Almost Hit - Safety Remider | GTAMotorcycle.com

Almost Hit - Safety Remider

250R-ICE

250R-ICE

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Almost hit - Safety Reminder

I was almost rear ended today. As I approached a signalized intersection the traffic light turned yellow and the cars that were waiting to turn left in the opposing direction started to make their left turns. I was travelling at the speed limit when the signal turned yellow. I had enough time to stop safely although it required hard breaking. At the same time I was aware of the vehicle behind me and what distance they were away from me. The vehicle was following too close and I wasn't sure they would stop in time. But I had no choice but to stop since the other cars were already crossing my lane making their left turns. As I started my braking I kept on eye on my side mirrors to see what the vehicle was doing behind me. I quickly realized they weren't slowing down fast enough. So as I almost came to my full stop behind the solid white line, I quickly moved over to the far left side on my lane and crossed over both the solid white lines where the pedestrians walk. I tried to give as much clearance as possible without going into the through lanes of intersection. The intersection was clear of pedestrians at this time, they haven't started crossing yet. As I was coming to stop I was looking at the vehicle behind me and watched them lock their brakes and skid beside me. Had I not moved over when I did, I would of been hit by at least one full car length and most likely pushed into the intersection. I saw the passenger in the car put her hands up in the air indicating to the driver to stop. When they finally came to a stop I pointed at the driver and where there car was. Their front bumper was almost beside me. The driver refused to make eye contact with me. I think they realized they almost caused an accident and were afraid of how I was going to react. As we proceeded through the intersection once the light turned green they kept a large distance away from me.

I think my gut instinct kicked in and I kept an extra lookout for this vehicle because of how they driving for the past KM. I just didn't trust their driving skills.

Anyway just keep a heads up of what is happening behind you especially when coming to a stop at an intersection.
 
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A lot of people running full reds these days;never mind yellows. Saw one tonight as I was making a left through an intersection. Full red and they were not even thinking about stopping. You gotta be extra careful when lights are changing these days.
 
Good move - always a tough call with cars behind and a light change and one of my biggest concerns - one reason I warn off tailgaters.
I had a similar one with a U - Rent moving truck with a trailer the guy clearly did not know how to drive.

I kept warning him off and he finally stayed back but coming down that long hill on Highway 7 out past Ajax I stopped at the light at the bottom and watched him lose control of the rig.....I also had time to move to another lane and just shook my head as he rattled and jerked to a stop where I used to be.

I had lots of time - you reacted right quick......well done.

I'm really considering one of those Back Off signs in neon.

yosemite-sam.jpg


Really hate the ditzes with the cell phones plastered to their ears.....want a 130 db loud hailer pointed backwards....

PAY ATTENTION!!! Yeah YOU! :D
 
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Unfortunately it was a bit of a wake up call of how dangerous riding can be.
 
I do not let cars tailgait me. While you did well to avoid the crash the better solution would be to not have a tailgater follow you so close and thereby risk your life and bike. Move to another lane, slow down, pull over and let them pass, do whatever it takes to get them off your back. The consequences for their mistake are too high for you.

I had the same situation as you on Sheppard Ave East, but it was dark and rainy. The car behind me had bald tires and had trouble stopping the light before. I noticed this and moved over, behind 3 cars, letting this idiot have the whole lane. A red light came up, everyone else had plenty of time to stop. This guy slid right into the middle of the thankfully empty intersection.

Bikers need to have higher intelligence and driving skills than the great unwashed. Otherwise we become road kill.
 
250R-ICE said:
Almost hit - Safety Reminder

I was almost rear ended today. As I approached a signalized intersection the traffic light turned yellow and the cars that were waiting to turn left in the opposing direction started to make their left turns. I was travelling at the speed limit when the signal turned yellow. I had enough time to stop safely although it required hard breaking. At the same time I was aware of the vehicle behind me and what distance they were away from me. The vehicle was following too close and I wasn't sure they would stop in time. But I had no choice but to stop since the other cars were already crossing my lane making their left turns. As I started my braking I kept on eye on my side mirrors to see what the vehicle was doing behind me. I quickly realized they weren't slowing down fast enough. So as I almost came to my full stop behind the solid white line, I quickly moved over to the far left side on my lane and crossed over both the solid white lines where the pedestrians walk. I tried to give as much clearance as possible without going into the through lanes of intersection. The intersection was clear of pedestrians at this time, they haven't started crossing yet. As I was coming to stop I was looking at the vehicle behind me and watched them lock their brakes and skid beside me. Had I not moved over when I did, I would of been hit by at least one full car length and most likely pushed into the intersection. I saw the passenger in the car put her hands up in the air indicating to the driver to stop. When they finally came to a stop I pointed at the driver and where there car was. Their front bumper was almost beside me. The driver refused to make eye contact with me. I think they realized they almost caused an accident and were afraid of how I was going to react. As we proceeded through the intersection once the light turned green they kept a large distance away from me.

I think my gut instinct kicked in and I kept an extra lookout for this vehicle because of how they driving for the past KM. I just didn't trust their driving skills.

Anyway just keep a heads up of what is happening behind you especially when coming to a stop at an intersection.
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Glad your are OK coming out of this ordeal.
Thanks for the reminder. :thumbup:
be sure to check your bike's brake light LEDs/bulbs and switches (front & rear) to verify functionality .... to ensure you weren't (partially) contributing to this near-miss.
Even fully functioning, I've seem some bikes with after-market brake-light set-ups that are hard for other motorists to see under some driving conditions.
(As am extreme case, I've see a bike set-up where two pin-head sized red LEDs, spaced about one inch apart, were used as brake-lights and rear signal lights.)
 
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thanks for the heads up - this is the reason why teaches always try to drill into your head - 'need to be aware of whats in front but importantly, whats behind you'
glad to see you are aware - and damn - quick thinking on your part.
 
250R-ICE said:
Almost hit - Safety Reminder

I was almost rear ended today. As I approached a signalized intersection the traffic light turned yellow and the cars that were waiting to turn left in the opposing direction started to make their left turns. I was travelling at the speed limit when the signal turned yellow. I had enough time to stop safely although it required hard breaking. At the same time I was aware of the vehicle behind me and what distance they were away from me. The vehicle was following too close and I wasn't sure they would stop in time. But I had no choice but to stop since the other cars were already crossing my lane making their left turns. As I started my braking I kept on eye on my side mirrors to see what the vehicle was doing behind me. I quickly realized they weren't slowing down fast enough. So as I almost came to my full stop behind the solid white line, I quickly moved over to the far left side on my lane and crossed over both the solid white lines where the pedestrians walk. I tried to give as much clearance as possible without going into the through lanes of intersection. The intersection was clear of pedestrians at this time, they haven't started crossing yet. As I was coming to stop I was looking at the vehicle behind me and watched them lock their brakes and skid beside me. Had I not moved over when I did, I would of been hit by at least one full car length and most likely pushed into the intersection. I saw the passenger in the car put her hands up in the air indicating to the driver to stop. When they finally came to a stop I pointed at the driver and where there car was. Their front bumper was almost beside me. The driver refused to make eye contact with me. I think they realized they almost caused an accident and were afraid of how I was going to react. As we proceeded through the intersection once the light turned green they kept a large distance away from me.

I think my gut instinct kicked in and I kept an extra lookout for this vehicle because of how they driving for the past KM. I just didn't trust their driving skills.

Anyway just keep a heads up of what is happening behind you especially when coming to a stop at an intersection.
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I was almost hit in the same manner going west on Derry at Kennedy.
This guy was at least 6 car lengths behind me when the light truned red and I came to a stop.
An ambulance was just about to go northbound on Kenedy on his green light with sirens and lights blazing.
I look in my rear view mirror well after been stopped for a few seconds and see this guy comming up hard as if he was going to stop. There is a reason why they tell you to always have your bike in gear and ready to go because I had just enough time to move into the cross walk and to the right of my lane in order to let this idiot take my place and run the red light almost creaming the ambulance.
I was in total disbelief of what just and could have happened.
I caught up to the guy at derry and tomkin cause he finally decided to stop for this light. Pulled up to his window and asked him if he even realized what he just did with the near miss of me and the ambulance while running the red light. His response was, " I didn't hit you did i?". All I could do was shake my head at that point fight the urge to drag him out of the car and beat the crap out of him.

As a rider and even as a driver, you have to always remain aware of everything going on around you. Even more so on the bike as you have little to no protection.
 
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I always do exactly what you mentioned TorontoBoy in these type of situations. Unfortunately in this scenario I didn't have another lane to either move over or let the tailgating vehicle pass. I was on Keele St. southbound towards Finch. It's a construction zone there and the lanes have been reduced to one southbound lane.
 
What really gets me is hearing the attitude of some of these people after nearly injuring/killing another person. Avoiding eye contact or just plain attitude! Thank goodness you riders had the awareness and presence of mind to move quickly. Hopefully I have the same when/if I run into one of these cretins.


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- Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thread jack warning - I have been looking all over for a Back Off sticker like that - they used to be all over CTC, now no where.
 
You should have called 911 with his plate number. I am sure they would have done something about it. It is nothing less the attempted murder with I don't care attitude.
 
Had a similar experience last week with some chick putting on makeup in her rearview mirror. She just laughed and said sry with a dimwitted voice, then continued on with her makeup.
 
good move... glad you made it out ok. Its always a good idea as well to watch any pedestrian walk signals...as soon as it says dont walk, its very soon you'll get the yellow. I pulse the rear brake to hopefully alert the cage behind that i plan on stopping on the yellow...even if i do end up with time to proceed through safely...
 
socially distorted said:
good move... glad you made it out ok. Its always a good idea as well to watch any pedestrian walk signals...as soon as it says dont walk, its very soon you'll get the yellow. I pulse the rear brake to hopefully alert the cage behind that i plan on stopping on the yellow...even if i do end up with time to proceed through safely...
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+1
I often do this too with watching the pedestrian wal signals and pulsing my break to warn people I intend to stop or slow down.
Have you ever seen a pedestrian signal flas the dont walk then go to walk?

all these little things come with experience and being aware of your soroundings.
 
That's the default move when there is any concern about someone behind you missing either your brake lights or the reason you're slowing or stopping. Be prepared to move to the lane divider line on either left or right, whichever gives you the best chance to avoid being hit by either the tailgater or traffic in an adjacent lane.

If riding in the left lane, I tend to go left to the left curb or divider line for the left turn lane. If in right lane, while I usually prefer to stay left in that lane to give room for right-turners to get around me for right-on-red turns, if a seriously fast car is coming up behind me as the light is turning amber, I may choose to the right curb and maybe even a bit around the corner to get out of the way of a possible crash. Center lane, depends what is happening in each of the two adjacent lanes on either side of me.

That way, even if they can't (or won't) stop at least you've given them a path to sail through that doesn't require them mowing you down to do so.

Back to them missing your brake lights - do everything you can to help ensure that your brake lights are visible, whether it means going to slightly higher powered brake-light bulbs or additional brake light indicators, or even just keeping your lens wiped clean of dirt and mud.

You can get kits for many bikes that convert your turn signal stalks into extra red brake-light indicators without affecting your turn signal functionality or turn signal colours when activated. You can also get auxiliary stand-alone brake lights with or without flash functions.

Unfortunately, many tail-tidy kits go the other way and reduce both brake-light and turn signal visibility to the point where they can be virtually invisible in bright daylight and minimally visible at night. Riders who mount these type of poorly-engineered kits aren't doing themselves any favours. Hopefully the OP isn't among this group.
 
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turbodish said:
Unfortunately, many tail-tidy kits go the other way and reduce both brake-light and turn signal visibility to the point where they can be virtually invisible in bright daylight and minimally visible at night. Riders who mount these type of poorly-engineered kits aren't doing themselves any favours. Hopefully the OP isn't among this group.
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Earlier this year I was driving in the car behind a bike with a integrated kit. When he braked and signaled his turn I had to really look hard to see the signal.. The brake light overwhelmed the signal light . Plus , being a fellow rider I paid him more attention than probably the average driver...
Being hit from behind is not fun :-(
 
Turbodish,

My rear lights and turn signals are all stock. They are working perfectly and my bike its spotless (therfore clean rear brake light). In this situation I don't think the driver not seeing my rear brake light due to size , type etc the was the issue. They were fixated on running the yellow and assumed I was going to do the same. I normally also pulse my brakes to give some advance warning. But in this situation I was forced to do a continuous soild braking just so that I would stop at a safe distance.
 
250R-ICE said:
Turbodish,

My rear lights and turn signals are all stock. They are working perfectly and my bike its spotless (therfore clean rear brake light). In this situation I don't think the driver not seeing my rear brake light due to size , type etc the was the issue. They were fixated on running the yellow and assumed I was going to do the same. I normally also pulse my brakes to give some advance warning. But in this situation I was forced to do a continuous soild braking just so that I would stop at a safe distance.
Click to expand...

There you go. You had a close call regardless. It makes you wonder why others would risk increasing their chances of having other vehicles not see their stop and turn movements by modifying their rear lighting with substandard lighting equipment. It also makes you wonder why others would minimize or eliminate their mirrors, making it tougher to monitor traffic behind them.

In any case, for me hard stopping plus traffic behind me usually means an automatic move to the extreme side of my lane "just in case".
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