Bad Accident

[CB4ME_imp]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I have to say I feel bad at having missed this! I have been an infrequent visitor lately but I read a couple posts that mentioned your accident and had to find out what happened. Please accept my late well wishes. Your positive attitude is amazing and inspiring. Hang in there!

Thanks DAC

I'm still riding a wheelchair - up and down hills - but I see the pelvis doc next week. That will mark the 12 week point and hopefully I'll be allowed to start walking.

Meanwhile my sights are set on a new 2016 CB500F this coming spring. I almost pulled the trigger on one a couple years ago but went with a deeply discounted NC700X.

Our financial situation is still uncertain (district court date for the accident later this month) so I'm planning on the conservative side for a new ride.

 

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I have to say I feel bad at having missed this! I have been an infrequent visitor lately but I read a couple posts that mentioned your accident and had to find out what happened. Please accept my late well wishes. Your positive attitude is amazing and inspiring. Hang in there!

Thanks DAC

I'm still riding a wheelchair - up and down hills - but I see the pelvis doc next week. That will mark the 12 week point and hopefully I'll be allowed to start walking.

Meanwhile my sights are set on a new 2016 CB500F this coming spring. I almost pulled the trigger on one a couple years ago but went with a deeply discounted NC700X.

Our financial situation is still uncertain (district court date for the accident later this month) so I'm planning on the conservative side for a new ride.

Thanks DAC

I'm still riding a wheelchair - up and down hills - but I see the pelvis doc next week. That will mark the 12 week point and hopefully I'll be allowed to start walking.

Meanwhile my sights are set on a new 2016 CB500F this coming spring. I almost pulled the trigger on one a couple years ago but went with a deeply discounted NC700X.

Our financial situation is still uncertain (district court date for the accident later this month) so I'm planning on the conservative side for a new ride. That CB500F was on my very short list. I still am thinking about it. Really nice-looking bike, 46 HP, pretty light. Honda did a lot of upgrades in 2016, too.

 

[Mikestib1_imp]

I had a CB500X which has a little more legroom. Hope you recover soon. You never know when you seem invisible to drivers of cars and trucks. I stopped wearing black leather jackets a few years
ago and wear textile armored neon green jackets and white helmets. Makes me more visible. I wasn't sure if it would make a difference but my wife who only drives says she can see me 2 blocks away. We need every edge we can get. I've been riding 52 years and hope to continue. Hope you do too

 

[Papa Weeley_imp]

I had a CB500X which has a little more legroom. Hope you recover soon. You never know when you seem invisible to drivers of cars and trucks. I stopped wearing black leather jackets a few years
ago and wear textile armored neon green jackets and white helmets. Makes me more visible. I wasn't sure if it would make a difference but my wife who only drives says she can see me 2 blocks away. We need every edge we can get. I've been riding 52 years and hope to continue. Hope you do too

^ Ditto on all counts!

 

[CB4ME_imp]

Great advice on highly visible jackets. I still have a nice winter jacket but will invest a few bucks on a neon vest. Who knows, a bright vest or jacket and helmet could have made a difference.

 

[Offroad]

I just had an idea this may sound like sarcasm but it's not I'm really serious I think this might work... How about if we put on the top of our helmets a strobe light like school buses use.. It wouldn't have to be a very big one ...someone should invent that... I know it might look silly but better look silly than be run over... What do you think? These LEDs are getting more powerful all the time with very little power consumption it wouldn't have to be a big clunky heavy thing... they can even make it aerodynamic so it wouldn't drag your helmet? If enough people would do it it would just look like normal like the strobes on an airplane

 

[the Ferret]

Great advice on highly visible jackets. I still have a nice winter jacket but will invest a few bucks on a neon vest. Who knows, a bright vest or jacket and helmet could have made a difference.

Sometimes, they just don't see you. On todays ride a guy in a pick up pulled out in front of me causing me to brake pretty hard. I was wearing a white helmet and a hi viz vest. I feel like it helps most of the time, just not 100% of the time.

 

[Cormanus]

I just had an idea this may sound like sarcasm but it's not I'm really serious I think this might work... How about if we put on the top of our helmets a strobe light like school buses use.. It wouldn't have to be a very big one ...someone should invent that... I know it might look silly but better look silly than be run over... What do you think? These LEDs are getting more powerful all the time with very little power consumption it wouldn't have to be a big clunky heavy thing... they can even make it aerodynamic so it wouldn't drag your helmet? If enough people would do it it would just look like normal like the strobes on an airplane

Great advice on highly visible jackets. I still have a nice winter jacket but will invest a few bucks on a neon vest. Who knows, a bright vest or jacket and helmet could have made a difference.

Sometimes, they just don't see you. On todays ride a guy in a pick up pulled out in front of me causing me to brake pretty hard. I was wearing a white helmet and a hi viz vest. I feel like it helps most of the time, just not 100% of the time.

Sometimes, they just don't see you. On todays ride a guy in a pick up pulled out in front of me causing me to brake pretty hard. I was wearing a white helmet and a hi viz vest. I feel like it helps most of the time, just not 100% of the time.
I'd rather look silly than be injured or dead. If the strobe works, I'd wear one.

On the other hand, I think Ferret's experience says there are moments when drivers just don't see you or just don't care. To be fair, there are occasions when driving a car that people just pull out in front of you. Either they didn't see you—which strikes me as unlikely most of the time—or their judgement is off in the moment.

 

[ClassicVW_imp]

I too have been an infrequent visitor here since I sold my CB and like DAC, am sorry I missed this. Continued best wishes for a complete recovery, CB4ME.

I'm a believer in the Hi-Viz gear and have a yellow as well as a red jacket. I feel cagers notice me better when wearing those. I still bought a "cool looking" brown riding jacket which is better suited to fitting in when you're off the bike at your destination and just walking around. BUT, I did buy a hi-viz yellow vest for when I'm on the bike. I drew the line at a hi-viz helmet but bought a bright white one, which I feel gets you noticed better than a black one.

I agree 100% with ferret. Sometimes, they're just so zoned out they wouldn't notice a dump truck approaching. Drivers are in a rush, eating breakfast, shaving, applying makeup, on legal meds, on illegal drugs, drunk, tired, or just thinking about how they hate their- fill in the blank ____ boss, spouse, job, life.

 

[Rocky_imp]

Speedy recovery CB4ME
We don't have the intense traffic around here like many of you, and the cagers seems to give us a break, but we certainly have our share of idiots.
I gave up on black leather years ago and now wear bright red textile jackets and a white helmet.
Even so, there are idiots who look right at you and then pull out. I've learned to expect that and so far no close calls.
I still have black leather jackets and on those rare occasions when I wear one I have a lime green hi-viz vest.

 

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Speedy recovery CB4ME
We don't have the intense traffic around here like many of you, and the cagers seems to give us a break, but we certainly have our share of idiots.
I gave up on black leather years ago and now wear bright red textile jackets and a white helmet.
Even so, there are idiots who look right at you and then pull out. I've learned to expect that and so far no close calls.
I still have black leather jackets and on those rare occasions when I wear one I have a lime green hi-viz vest.

That's so funny, in a way, I mean.

I had all kinds of hi-viz vests a couple of years ago and was wearing them every time I rode. Yellow helmet. I ride in a great deal of freeway and urban traffic. I had more people cut me off when I was wearing that stuff than without.

So I gave up on the hi-viz stuff. Most of my riding gear is black, black Vanson leathers, black/grey BMW ADV/touring suit, mostly black helmets.

In the urban clutter bright colors don't mean anything and drivers who cut you off usually do it because they are in a hurry and either can't see you, or have decided to take a chance, or are staring at a smartphone and are lost.

I ride in the worst of this stuff most days of the week and have found that riding defensively, riding with your high beam on, and generally not being a hooligan is the strategy that yields the least incursions.

The CHP use very bright lights on their motorcycles so they can be seen approaching. That's the worst kind of accident, having a someone turn in front of you. Bright jackets and vests can hardly be noticed at all on an oncoming motorcycle; it's the headlight that gets the attention. Best cover the brake and check up your speed if at all uncertain if the driver sees you and is going to give you the right of way.

 

[the Ferret]

well I can tell you from personal experience and from my background in Highway Traffic Safety you are definitly more visible in Hi Viz flo yellow green than you are in any other color including orange. It is standard issue and federally required that all street department people, firemen and policemen wear Hi Viz when in situations where they must stand and interact with traffic.

The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) recent issuance of a final rule (Worker Visibility, 23 CFR Part 634)4 demonstrates the need for all workers who are exposed either to public traffic or to construction vehicles and equipment to wear high-visibility apparel5. Section 634.3 of the Worker Visibility Rule states:
All workers within the right-of-way of a Federal-aid highway who are exposed either to traffic (vehicles using the highway for purposes of travel) or to construction equipment within the work area shall wear high-visibility safety apparel.

Furthermore all military personnell riding motorycles on a base are required to wear Hi Viz.

From personal experience I can tell you motorcyclists wearing Hi Viz are much easier to see, are seen sooner, and seen from a further distance than a motorcyclist not wearing Hi Viz.

A single round headlight on an approaching motorcycle is very difficult to see. Studies have shown this over and over.

As far as some people not seeing a motorcylist wwearing Hi Viz, my brother is a retired fireman. 25 years on the force. He will tell you many people will pull out in front of a bright red 25 ton fire truck running lights and sirens, and claim they never saw or heard the fire truck. Some people are just oblivious.

 

[Rolls_imp]

Wow, not seeing a fire truck running lights and sirens is pretty darn scary. Good to keep in mind when out on the road whether moto or car. It only takes one to knock you down.

 

[DJS_imp]

happened to be in front of my sister today.
what you don't see in the pic is the hi-viz gloves.

 

[use2b_imp]

Very sad first read and i agree your description put me into that moment.
I wish you the best in your recovery but i personally would never ride again. not because it would not be fun , macho , or you get back on the horse BS but because your body will always be more fragile.

I blow my Sound Blaster horn at cars all the time if i even think they might !!! especially with my wife on the back.
even do it when i see someone on the phone or texting , that's just my way

didn't read all post but i do wish you well and hope your reimbursed BIG

 

[ClassicVW_imp]

Ulvetanna, everything you say w/r/t being seen has been disproved. In my 46 years of riding and conversing on the internet since it became widely available, and my over 30 years investigating crashes, I have never heard someone state they were unseen more when riding with hi-viz gear.

happened to be in front of my sister today.
what you don't see in the pic is the hi-viz gloves.

Great example. She'd stand out even more if it was a little closer to dusk. When I looked at that photo I noticed three things. The bright riding suit, the yellow lines on the road and the yellow traffic sign.

 

[the Ferret]

George I think DJS is on the bike and his sister took the pic.

That is a great example of the visibility of High VIz

I know when my wife follows me in her car and I'm on a bike, when we get home she always mentions how easy I was to spot in traffic.

 

[ClassicVW_imp]

Here's a good article on the science behind Hi-Viz and why (not if) it works. It's a bit long, but you only need to read the first few paragraphs to get the idea. It's written with pedestrians and cyclists in mind, but the science is just as accurate for us too.

Staying Safe As Days Darken

George I think DJS is on the bike and his sister took the pic.

That is a great example of the visibility of High VIz

I know when my wife follows me in her car and I'm on a bike, when we get home she always mentions how easy I was to spot in traffic.

D'OH! Yes, I see that now. Thanks.

 

[Offroad]

Very interesting, especially fluorescent vs retroreflective and biomotion recognition

I've come across some runners in the dark with nothing but black that scared me and almost turned around to tell them how dangerous they were being but thought it might be taken the wrong way so I continued on my way.

Here's a good article on the science behind Hi-Viz and why (not if) it works. It's a bit long, but you only need to read the first few paragraphs to get the idea. It's written with pedestrians and cyclists in mind, but the science is just as accurate for us too.

Staying Safe As Days Darken

George I think DJS is on the bike and his sister took the pic.

That is a great example of the visibility of High VIz

I know when my wife follows me in her car and I'm on a bike, when we get home she always mentions how easy I was to spot in traffic.

D'OH! Yes, I see that now. Thanks.

D'OH! Yes, I see that now. Thanks.

 

[Ulvetanna_imp]

I don't think it can hurt, but it's about as effective as a loud pipe.

Out in the middle of nowhere, as in the picture above, it's very conspicuous.

But in the massive clutter of the Los Angeles Freeway system (or any huge metro freeway system) these colors do not register as anything to take special note of, just as a loud pipe does not register with drivers. There is so much noise and visual clutter that drivers don't pay any more attention than to anything else. In fact, drivers tune out the clutter and noise, usually by rolling up windows and cranking up the sound system.

Agree that on remote and lonely roads the bright Viz is good though and would very much recommend it in those circumstances.
Also how many times has some motorist just simply pulled straight out in front of a motorcycle? Defensive riding is the best approach always. Cover the brakes, slow for blind turns, and so on. It's like all those retina-frying lights the ADV and now HD guys are using. Man, you can see those five miles a way, it seems. But trying to calculate the speed and distance and trajectory of those lights, that's what the challenge is for the motorist. The sense of security I get when I ride comes not from the color of one's gear, but from the skills one continually practices.

I've felt for a long time this forum needs a dedicated section for riding skills. Why not?