Mama, I just (nearly) killed a man!

Coming onto the A4 tonight in my van I pulled out of a side road and suddenly heard "beeeeeeep".
I looked in the mirror and saw a GSXR pulling along side.
I'd just pulled out infront of a bike.
Unforgivable, right?
I should apologise and beg for forgiveness at nearly causing an accident, right?
As he went past he gave it the usual hand gestures and head shakes.
Totally justified?

Nope.

He wasn't speeding. He was in the middle of the lane and not riding irratically.
Unfortunately he didn't have any lights on and was dressed head to toe in black.

Biking in the wet, in the dark, in winter is dangerous enough.
Drivers are doing their best to not kill you.
Come on.
At least meet us half way!

Mistakes happen but agree that we all need to make ourselves seen, I was tempted the other day to overtake in the dark as it was only a small bike coming the other way, turned out it was a car with no drivers side lights at all. First thing in the mornings some drivers think they don't need lights - even before the sun comes up.
I have a black bike with black leathers but always have my light on, I also don't like the bright yellow/orange stuff so have the grey reflective strips on my rucksack straps that really show up. I also have put some black reflective tape all over the bike, obviously only when lights are shining on me though...

Wasn't me.
Although I do ride with a black rainsuit on (it does have reflective stripes on it though - and they shine like a light)

Everyone makes mistakes (no lights on e.t.c.) however as I have mentioned before the amount of cars, vans & lorries with maladjusted and broken / non-working lights is now getting to epidemic proportions.

Rather than trying to trap speeders the authorities should be dealing with these easily rectified light problems.

Well said Rabb, could it be a case of there's not so much money to be raised from a headlight not working instead of speeding fines, diffcult to prove if the driver insists "the light was working when I left home".

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grey haired bloke

Well said Rabb, could it be a case of there's not so much money to be raised from a headlight not working instead of speeding fines, diffcult to prove if the driver insists "the light was working when I left home".

---

Thanks GHB - I do about 17k a year on my bike and I see the same cars doing their everyday commute with knackered lights or ones that are set to blind oncoming vehicles. As I have a GSXR I do have 2 headlights which are up-rated with super brilliance Carlos Fandango bulbs. If someone blinds me I tend to let them know in the only way that I can - hopefully they will realise that their lights need attention!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rabb

Rather than trying to trap speeders the authorities should be dealing with these easily rectified light problems.

---

And fix the roads, the cross roads junction at the top of the hill from Staverton towards Bath is absolutely terrible. We haven't even had the really cold weather yet.

I followed a Police car the other night and there were 2 cars going the other way with broken lights, one of them had no lights on one side of the car! Then another car struggled to pull away when the lights changed - either very old or drunk in my opinion - the Police car did nothing... I even stopped when the traffic lights changed as the Police car went through, although if he had of stopped me just getting through on amber I would have ranted about the other drivers a LOT!
I would love to be a copper for the day! I also flash the ones with dodgey lights and happily dazzle those with bright fog lights on when it's not foggy or mis-aligned lights.

As for cyclists and lights... most are just trying to commit suicide!

Seems to me there are more un-marked police cars now than marked. Joyriders in BMW's

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rabb

Everyone makes mistakes (no lights on e.t.c.).

---

Absolutely. But its how we act after we make a mistake that defines us.
Rather than putting his hand up to apologise he chose to still play the victim and hurl abuse at me.
This attitude will ultimately be his undoing as it shows arrogance and total disregard to other road users. This usually is the recipe for a very short biking career.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Swanny

Seems to me there are more un-marked police cars now than marked. Joyriders in BMW's

---

That reminds me. Watch out for a silver Audi Q7 patroling the M5. Looks like the feds are mixing it up abit with their vehicles.

Spotted a 60 plate silver Ford Mondeo the other day on it's way to Chippenham

Whats the difference in wearing a fluorescent jacket riding a bike or a black one?......... you die in a fluorescent jacket instead of a black one! (Sorry just my sick humour).

I ride with lights on, I drive with lights on. Luckly riding 35K a year commute on a bike for years, only ever had one car pull out on me. I popped over the brow of a hill and there it was ...crossing over. But hey ho thats why you have to slow down on blind summits etc ....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by shiftyblake

Whats the difference in wearing a fluorescent jacket riding a bike or a black one?......... you die in a fluorescent jacket instead of a black one! (Sorry just my sick humour).

---

here here, as a biking community we tend to see things in more detail than the average car driver... but that still does not justify the high ground that most bikers tend to take in the ' they did not see me attitude'
I ride a camouflage bike most of the time in some form of camo no reflective stuff, in the rain at night and still over take, it does not mean that Im some form of nut nut on a one way path to death. I ride and always have ridden with the attitude that cars, lorries or just about anything that is on the road can and will change its mind , direction and speed in a second and that is why I ride a bike.

If it was me i would not of given hand gestures as id be to busy hanging on ...lol

Personally I don't believe bright clothes makes you an more visible to people who aren't looking anyway. I would put money on people having pulled out in front of 'Dynorod' vans back in the days before the went all toned down and started putting black not fluorescent orange bonnets on them.

I have my driver head on here, not motorcyclist. 'Dayglo' what does it mean? uh, bright in the day? (I'm getting at cyclists here more than motorcyclists) after dark you may as well be wearing normal clothes, you are no more visible. White would be better. The only thing that really cuts it if you want to be seen surely is reflective clothing or covering yourself in scotch-tape?

What happens if, god forbid you get knocked off your bike, say on a bend or you end up 30ft down the road? we aren't used to seeing the unexpected. A perfect example which I experienced first hand a couple of years ago:- bright summer day, I am in the middle of a town doing little more than 10mph, brain goes 'what's that in the gutter at the side of the road?' a shape, bag/clothes? it was actually an old lady who had tripped down the kerb and wasn't yet moving (couple of people helped her, I parked my car so no one ran over her, went off OK in an ambulance with cut head) I consider myself a very observant driver, that my head took a time to sort out - you don't expect to see people in the road. Had you been spat off a bike or pushbike like that after dark I hate to think what could happen. Worth thinking about. Since then I never go out after dark even on the scoot without something reflective on

hi vis is pointless in the dark if your headlight is working, cars will see the headlight first before the hi vis. Hi-vis also looks very ghey.

I agree I think a bright headlamp and a white helmet stands out more than dayglow, plus you still look good ;)

I ride in black leathers or Goretex and, yes I admit it, don't wear Dayglo as I don't like the look of it - not going to try and justify my decision on any other basis. I do have a helmet with 50% dayglo colouring and reflective panels but I like the styling (don't suspect many others will).

I ride with my headlight on at all times and drive with them on as well (have to really as I drive a Volvo!) but don't understand why most vehicles don't use dipped headlights all the time, it's not as if we're still driving mkII Escorts with dodgy charging systems.

I very rarely come across bikes being ridden without their headlight on, when I do it's usually an 'older' rider on a classic bike and I put that down to possibly bikes charging system not up to permanent headlight on and older rider having spent many (uneventful) years riding sans headlight - oh how I love a bit of stereotyping!

We are all saying the same thing here.. I've lost count of the number of times people have pulled out while actually looking straight at me.. Last time was riding out of Royal Wootton Bassett a few months back. I was riding towards the interface roundabout.. The sun was shining..the roads was virtually empty and dry.. As I approached the roundabout it was clear to my right .. the roundabout was clear and one MPV was well back to my left. I checked again and entered the roundabout.. I looked at the MPV which was still 30 metres from the give way lines and the driver was actually looking at me and appeared to be smiling. Round I went..only for her to enter the roundabout without slowing and she decided to occupy the piece of road I was heading for.. I covered the rear brake and prepared to follow behind her.. What did she do!! She came stop a stop on the roundabout..while mouthing the words "Sorry" and throwing her hands in the air... What happened next... I hear you ask..

well I discovered that you can change direction on an 820lb motorcycle very quickly when you have to.. Just with a gentle scrape of my foot boards on the floor.. And my eyes on storks.. Mmm give way to vehicles coming from your right on roundabouts... I'm sure we've all had similar things happen.

In this case it was the fairer sex... But I've had the same from all ages and sexes over the years

You could be lit up like a xmas tree, it won't stop stupid cagers thinking that their 2 ton car is faster than your bike.

Most effective thing I've done to be noticed is lose all baffles in my pipes....... no more tailgaters, no more pedestrians strolling across the road infront of me and markedly less cars pulling out on me. On the downside it gets me pulled over unless I short shift and keep revs down when police are about and it makes yummy mummies scowl at me because their toddlers cry when I go past.

I have to agree with WR6133.. Before my slip on V&H pipes arrived people would just walk out in front of me..normally texting as they walk..in a world of their own.. Not now.. They hear me coming..or a quick blip of the throttle gets their attention..also helps when filtering..lol.. Never been stopped for them..on any of my bikes..

I agree

http://www.inkace.com/media/catalog/...ives_decal.jpg

I use mine especially when filtering

http://www.smileyvault.com/albums/si...-signs-016.gif

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sins

We are all saying the same thing here.

---

Not really.
I started this thread to highlight the bad attitude of some bikers.

There are many threads regarding poor driving.
Sometimes we need to look at what we can do to reduce the risks.
Not riding at night without a headlight is a good start.

Sorry Wiltshire builders.. A few of us seem to have drifted off track.. I should say that at the time of the roundabout incident I was in black leathers on a black bike with three large lights on.. The fact that the driver was looking at me and smiling at the time.. She was even pointing me out to her children.. meant that even in day glow she would still have pulled out..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sins

Sorry Wiltshire builders.. A few of us seem to have drifted off track.. I should say that at the time of the roundabout incident I was in black leathers on a black bike with three large lights on.. The fact that the driver was looking at me and smiling at the time.. She was even pointing me out to her children.. meant that even in day glow she would still have pulled out..

---

I'd love to say I'm shocked, but it happens far too often.
Glad it didn't end badly for you.

Cheers WB...
to get us back on track I was in the queue of traffic at the in the roadworks near B&Q this evening.. Pouring with rain.. Dark and a youth on an old 125 came past on my inside....I was in the outside lane.. Filtering..no lights on!!! My mirrors were useless because of the rain..and cars were swooping from the inside to the outside lane just to make a few yards progress..another one not helping themselves..