but it really scares me when I ride now to think about how many more idiots there are out on the road driving half-stoned. A friend of mine has friends in Washington (husband and wife) who sold their motorcycles because the state of Washington legalized pot. That was good advice above on how to live longer while riding a motorcycle.

[Ben70_imp]

Like many of us, I returned to riding after a many year break. I rode my highly maneuverable Yamaha SR 500 for daily commutes in Tucson and Sacramento years ago.
I wouldn't do it today. Times have changed, people are more distracted and everybody runs around like they learned how to drive watching Fast and Furious. I can still negotiate city traffic, but it's not a pleasant experience and I avoid it as much as possible.
So I agree with a total defensive riding strategy, and whatever you do, don't use a Go Pro. From looking at Youtube they appear to draw wrecks like flies.

Ben

[pdedse]

Like many of us, I returned to riding after a many year break. I rode my highly maneuverable Yamaha SR 500 for daily commutes in Tucson and Sacramento years ago.
I wouldn't do it today. Times have changed, people are more distracted and everybody runs around like they learned how to drive watching Fast and Furious. I can still negotiate city traffic, but it's not a pleasant experience and I avoid it as much as possible.
So I agree with a total defensive riding strategy, and whatever you do, don't use a Go Pro. From looking at Youtube they appear to draw wrecks like flies.

Ben

Haha, funny even though the topic is sober. I don't mind watching the videos because they remind me to stay alert and ride within my capabilities, and yes, of course, that doesn't keep others from driving drunk, stoned, cell-distracted. But my own "good" behavior does reduce overall risk...hopefully, enough.

[Nortoon_imp]

Here after a long winter, car drivers are not looking for bicycles or motorcycles. The city puts up signs to remind car drivers of this.

The bigger the city, the worst the rush hours are. People become impatient, more aggressive, and less courteous. As my dad use to say, "Nobody picks up other people's good habits."

I was just as guilty. When I retired, it took about a year of nagging from the second driver to get me to relax. We now avoid going downtown if at all possible. We live in a quiet suburb on the outskirts of the city. Everything we need is available here, but we still avoid the rush hours. We also avoid shopping on the weekends because the people that commute still drive like it is rush hour. Plus the stores are crowded with impatient people.

I ride the back roads on the weekdays because there is less cottage traffic. I am lucky because there are quiet 80 KPH (50 MPH) roads outside the city just 5 minutes from my home. All my day trips are planed to avoid busy highways. It may take a few minutes longer, but is much safer and enjoyable.

[Rebel73_imp]

I am utterly disgusted at the amount of people I see on their phones while driving. It really boils my blood. I think the best thing we can do is take the fight to the political arena and support the AMA in lobbying for tougher laws and stricter enforcement. Right now they amount to not much more than a slap on the wrist. I say the penalty should be close to that of drunk driving, because statistics show it is just as dangerous, if not more so. For the time being, the best we can do is practice hyper vigilance and to continue to improve our defensive skills. So yeah, hit these selfish idiots hard and where it hurts, in their pocketbook. They'll think twice about doing it if they have to cough up $2,000.