Changing Plans
Just because a driver is in a designated turn lane doesn’t always mean they will turn. The traffic is moderate on your route into town. You ride impatiently because you’re late to meet friends at a neighborhood restaurant. The local traffic is in no apparent hurry, which only adds to your frustration. There are cars turning left onto intersecting side streets with a good deal of frequency. Thankfully, there are left turn only lanes at many of the side streets so that traffic flow can continue unimpeded.
A driver in a station wagon ahead is stopped in one such turning lane, apparently waiting for her chance to turn left across oncoming traffic. Cars in front of you continue past on her right. All appears to be normal when the driver of the station wagon suddenly begins moving straight instead of turning left. She accelerates without checking her right hand blind spot where a minivan is positioned. The road narrows ahead, which forces the minivan driver to slam on his brakes to avoid being pinched between the car and the edge of the narrowing road. Your mind struggles to comprehend what is happening. By the time your react, the distance between you and the van is dangerously close. You apply your brakes with authority to avoid colliding with the van’s rear bumper, and your bike begins fishtailing. Thankfully, you are able to keep the bike upright while stopping just short of the minivan.
While control lanes are helpful for managing traffic flow, it is important to realize that there is no guarantee that drivers will not change their minds and break the rules to implement their revised plan. Predicting the unpredictable is something that motorcyclists must do on every ride. It would have been smart to position yourself so you would have space around and in front of you to avoid being involved in unexpected mishaps.
Also, it is important to understand the negative effects frustration can have on attention and good judgment. Had you been in less of a hurry, perhaps you could have been more alert and maintained greater following distance.
Anita
4 comments:
I live out some rural roads,
not much traffic and only one or two roads that head to civilization.
I was stopped waiting to turn R to head home. To my left was an approaching car with his R turn signal going, OK I thought he's headed to town, so I start to take the R turn and but the car goes straight instead-I was already committed to the turn- as I looked in my rear view mirror his signal was off--- he changed his mind and I scared both him and me. As I said I was already committed to the turn so I speed up and went to the far side of the road- an option for me on a rural country road but not always an option on a busy city street.
So I do not begin to turn either direction at this intersection until oncoming traffic has committed to their turn, they as well as I got complacent- we had predetermined ideas of what was going to happen and acted on those beliefs.
Drivers make the same mistakes no mater if I'm on a bike or driving a pickup. I don't think they can judge the speed of a motorcycle as well as they can a car. Either way, if I'm awake, I'm safer.
If we could just get people in cars to take driving serous. It can kill us. We take it seriously when on a bike, but not when in a car, where people feel invulnerable. Education gives some hope, both for us through blogs like yours, and other means for the drivers.
Ron Cheetrix
Springer,
Rural roads can provide such beautiful scenery and unseen hazards. Add Grandpa out for a Sunday drive on Saturday afternoon and disaster is just around the corner. Too bad Grandpa didn't listen to Grandma and keep the 1956 Nash in the garage.
Anita
Ron,
Keep the greasy side down.
Anita
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