When you see my brake lights..........

[IanDMacDonald]

Lol, that slalom weave is my fun on the road.

[James England]

Lol, that slalom weave is my fun on the road.

i can just imagine.... " No, Officer, I'm not drunk. That was just a SMIDSY slalom weave".

[latexeses]

Used to do that weave back in my Virago days. Worked very well too. The headlight looked as big as a dinner plate coming up the road. Sort of like the wig-wag light on the front of a train.
Never know it had a name though.

[trbig]

Blah blah blah...

I agree with everything you said. Well done.

I've been pulled out in front of, pushed onto the shoulder from cars changing lanes into mine, and nearly killed by texting/cell phone talkers, that when it happens, it rarely even makes me mad any more. I just shake my head at them and ride on. Just a typical day on the bike.

[cajun31]

I couldn't agree more

They are bigger then you and 100% of the time you come out worse for wear. I always expect people to do stupid things when I am on one of my bikes. This video was an unfortunate incident and by watching the video it was obvious he enjoyed speed. One of the thrills of riding but not in congested areas such as what was depicted in this video. I lost a son in law a few years ago.... sport bike ... two lane road ... wheelie... need I say more.

[madmax-im]

I never knew the term SMIDSY...but I have been doing that for many years when approaching intersections. Not all of us are lucky enough to survive the "testosterone years" on motorcycles...

[MattWood]

Too late is too late. Always be aware and don't trust any cage. I've lost too many friends just like this.

At that guy's speed, I don't really see what he could have done differently.

I feel bad for the poor family who lost someone they love and also the driver of the car who has to live with the guilt, even if the guy was going way too fast.

[jrm000kc]

I ride like an old man to be honest. Every morning when I ride to work in rush hour traffic my wife dreads it. I give myself 100ft. to the car in front of me and never go above 65mph in congestion and constantly scan ahead and check my mirrors. It's one thing to go fast on an interstate but this guy was going way to fast for the amount of traffic. Going at speeds like that you have absolutely no reaction time.

[LoHo]

I have been in that same situation and faced the same dilemma the rider faced: where do I steer? I turned left in front of the car, hoping to turn enough to miss her, but failed. I think I braced for impact and was unable to relax enough to push it over. Going behind the car would have put me in a chain-link fence and parking lot. I did avoid skidding, and the "I laid her down" seems stupid...I rather be a projectile that misses rather than hits. Lately, I've wondered if launching myself out of the pegs and flying over the car might be best.
BEST= missing any large objects
BETTER= sliding on the ground away from large objects
NEXT= flying through the air, then sliding on the ground
WORST= hitting a heavy, stationary object with my body at speed.
In spite of who's wrong in the video, the rider's excess speed in a complicated environment was a big factor in the accident.

[jrm000kc]

I agree LoHo about the unfortunate young rider simply going too fast as a big factor.

I do want to thank you Greg for posting this. The old Limey riding instructor demonstrating how a motorcycle blends into the background really opened up a new awareness on how to make yourself as visible as possible. The 'SIAM' maneuver will definitely be something I'll try doing from now on-as well as adding some LED's to the front to increase how visible I am.

[BA80]

The most important safety feature on a bike, or any vehicle for that matter is the rider.

ALWAYS be aware of everything around you and have an escape plan. People in cars that get into fender benders generally don't get hurt so they, as a rule, don't really care, the smallest accident could seriously injure or even kill a rider.

I can say that from many years of riding experience and foolish crashes.

[Cobia]

Greg, I agree with you completely about the rider and his/her situational awareness.
The guy who sold me my G gave me good piece of advice I follow to this day. And has saved my butt more times than I care to remember. His advice:

"Ride as if everybody is out there to kill you."

I'm always looking for trouble from 360 degrees around me. I look in the vehicles and notice what the drivers are doing. Mind you, I LOVE speed as much as the next guy, but I choose where I twist the throttle carefully.

[BA80]

"Ride as if everybody is out there to kill you."

Unfortunately that is EXACTLY how a rider has to think. It's the ONLY way to think to have the best chance of staying out of trouble.

Thanks, I'm glad someone gets what I was trying to say here.

[DiverRay]

"Ride as if everybody is out there to kill you."

My take adds: Those who don't see you will kill you anyway.
Been riding fast at times, but with that in mind for 50+ years and 370K miles. Yes, I've tangled with a drunk on the freeway, and bounced head first off a VW Bug as a "kid" in high school. I wear a modular helmet, and jacket ALL the time, overpants MOST of the time.
Had a young lady say "I'm sorry" after she followed a car through a stop sign and almost hit me last Sunday morning.
We are too easily killed NOT to be careful!!
JMHO

[Cobia]

Ride as if everybody is out there to kill you

Greg. Right? Thanks

Ray, "Those that don't see you...." That's why you have to be proactive and anticipate what they might do to endanger you, plan how to avoid it, and take that action if required. If not, you have it in your mental repertoire for when a similar situation comes up you have it at your fingertips.
I'm not kidding, I scan around and make mental notes of what people are doing in their cars. Are they paying attention, are they on the cell phone, are they arguing with the kids, etc.???
And I have two 27 LED lights flanking my license plate that flash when I brake, in addition to the regular brake light. I had a headlight modulator but it didn't get along with the LRU and died after about a year. It got a LOT of attention, I got all kinds of comments on it all the time.
As I mentioned earlier, I love speed and can be quite aggressive with the throttle, but I chose where and when carefully ... most of the time.