Closest call ever for me when a car turns left | GTAMotorcycle.com

Closest call ever for me when a car turns left

itinkle

itinkle

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So I'm doing 60-70kph, 3rd gear not pushing hard at all, a van 50ft up tries to do a quick left in front of me. He is clearly horizontal to me as I'm hard on the brakes. In head, I was going staight through the passenger door. I knew I couldn't stop in time. My plan was to brake as hard as I could, and at the last micro second, decide if I was to chance swerving around hoping the car on my right lane isn't there and also hoping the car at the right of the intersection isn't going to simultaneously pull out and turn right (removing my last safe escape). Front brakes are sooooo good, didn't lock up, rear hung in, someone skidded. I think it was him cause if my front skidded, I'm guessing I'm going down. Last second, he stops blocking my entire lane, I swerve around. Im alive, so I did something right. But what could I have done differently. If he continued his turn, I was a dead man, so was it wrong to think how I was going to take the impact?
 
itinkle said:
So I'm doing 60-70kph, 3rd gear not pushing hard at all, a van 50ft up tries to do a quick left in front of me. He is clearly horizontal to me as I'm hard on the brakes. In head, I was going staight through the passenger door. I knew I couldn't stop in time. My plan was to brake as hard as I could, and at the last micro second, decide if I was to chance swerving around hoping the car on my right lane isn't there and also hoping the car at the right of the intersection isn't going to simultaneously pull out and turn right (removing my last safe escape). Front brakes are sooooo good, didn't lock up, rear hung in, someone skidded. I think it was him cause if my front skidded, I'm guessing I'm going down. Last second, he stops blocking my entire lane, I swerve around. Im alive, so I did something right. But what could I have done differently. If he continued his turn, I was a dead man, so was it wrong to think how I was going to take the impact?
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I'm sure someone may have a different opinion on what you did. But I think the most important thing is you kept your brain switched on the whole time and didn't lock it up allowing you to keep upright and keeping the chance to swerve.

Glad it worked out!
 
itinkle said:
So I'm doing 60-70kph, 3rd gear not pushing hard at all, a van 50ft up tries to do a quick left in front of me. He is clearly horizontal to me as I'm hard on the brakes. In head, I was going staight through the passenger door. I knew I couldn't stop in time. My plan was to brake as hard as I could, and at the last micro second, decide if I was to chance swerving around hoping the car on my right lane isn't there and also hoping the car at the right of the intersection isn't going to simultaneously pull out and turn right (removing my last safe escape). Front brakes are sooooo good, didn't lock up, rear hung in, someone skidded. I think it was him cause if my front skidded, I'm guessing I'm going down. Last second, he stops blocking my entire lane, I swerve around. Im alive, so I did something right. But what could I have done differently. If he continued his turn, I was a dead man, so was it wrong to think how I was going to take the impact?
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Perhaps earlier anticipation.. ?
But good reactions otherwise.

Here's what I do If I see a turning vehicle ahead, I will look at the driver to see if they are looking at me,... if I cant see driver due to glare or dark tint (wankers) then I will be on high caution mode as I approach.

My close one this year has been a woman who stopped at the light BEFORE it went to Yellow!! She was watching the pedestrian count down and decided to stop when it was 2 secs to go!! I Stopped 1/2 foot from rear of car.. ABS kicked in and stopped me from sliding, but my stopping distance was longer than I thought it would be! yikes!

btw - just because they are looking at you, doesnt mean they see you or wont still turn infront of you!
 
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Too many idiots on the road now days.
I'm not an experienced rider at all, but this is what I do when driving a car...

When i am going straight and i see a car coming in the opposite direction wanting to turn left, i slow down anyways and I actually look at the driver and see what they are doing. I persume he's going to try and turn before me even though it might be impossible for him to. I just persume people are going to make the mistake. Just helps me anticipate there mistakes and find a way out even if they don't make the mistake.

I'm sure I'll learn more once i start riding more. (Gonna be buying my first bike soon).
 
A wise man once said...

It doesn't matter whether you win by an inch or a mile.

Winning is Winning.
 
^ True, dat. You did well.

Only thing you can really do with these is try to minimize the chance of it happening (wiggle your handlebars approaching the intersection - motion attracts attention - see V-Tom's excellent thread on this) and not be going too fast, to reduce the severity, and if something bad happens, scrub off as much speed as you can, as soon as you can.

I've been there, and I hit the car. But I'd cut the speed down from 60ish to maybe 20ish at the time of impact. Only injury was a broken wrist.
 
Glad you came out of things alright. What could you have done differently? You're safe and your bike is intact. I say, you done good.


The question is, how does it change your mindset approaching an intersection now?

I never assume to have the right away approaching an interesection and always assume that vehicle is about to turn in front of me. I do reduce my speed at known intersections that have blind spots or prone to vehicles taking chances to make those left hand turns.

It's the same when I'm riding down a road in the same direction of traffic and the left lane is stopped because of a vehicle turning. My lane is clear but, I know those stopped vehicles are itching to switch into my lane because they believe it's clear and they are impatient.


I slow right down because it doesn't matter my pace of travel, they generally do it not matter what. Sometimes they even see me and think they can make it anyways.

Just continue to look for escape routes or be prepared to stop when approaching those situations.

Cheers.
 
nakkers said:
G

I never assume to have the right away approaching an interesection and always assume that vehicle is about to turn in front of me. I do reduce my speed at known intersections that have blind spots or prone to vehicles taking chances to make those left hand turns.
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Seconded. Right of way (any rule, really) is a pleasant convention, but I would never bet my life on it. Some people believe in the rule of law and ethics, but I'm a physics man, wins every time.

In traffic, you have four outs. On a clock they would be 11, 12, 1 and 6 o'clock respectively. Twelve and six are accelerate and brake. What you did right was made sure you weren't boxed in and still had at least one forward out (11 o'clock). What you did wrong was already forfeiting an out (6) when the van took up your 12 and/or 1.

Always keep three outs open. If you get reduced to fewer, find another part of traffic to ride in.
 
Good job keeping it together, repetition makes good habits!

Don't trust anyone. I usually have my thumb on the horn button ready to go in situations like that. If I see for a second they're gonna move I'll lay on the horn. That's what it's for man, people get too scared to use it, and people get way too offended sometimes when you use it but that's what the horn is for. USE IT! In my car I always have a hand on the horn when I'm passing cars (especially minivans, those are devil spawn) or going through an intersection against a left turner.
 
You're intact as is your bike, so you did well. Suggestions include slowing down for an intersection, using a car or a truck as a blocking obstacle (If you are going through the intersection together, make sure your blocker is between you and the threat), and a preemptive use of your horn. If I am remotely unsure that the other driver may not stop, I lay on the horn (dual Fiamm Freeway Blasters). Sometimes I do the wiggle to try to snap them out of their autopilot. Intersections are the most dangerous areas of the road. Inattentional blindness of the driver can make a motorcycle/car/truck/train disappear.

Have faith that our fellow man shan't squish us like a bug.
 
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Damn those left turning cars always make me nervous. Question: if a car turns infront of you, is it best to go around the front of the car or swerve around the back? Of course every situation is different and you gotta adjust accordingly, but what should I be looking to do as option #1?
 
DOHC1 said:
Damn those left turning cars always make me nervous. Question: if a car turns infront of you, is it best to go around the front of the car or swerve around the back? Of course every situation is different and you gotta adjust accordingly, but what should I be looking to do as option #1?
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Stopping is option one, because its the only one that doesn't depend on the other guy.
 
Any vehicle pointing at me or my path of travel or able to merge into me is taken with high caution. Which is pretty much every vehicle with its engine running or off but in neutral. The dumbest mistake can take you down. One of the kids at the dealership I work at had his foot sideways on the brake pedal as he was parking into a spot, his foot slipped onto the gas and 135i plus brick wall = fired.
 
that's not an easy skill to swerve because some people lose focus and try to serve while braking than the bike goes down.

If you swerve behind the car you'd better be in the far right lane with no cars to your left or else you can have a head on collision with on coming traffic than you'd be dead or critically injured. Swerving in front of the car you'd have to trust the car stopping or they'd punt you down a block.

Best option would be to stop as you'd have to be super calm to foresee many other options and that's not easy while your focus is on stopping. Though if you're calm like the OP some escape routes can open up just depends how confident you are in your swerving skills.
 
If you ride with the expectation that everyone around you will do something dumb you get to plan your actions a tiny bit more.

I find riding with a completely empty head isn't really possible unless I'm on a deserted highway, but even then there's the critter factor.
 
When faced with the similar situation, I flip on my high beams, swerve in my lane n drop my speed long before to make myself as visible as possible. So far it has worked, grabing the attention of any driver facing me or are about to turn into my lane.
 
Thanks for the help. I should think everyone is a moron and always expect them to kill me. I used to think that when I first bought my bike. Oh and I like the idea of moving my handle bars fast to get my headlight to flash a bit in their eyes, I would think it would get attention.
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