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What's with people in cars?

G

Greg goes wild

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Jan 17, 2021
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279
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Houston Tx.
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For the last 2 days I had to break hard to back away from idiots that do NOT look. This past Thursday i was riding in the right lane.
A Lady in a suv half way passes me t hen start cutting me off. i hit the horn & brakes but she kept moving over into my lane. Came up to a intersection stop light RED so there was enough room between her car n the curb so i pulled up along side her. She had her
window half way down. I said LOUDLY do you know how to drive? and i said you cut me off learn how to drive a car. I gave her
the bird. Light turned green and i left her behind me. 2 nd case A male pulled out of a side st while i was just about in front of him.
I hit the brakes again & horn. I backed off then i went around him to get away from that A hat.
What's with people NOT paying attention while they are driving cars? I KNOW they do NOT look for us to often but still. This was
during t he day light hrs BOTH times. This is why you nee to ASSUME that people in cars trucks big rigs buses do not see you
That's why i call myself GHOST RIDER
 
Greg goes wild said:
For the last 2 days I had to break hard to back away from idiots that do NOT look. This past Thursday i was riding in the right lane.
A Lady in a suv half way passes me t hen start cutting me off. i hit the horn & brakes but she kept moving over into my lane. Came up to a intersection stop light RED so there was enough room between her car n the curb so i pulled up along side her. She had her
window half way down. I said LOUDLY do you know how to drive? and i said you cut me off learn how to drive a car. I gave her
the bird. Light turned green and i left her behind me. 2 nd case A male pulled out of a side st while i was just about in front of him.
I hit the brakes again & horn. I backed off then i went around him to get away from that A hat.
What's with people NOT paying attention while they are driving cars? I KNOW they do NOT look for us to often but still. This was
during t he day light hrs BOTH times. This is why you nee to ASSUME that people in cars trucks big rigs buses do not see you
That's why i call myself GHOST RIDER
Click to expand...
It definitely is a frustrating experience. There is some science behind why other motorists don't see motorcyclists or see them and misjudge the time the motorcyclist will intersect with their chosen path. There are also the social cultural issues that influence how drivers choose to operate their vehicles. There are steps you can take as an operator of a motorcycle that can increase the odds that another driver will not interfere with your path of travel. Tons of studies on Google Scholar.
 
Greg goes wild said:
I have been riding bikes for 40 years now the AHATS do NOT care about us.
Click to expand...
There are uncaring people out there for sure. But the majority of drivers "want" to perform well and care that everyone sharing the road together arrive where they are headed, regardless of if they are in cars, riding bicycles, or motorcycles. They all don't execute very well on that though. If you are interested, there is a thing called inattentional blindness that is very interesting. You might have seen this test before where individuals are asked to count how many times a ball is passed among a group of people and a person in a gorilla suit walks right into the field of view of the observer and the majority don't notice the ape. Make the gorilla a motorcycle in a field of view where we are evaluating traffic. You. me, and other riders are more likely to see the motorcycle because of our expertise and familiarity with bikes. The theory is the less familiar one is, or the less expertise one has, with what it is they are processing in their field of view increases inattentional blindness. Complete agreement that there are some self-involved, uncaring, and so many inattentive drivers. Not that you suggested otherwise, but I believe the majority of drivers do care. You're smart to ride like the ghost rider.
 
Greg goes wild said:
For the last 2 days I had to break hard to back away from idiots that do NOT look. This past Thursday i was riding in the right lane.
A Lady in a suv half way passes me t hen start cutting me off. i hit the horn & brakes but she kept moving over into my lane. Came up to a intersection stop light RED so there was enough room between her car n the curb so i pulled up along side her. She had her
window half way down. I said LOUDLY do you know how to drive? and i said you cut me off learn how to drive a car. I gave her
the bird. Light turned green and i left her behind me. 2 nd case A male pulled out of a side st while i was just about in front of him.
I hit the brakes again & horn. I backed off then i went around him to get away from that A hat.
What's with people NOT paying attention while they are driving cars? I KNOW they do NOT look for us to often but still. This was
during t he day light hrs BOTH times. This is why you nee to ASSUME that people in cars trucks big rigs buses do not see you
That's why i call myself GHOST RIDER
Click to expand...
Here is my latest encounter with a car driver.
While riding in the right lane of a 2 lane street,I had a car trying to pass me
in the SAME lane I was in. They thought it was a good idea to try and go between
me and the curb,while driving. The passing lane was empty!
I had to keep moving over,toward the curb,in my lane,staying in front of the car,to stop them.
They finally backed off after traveling about 1 mile.
I have been riding since I was 15 years old,I am now 67,and I have been in or witnessed
many of these types of encounters. They will continue after we are all gone.
 
I watch those accident videos on youtube also to help me recognize situations I find myself in on the motorcycle, to anticipate and defend myself better.
Riding on surface streets in Los Angeles, I am regularly impressed by the number of car/truck drivers who, while sitting in traffic, spot me in their rearview mirror, lane splitting, then turning their wheel and advancing just that little bit that they can, to create more space for me to pass. Ironically, those that literally 'go out of their way' this way, usually don't have to because there's already enough space. Oftentimes, it's the ones that are too far to the left or right, whatever the case happens to be, that are blocking my narrow path, that don't bother to try and make room. Typically, I then move around them on their other side so I can then continue lane splitting.
I regularly see people starting to move out of their lane into the one I am traveling in, then hitting the brakes when they see me in their mirror, so I can pass safely.
Yes, there are people not paying attention or suffering from this mind-boggling blindness that creates real danger for us/me. It's them I constantly scan for.
 
IF every biker makes a PSA on there local news stations face book pages about looking
for us on 2 wheels things may change for the better. I have done that here in Houston Tx.
to ask people to LOOK for us on motorcycles. I ask them to LOOK BOTH ways for exiting
parking lots onto main rds. or side streets. I also ask them if it's to hard to look for us
anywhere. Semi's n buses i FLY by them then slow down cuz those big rigs can not see
us. BLIND SPOTS with cars i know very well about that n i avoid being in there blind spots.
 
TONYJUMP said:
Here is my latest encounter with a car driver.
While riding in the right lane of a 2 lane street,I had a car trying to pass me
in the SAME lane I was in. They thought it was a good idea to try and go between
me and the curb,while driving. The passing lane was empty!
I had to keep moving over,toward the curb,in my lane,staying in front of the car,to stop them.
They finally backed off after traveling about 1 mile.
I have been riding since I was 15 years old,I am now 67,and I have been in or witnessed
many of these types of encounters. They will continue after we are all gone.
Click to expand...
You know the guys on crotch rocket bikes they ride about 10 inches from the curb. That
makes NO sense to me cuz the only mirror they can see you is the right mirror. When i
am riding on the slow lane i make sure to stay just left of the oil slick. On the fast lane it's
opposite. I want to be SEEN even though i need to be like a Ghostrider.
 
Heck last yr. i was exiting a hospital going thru there rd. n a lady that was stopped exiting
another hospital parking lot. I was right in front of her on my BMW C 650 GT n she hit me
on the left rear panel. LUCKY me it could have been worse. I stopped about 10 ft. n i asked
her did you see me at all. She said where did i come from i did not see you. The BMW frame
is a ot stronger n the fiberglass is as well. NO damage to my bike just a lil buff n the side
panel that you can not notice at all.
 
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