Covid and riding

[nobbie48]

Forum Sponsor

It's sad to see the number of posts in "Riders Down"

Are too many people suffering from Covid fever, tired of the lockdowns or suffering from "I don't give a damn anymore", both riders and cagers?

Covid is still here, wreaking havoc with our hospitals but have we learned to shrug it off or shut it out of our minds, trying to make up for lost time?

It seems everyone is on edge.

Is 120 / 80 still the normal blood pressure?

 

[Jay Alexander]

Lockdown, disrupting our normal lives, and keeping us from friends and family has wreaked havoc emotionally for many. Too many people have lost their patience or grown more selfish. This is strictly anecdotal, but it's what it seems to have happened lately. My hope is people at least be safe when driving/riding. Obviously not worth getting injured or dying over something stupid.

 

[sburns]

Just my opinion, thoughts. With the lighter traffic we experienced over the last couple of years, allowed a lot of aggressive drivers to amp thing up. Now with traffic returning to somewhat normal levels those aggressive drivers have all gone unchecked and continue to cause problems.

Example, just the other day I drove to the end of my street to make a right onto a main road. I had to wait because there was a fair bit of traffic. This a-hole comes up behind me, then proceeds to go next to me, and also tries to make a right turn infront of me. So I had to nudge out into traffic both circumvent their stupidity and force myself into a lane.

These behaviours are becoming far to common on our roads, along with excessive speeds combine that with a lack of patience and it seems to be a recipe for disasters. Riders not being as protected as other vehicles are just losing out in the end.

 

[Merkid]

This stretch of warm temps is not helping keep folks focused on the road.

 

[ReSTored]

I try to avoid drawing conclusions with virtually no data. There are always idiots out there, but I haven't really noticed a significant change in behavior. Sometimes I see drivers and riders weaving in and out of traffic, most times not. Every couple of trips to and from cottage I encounter a left lane blocker on the 115, always been that way. Police are saying that stunt driving seizures were up doing lockdown, but is this because the volume had actually increased, or is it because they have had more time to focus on this due to a reduction in the number of cars on the road and the idiots stood out. Who knows?

Really no data on the riders down and even if there was, would it be statistically significant. In Brampton, a rider seems to have run into the back of a vehicle going in the same direction at 4AM. It was mentioned that speed may have been a contributing factor, no further info at this time. Seem to be a lot of single vehicle accidents as well. Was the rider impaired? How fast was he going? Was he with other riders or alone? Did the other vehicle change lanes? Lots of unanswered questions.

How is any of this relevant to me and you. Don't drink or smoke dope and ride. Maybe 15% over the limit is good, don't speed excessively, especially in traffic. Don't weave in and out of traffic. If you're out late at night or in the wee hours of the morning be aware that many other drivers on the road may well be impaired, so ride very defensively. Ride within your abilities, both alone and with others. Don't get sucked into trying to follow a group of riders that are better skilled than you. Avoid dawn or dusk riding in rural areas due to deer activity. No guarantees, but do these things and the chances of you being in the "Fallen Riders" will be significantly reduced.

 

[GreyGhost]

I try to avoid drawing conclusions with virtually no data. There are always idiots out there, but I haven't really noticed a significant change in behavior. Sometimes I see drivers and riders weaving in and out of traffic, most times not. Every couple of trips to and from cottage I encounter a left lane blocker on the 115, always been that way. Police are saying that stunt driving seizures were up doing lockdown, but is this because the volume had actually increased, or is it because they have had more time to focus on this due to a reduction in the number of cars on the road and the idiots stood out. Who knows?

Really no data on the riders down and even if there was, would it be statistically significant. In Brampton, a rider seems to have run into the back of a vehicle going in the same direction at 4AM. It was mentioned that speed may have been a contributing factor, no further info at this time. Seem to be a lot of single vehicle accidents as well. Was the rider impaired? How fast was he going? Was he with other riders or alone? Did the other vehicle change lanes? Lots of unanswered questions.

How is any of this relevant to me and you. Don't drink or smoke dope and ride. Maybe 15% over the limit is good, don't speed excessively, especially in traffic. Don't weave in and out of traffic. If you're out late at night or in the wee hours of the morning be aware that many other drivers on the road may well be impaired, so ride very defensively. Ride within your abilities, both alone and with others. Don't get sucked into trying to follow a group of riders that are better skilled than you. Avoid dawn or dusk riding in rural areas due to deer activity. No guarantees, but do these things and the chances of you being in the "Fallen Riders" will be significantly reduced.

In the last week there have been quite a few between midnight and 4 am. Terrible time to ride for the reasons you mentioned. Even worse time to pick up the pace because the roads feel empty. You only need a single obstacle to ruin your night (cars in a few cases, a pedestrian in another).

 

[nobbie48]

In the last week there have been quite a few between midnight and 4 am. Terrible time to ride for the reasons you mentioned. Even worse time to pick up the pace because the roads feel empty. You only need a single obstacle to ruin your night (cars in a few cases, a pedestrian in another)

Is that black spot a piece of plastic, grease, water or a pothole?

 

[GreyGhost]

Is that black spot a piece of plastic, grease, water or a pothole?

The upside to that question is the answer is the same for all of your options. Avoid if possible otherwise try to be as stable as you can. For people that are really hauling, they don't even get that far, they are outdriving their headlights and by the time their brain processes the existence of an obstacle, they can't react to deal with it.

 

[Baggsy]

Just my opinion, thoughts. With the lighter traffic we experienced over the last couple of years, allowed a lot of aggressive drivers to amp thing up. Now with traffic returning to somewhat normal levels those aggressive drivers have all gone unchecked and continue to cause problems.

Example, just the other day I drove to the end of my street to make a right onto a main road. I had to wait because there was a fair bit of traffic. This a-hole comes up behind me, then proceeds to go next to me, and also tries to make a right turn infront of me. So I had to nudge out into traffic both circumvent their stupidity and force myself into a lane.

These behaviours are becoming far to common on our roads, along with excessive speeds combine that with a lack of patience and it seems to be a recipe for disasters. Riders not being as protected as other vehicles are just losing out in the end.

When in Rome . . . there'd be two or three more cars beside you to trying to make the same turn.

 

[sburns]

When in Rome . . . there'd be two or three more cars beside you to trying to make the same turn.

I get what you are saying, I've experienced driving in other countries and it works because everyone is on the same page. Here not so much, and basically the other driver was being an A-hole, nothing more.

Forum Sponsor