First deliberate close call from cager

[darius]

This took me completely by surprise. Never thought it could be a threat and from outside my sight:

I'm making a right turn from a single lane, positioned towards the left in the lane. I signal then brake, downshift to 2nd, start to turn outside-inside-outside, then a bloody cager fires his car through the inside of my turn- on my right.

I figure he knew exactly what he was doing because he had to gas it to pull it off. If I'd turned any faster he'd have hit my front end directly in his path.

I have never heard of this sort of conflict. I barely got a toot off with the horn then completed my turn.

Just wanted to share as I'm pissed about it and it might help. Thx.

 

[mave2911]

Just gotta be careful taking the 'racing line' on the road - cagers are basically morons - and if they see a movement away from the direction of travel - even slight, they may well think you're turning off or pulling off the road and pounce.

Glad you're ok, but I'd suggest maintaining your position in the RHS wheel track (or LHS for you people that drive on the wrong side of the road) of cars.

Firstly, that is where the tyres of cars sit - so there wont be oil on the road there - and if there was, the hundreds of cars that preceded you would have helped clear it off - whereas if you go from one wheel track to the other, especially at an intersection, that's where cages sit and drip.

Secondly, there is more likely to be rubber embedded in the road, from the thousands of cars that have gone before - and,

Lastly, as you've experienced, cagers are morons, and if they think you've given them reason or ability to pass, they will.

Cheers,
Rick

 

[Jim(tm)]

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

 

[darius]

Just gotta be careful taking the 'racing line' on the road - cagers are basically morons - and if they see a movement away from the direction of travel - even slight, they may well think you're turning off or pulling off the road and pounce.

Glad you're ok, but I'd suggest maintaining your position in the RHS wheel track (or LHS for you people that drive on the wrong side of the road) of cars.

Firstly, that is where the tyres of cars sit - so there wont be oil on the road there - and if there was, the hundreds of cars that preceded you would have helped clear it off - whereas if you go from one wheel track to the other, especially at an intersection, that's where cages sit and drip.

Secondly, there is more likely to be rubber embedded in the road, from the thousands of cars that have gone before - and,

Lastly, as you've experienced, cagers are morons, and if they think you've given them reason or ability to pass, they will.

Cheers,
Rick

Thanks, Rick.

That explains why he made that maneuver with so little thinking time- didn't think at all.

This particular right-hander has a significant bump from where the sidewalk was cut down and I go wide to hit that straight.

The safety course banged 'protecting your lane' into my head pretty good, or so I thought. I'll have to apply that to low speed turns as well as you suggested. Thanks.

EDIT: I'm in the US- we drive on the right (and you will, too, after the invasion) and my typical position on the road is the left wheel track as you suggested.

 

[mikw73]

I've had a few experiences with Cagers who don't know about how bikes use lanes. Or how cars do, for that matter. One on the scooter, some lady basically just tried to drive through me. I was in the left third of the lane--to avoid the oil slick and staples and whatnot, and she just tailed me super close and snuck onto the side of the road a little until her hood was alongside me. I got over to the center a little then, and she passed me on the right. Nowhere near as dangerous as what happened to you today, but pretty fuc|<!ng stupid. She was way too close for me to try any "protecting my lane". I had a chance to ask her at the next light what the eff she thought she was doing. She seemed to be genuinely ignorant of the fact that what she did was illegal. I got it all on a helmet cam. Told her I was gonna take it to the police. (I know that would go nowhere, thanks to a thread some LEOs contributed to here.) I was doing 40 in a 30, so it's not like I was even going slow or anything.

As many of us as can and want to should ride with helmet cams and post our videos of these morons. Who knows, someday you might see someone you know nearly killing someone else you know? Or better, one might go viral and Cagers will become aware that the stupid crap they pull in public is public.

 

[agf]

EDIT: I'm in the US- we drive on the right (and you will, too, after the invasion) and my typical position on the road is the left wheel track as you suggested.


I laughed too loudly(I'm at work) when I read this
but I know what you mean about cagers doing things out of malice/stupidity, usually young p plater girls or dumbass musclecar driving brutish young men,
they all have to get there first like life is a race to see who can get to the end first, frankly if I can come last in that one I will
good luck ( coz sometimes thats what we need) and keep safe

 

[DownrangeFuture]

I swear, usually it's some chick texting on her damn cell phone. :spank: I get it about once a week. Some car comes way over into my lane, usually in heavy traffic, I honk and brake or rev and blow by them, and they throw their phone and jerk suddenly back into their lane. And they usually stay there, as they had no intention of changing lanes in the first place.

Not to say dudes don't do it. The idiot construction worker that was driving a backhoe on the road this morning was proof of that. I see him back into the road (a highway no less) without looking with his bright ass phone in his face (it was dark still), and I know the guy in the F350 in the slow lane is gonna change lanes without looking. It was either that or hit the guy. I brake hard, the truck cleared me with plenty of room, and I see the guy in the back hoe put his friggin phone in his pocket. :disapprove:

I really wish they would design phones that don't work if you're moving faster than 5mph. My GPS locks the screen if I'm going over 15...

 

[ramsay12]

Translation please - what is a cager?
I'm English - that's my excuse!

 

[mxgolf]

Cager is any one in a car or vehicle besides motorcycles. Note: they are in a cage! We all have had sutuations that could have been bad by the stupid cagers. That's why I wear ATGATT and have a super loud horn.

 

[Karate.Snoopy]

I swear, usually it's some chick texting on her damn cell phone. :spank:

+1000 In majority of cases its some distracted soccer mom in her big a$$ SUV.
I saw a lady on the cell phone reverse her car into another vehicle. She didn't even realize she had busted the tail light and promptly put her car in drive and drove off.
See this kind of crap much too often these days :-S

 

[darius]

+1000 In majority of cases its some distracted soccer mom in her big a$$ SUV.
I saw a lady on the cell phone reverse her car into another vehicle. She didn't even realize she had busted the tail light and promptly put her car in drive and drove off.
See this kind of crap much too often these days :-S

It was a small dusty grey passenger car with an aggressive driver. Couldn't see inside as it happened so fast.

I haven't had the bike 2 months and pisses me off it was nearly wrecked due to some azzhat from behind.

Maybe this guy will jam his car up the inside of a turning semi and get schooled that way.

 

[FIZZER6]

My theory is that driving is like professional sports. It requires a high level of mental sharpness and physical ability to perform well.

Not many people have what it takes to play professional sports but they will give any idiot a driver's license...

...and put them behind the wheel of a 3,000+ lb hunk of steel moving at high speeds, essentially putting a weapon of mass destruction in the hands of anyone who can fill out a driver's license application.

The roads are a scary place. Ride safe.

 

[Karate.Snoopy]

ATGATT >>>
When the sh*t hits the fan its better to be overdressed than under dressed.

Another rider from VT was hit by a Silver SUV. The person riding the SUV fled the scene. Our rider survived with some pain and no major damage to the motorcycle, thanks to his gear. He mentioned that had he not be wearing the proper riding shoes he would have had his foot pulped.

 

[PhotoAl]

Was on a 6 lane road (3 each side), in the center lane but on the right side of the lane. Was not paying enough attention to traffic behind me as some guy drove right up beside me on my left!!! I hit the horn and he made a panic move into the left lane cauing some woman in her SUV to slam on her brakes! Was an older couple in the car with two young girls (grandchildren?). Don't think he saw me cause was looking to move into the left lane. The traffic was coming to a stop at a light and we were a half mile from a major intersection with an interstate. I passed him a little later and the woman gave me a feeble wave like sorry we really didn't mean to do that. Looked like they were from out in the country and didn't know how to deal with roads that had more than one lane in each direction. Now I usually ride on the left side of the lane so am in front of the driver just in case they happen to be paying attention.

 

[Karate.Snoopy]

Was on a 6 lane road (3 each side), in the center lane but on the right side of the lane. Was not paying enough attention to traffic behind me as some guy drove right up beside me on my left!!! I hit the horn and he made a panic move into the left lane cauing some woman in her SUV to slam on her brakes! Was an older couple in the car with two young girls (grandchildren?). Don't think he saw me cause was looking to move into the left lane. The traffic was coming to a stop at a light and we were a half mile from a major intersection with an interstate. I passed him a little later and the woman gave me a feeble wave like sorry we really didn't mean to do that. Looked like they were from out in the country and didn't know how to deal with roads that had more than one lane in each direction. Now I usually ride on the left side of the lane so am in front of the driver just in case they happen to be paying attention.

Riding on 280 is no joke ;-)

 

[mave2911]

Some excellent advice in this thread darius.

I too ride directly in front of the driver in a car, but the most important thing, and must be careful that it's not overlooked.

This is such an incredibly valuable lesson - and one you'll (hopefully) not soon forget.

Protect your lane at all costs, be as visible as possible and be aware of the propensity for cagers to try to own the road and/or just not see you.

Cheers,
Rick