"Close Calls".

[GreyGhost]

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The bottom line is that some accidents are avoidable due more effective defensive driving/riding and some are not.

Daughter was sole occupant in SUV on major Mississauga street late evening, 3 lanes each direction and distracted driver crosses 3 lanes and plows into her at about 60 - 70 kph. Offset headon and her engine was pushed back about a foot into the (vacant) passenger footwell. Unfortunately, the other smaller and lighter car had the same type of damage and the passenger did not fare well. Needless to say, both vehicles totalled and 3 other cars involved.

I don't think there was anything she could have done to avoid this accident, just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fate plays a major role in these these types of situations.

Agreed, but in almost every situation, you can actively work to make your own luck by making good choices on speed, lane choice and position, following a blocker vehicle etc. You can't avoid everything but you can dramatically improve your odds of surviving.

As much as I dislike following people in general, at night when out where the big animals roam, I will often stay behind another car. I get to use their headlights to see further, I get to see their reaction to something I haven't seen yet and worst case, they punt the moose standing on the road (and if it was running, hopefully step A or B gave me some notice).

 

[cavefish]

Instinct plays a huge part in riding. Heading north with my GF on the back I was following a trailer and I caught something out of the corner of my eye that came off the trailer. I felt very uncomfortable at that point and pulled out and passed them. Just before I pulled back into the lane I see behind me the entire double wheel come right off the trailer. Chances are I would have hit it at speed, I count myself very lucky.

 

[FullMotoJacket]

As much as I dislike following people in general, at night when out where the big animals roam, I will often stay behind another car. I get to use their headlights to see further, I get to see their reaction to something I haven't seen yet and worst case, they punt the moose standing on the road (and if it was running, hopefully step A or B gave me some notice).

Following two cars (in a car) down Cedar Springs Rd., reasonable gap between all cars, no one behind me. Deer waited till the first two cars passed before deciding to bolt across the road. You spin the wheel and you take your chances.

 

[Trials]

Twice! My daughter came SO close to being killed getting on a school bus it was ridiculous.
Both times were way scarier close calls then Anything I have ever done on a motorcycle. I don't even like to describe it, suffice to say one was in dense fog ( lots of other people got hurt) and the other, well a car passed the stopped bus on the gravel shoulder at speed, between her and the open bus door.

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