It finally happened...

[M38A1]

My first close encounter with a vehicle.

Over the past 12 years and 120k+ miles I can say I've been really cautious and maybe a bit lucky. I'd like to think cautious more than lucky. Today that changed.

After our weekly Billys/Kens M&G, Mark (GravelGuy) and I were the last to leave. I was going to run a fun errand and left Kens parking lot. While sitting in the lot about to turn left onto a four-lane (2 each direction) with a chicken lane in the middle, there were zero cars coming from either direction for at least 400 yards, ie: there were no cars even remotely close to me in either direction. I looked right and left one more time, and as I was pulling out heading to the center chicken lane, I saw a white Lexus? SUV across the street who was now just coming out of their parking lot making a left.

I was in the center chicken lane accelerating and here she comes right at me, looking over her right shoulder, ie: looking away from me and not at me. I get on the brakes from maybe 10-15mph and stop and she keeps coming, now about 80% in the turn lane and I'm thinking I'm about to get hit while stopped. She looks up and hits the brakes about the time I get stopped.

I suppose it was instinct, but I turned the bars hard left causing the bike to lean over to the left and it went for a slow letdown nap. I immediately stood up after my zero speed eject and just stood there looking at her. I think she had a cell phone in her ear??? She jumps out and starts yelling "are you OK" several times.

I was amazed at how many cars stop when something like this happens. I mean traffic came to a standstill. I knew I was OK, the bike was OK (they like dirt naps) so I gave a thumbs up to the big truck stopped.

About then, Mark and Ken/Michael come running over, Mark grabbing me and yelling "Are you OK"? "Yep, I'm fine, no contact". The lady is still yelling "Are you OK". "I'm fine".

Mark helps me right the bike and the left sidecase popped off. No biggie, they are supposed to flex a bit. Michael took the case back to the parking lot, Mark and Ken asked me if I was ok again and I said yes, I was heading to the parking lot.

Started the bike right up and rode the 50' to the parking lot where I put the side case back on just fine. Bike is fine with a little nick in the crash bar like it should have after this. I'm fine.

I collect my thoughts a minute or two then leave to do my errand. The whole time riding though, I just kept playing that over and over in my head what could I have done differently, or what the outcome could have been if she didn't finally stop.

I concluded a few things:
1) Travel across the entire road, or at least the two lanes and into the center chicken lane was a 100% safe thing at the time. Zero on-coming traffic in either direction. Zero threat, easy turn, slow speed.

2) Once I was committed and rolling, I had cleared probably the first lane, picked up some speed and then saw her on the other side. She had not yet started to move.

3) Once she started to move (no blinker either, but nor did I) I saw she was headed to the same spot I was headed. She wanted in the center chicken lane too but going the other directon.

4) I came to a stop just as she did when she fortunately looked where she was going instead of checking for on-coming traffic.

5) As we both came to a stop, I turned the bars left and fell over to the left thinking this is what it's like to get hit and how it's going to hurt. I was ok, the bike was ok, she was ok, no collateral accidents occurred.

Conclusion:
I think I was lucky she finally looked my way and stopped, but maybe I was not as cautious, as I should have seen this coming? This is where I question myself. Did I do everything anyone else would have done? Luck? Fate? No big deal? Quit analyzing and just ride?

Sure made me feel uncomfortably vulnerable today for the first time in my riding career.


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[Kit_McConnico]

Glad you're ok, That could have been nasty.

Originally Posted by M38A1

Did I do everything anyone else would have done? Luck? Fate? No big deal? Quit analyzing and just ride?

.

Yes, yes, maybe, no it IS a big deal she could have killed you, and yes.


I had a low speed low side a few weeks ago due to some crisco like goo in the road. I spent way too much time analyzing it and decided no amount of thinking could have prevented it and to just ride.

Go buy a lottery ticket.

[YoDoc]

Good deal. Glad you're good.

[japako]

Originally Posted by M38A1

My first close encounter with a vehicle.

Over the past 12 years and 120k+ miles I can say I've been really cautious and maybe a bit lucky. I'd like to think cautious more than lucky. Today that changed.

After our weekly Billys/Kens M&G, Mark (GravelGuy) and I were the last to leave. I was going to run a fun errand and left Kens parking lot. While sitting in the lot about to turn left onto a four-lane (2 each direction) with a chicken lane in the middle, there were zero cars coming from either direction for at least 400 yards, ie: there were no cars even remotely close to me in either direction. I looked right and left one more time, and as I was pulling out heading to the center chicken lane, I saw a white Lexus? SUV across the street who was now just coming out of their parking lot making a left.

I was in the center chicken lane accelerating and here she comes right at me, looking over her right shoulder, ie: looking away from me and not at me. I get on the brakes from maybe 10-15mph and stop and she keeps coming, now about 80% in the turn lane and I'm thinking I'm about to get hit while stopped. She looks up and hits the brakes about the time I get stopped.

I suppose it was instinct, but I turned the bars hard left causing the bike to lean over to the left and it went for a slow letdown nap. I immediately stood up after my zero speed eject and just stood there looking at her. I think she had a cell phone in her ear??? She jumps out and starts yelling "are you OK" several times.

I was amazed at how many cars stop when something like this happens. I mean traffic came to a standstill. I knew I was OK, the bike was OK (they like dirt naps) so I gave a thumbs up to the big truck stopped.

About then, Mark and Ken/Michael come running over, Mark grabbing me and yelling "Are you OK"? "Yep, I'm fine, no contact". The lady is still yelling "Are you OK". "I'm fine".

Mark helps me right the bike and the left sidecase popped off. No biggie, they are supposed to flex a bit. Michael took the case back to the parking lot, Mark and Ken asked me if I was ok again and I said yes, I was heading to the parking lot.

Started the bike right up and rode the 50' to the parking lot where I put the side case back on just fine. Bike is fine with a little nick in the crash bar like it should have after this. I'm fine.

I collect my thoughts a minute or two then leave to do my errand. The whole time riding though, I just kept playing that over and over in my head what could I have done differently, or what the outcome could have been if she didn't finally stop.

I concluded a few things:
1) Travel across the entire road, or at least the two lanes and into the center chicken lane was a 100% safe thing at the time. Zero on-coming traffic in either direction. Zero threat, easy turn, slow speed.

2) Once I was committed and rolling, I had cleared probably the first lane, picked up some speed and then saw her on the other side. She had not yet started to move.

3) Once she started to move (no blinker either, but nor did I) I saw she was headed to the same spot I was headed. She wanted in the center chicken lane too but going the other directon.

4) I came to a stop just as she did when she fortunately looked where she was going instead of checking for on-coming traffic.

5) As we both came to a stop, I turned the bars left and fell over to the left thinking this is what it's like to get hit and how it's going to hurt. I was ok, the bike was ok, she was ok, no collateral accidents occurred.

Conclusion:
I think I was lucky she finally looked my way and stopped, but maybe I was not as cautious, as I should have seen this coming? This is where I question myself. Did I do everything anyone else would have done? Luck? Fate? No big deal? Quit analyzing and just ride?

Sure made me feel uncomfortably vulnerable today for the first time in my riding career.


.

Your lucky you came out of that with no damage. Personally I think the turn lane is an accident waiting to happen. You have to be very careful, and watch others using that as a lane to get back into main traffic from a station or any other area off the main lanes of traffic.

I was coming home from MO and on 69 south. One of the small towns and the 4 lane road. Coming up on a stop light with no one in front of me, I decided to switch to the left lane. Don't know why? A semi was coming up in the right lane and as I watched in my mirror, he locked up and slid through the light. I am also lucky to be here.

Good to hear you are ok..

[Sov]

I'm glad things turned out well - scary stuff. I've been riding a third of the time that you have and I've had 2 close calls. I like your stats better. I suppose stopping or dodging were your only options, neither being perfect solutions and both dependent on the driver's actions. Seems that you picked the right reaction.

[kurt]

Did you see her while she was waiting? All I can offer is to already have a plan in place because you always assume she will do something stupid. Usually the clues are there, turned wheels or not making eye contact (head usually searching both ways as opposed to just looking left for a right turn). Sometimes we are just unlucky and have to make a snap decision. Sounds like you did well under the circumstances.

[Gravel Guy]

Putting on my Dad's teaching the kid to drive hat:
1) Perhaps you should have used a turn signal?
2) Perhaps you could have exited Ken's lot at a 90 degree angle, and then turned left in the lane that you wanted, like they teach in driver's Ed.

With my motorcyclist's hat on:
1) I don't use signals like I should, either......
2) I zip into the chicken lane and cross three lanes diagonally all the time......in Austin.

Bless you buddy, I'm just glad it was a zero speed spill, and you are fine!

[klb1122]

Sounds to me like the only other thing you could have done would have been to wait before pulling out... for the rest of your life.

I truly try to ride like everyone on the road is trying to kill me. Even that doesn't work 100% of the time.

I'm glad everything worked out, and I hope this doesn't turn you away from two wheels. Ride safe, Scott.

[DaveC]

See, you don't need all that running, biking, swimming to get your heart rate up, just ride Burnet Road at lunch!

Nice play, good save.

[KenH]

Glad you and the bike survived. In some places the "chicken lane" is not to be used for an on-ramp. There is a reason and you discovered that reason. Don't know for sure, but you did have four other lanes to use. I'm thinking if she was stopped when you first saw her the time it took her to exit the drive and move over into the third lane would have been sufficient to analyze the threat, form an escape plan, and execute, especially since you already knew there were no cars to your right. I've been in similar situations and already would have signaled, looked over my shoulder, and moved be crossing into the next lane before she cleared the curb with her rear bumper.

Maybe you were trusting her to go one lane wider with her turn, which would be what one is "supposed" to do? Maybe you were checking for traffic before moving over yourself, then turned back and she was upon you? I hate those kinds of surprises. Maybe target fixation kept you in one lane? There's a lot of maybes to consider, but what is most important is how do you learn how not to ever be in the same situation again? Never, ever, assume the way is clear when there is no traffic on the road--expect someone to be pulling out when there is no traffic on the road. When there is no traffic IS the reasonable moment to pull out.

[DaJudge]

Glad you're OK.

Technically, a common center turn lane isn't to be used for acceleration, just turning. I am, however, also often guilty of using it to speed up and blend in. It's an old habit that can cause a problem.

Really loud aftermarket horns sometimes come in quite handy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH2CG...ature=youtu.be I find that I use mine in town more than I'd like, mostly just a short blast to get someone who is just starting to pull out in front of me to look my way. It's possible that they might have been useful here to direct the driver's attention to what was in front of her.

[M38A1]

Thanks for the comment so far.

As for seeing her when I exited the parking lot, I noticed a vehicle there but it wasn't moving and I never noticed the wheel direction. It just wasn't moving. She was a bit further up the road, not directly across from me when I pulled out. I know I started into the street before she did, and I had just cleared the first lane of my cross traffic when she pulled out into her cross traffic. Now THAT I did see and I made it to the center chicken lane where I was going to just stop. Typically (and in this case) I don't use the chicken lane to accelerate but to just get to the middle and stop. When it's clear to get in the real traffic lane, I'll make that change quickly. This time, I did what I always do and that was to stop. Only problem was, she was there too.

I'd like to hear what she was thinking.....

And tonight I told Mrs. M38A1. She said "You're OK. You could have just as easily been in the truck as on the motorcycle". I didn't have the heart to tell her the chances of me getting seriously injured or killed on the bike are considerably higher on the bike than in the truck.


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Originally Posted by M38A1

And tonight I told Mrs. M38A1. She said "You're OK. You could have just as easily been in the truck as on the motorcycle". I didn't have the heart to tell her the chances of me getting seriously injured or killed on the bike are considerably higher on the bike than in the truck.
.

Gosh, Scott, I am glad you are OK!

I had just left the coffee group with you guys at Ken's on Burnet Road when this happened. I remember today you mentioned that the BMW 1150GS felt really heavy in the garage and you might consider getting a smaller cc bike. Maybe this is the time to contemplate that?

I only ride on Burnet when going to Billy's, otherwise it is an big fat avoid for me. There is too much congestion and cars suddenly pulling out unto the road most of the time when I am on it. I would compare it to Westheimer Road in Houston near the Galleria area. It is a horrific place to ride on a motorcycle during the lunch hour.

I commend you for wearing full riding gear including textile pants. It is so easy when doing city riding, to cut corners on protective gear due to the hassle factor of putting it on for such a short distance.

RB

[ed29]

One thing I can offer up is use the horn as soon as you see the vehicle coming your way. Make it a reflex action. This is especially effective when the driver is looking some other direction besides out front.

If your horn is not very loud , upgrade it.

The other thing is always look for an escape route. It sounds from your description like you had a spot in the lane to your right to get clear if she hadn't stopped.

[M38A1]

Here's what it looked like with my weak photoshop skillz...

There's little doubt now in my mind I left before her. I recall the tail end of her vehicle hanging out in traffic and I was fully stopped thinking she was going to run into me. That's a weird feeling.

[Daytrader]

City riding is tough.
Glad you're alright.
Don't sweat it. Stuff like that happens.

[cdc]

Scott, I am also glad nothing serious happened to you, I imagine the scenario has been going over and over in your head but you seemed to have done the right thing, drivers should be looking in all directions, particularly in the direction they are driving! My first thought was also using the horn; all bikes should have loud horns...

[ThomasM]

Glad to hear you're OK. +1 on the loud horn but I still can't seem to get my thumb on it fast enough. Gonna practice more.

[wanabeguru]

Scott: Glad you're OK. You should be pleased your skills are good enough that you prevented contact! And that you had crash[ugh!] bars! Keep the rubber down and ENJOY.

[Tracker]

glad you had a relatively good outcome. I still don't remember the day of my last accident on a motorcycle.
vector change by you or vehicles around you is always dicey. I'm guessing inattentive driver combined with losing you in her A pillar at least part of the time. They have grown in size with the side curtain air bags.