The heat wave is finally washing ashore us here in So. Cal. Time to break out the summer mesh gear and wet the UnderArmour. But as was riding home from the office yesterday, I had a near rude awakening that summer can be a fun time, yet the most dangereous time for bikers, at least in So. Cal.
I was going down Rosemead Blvd. in San Gabriel after getting off of the 210 Fwy to stop at the 76 station known for one of the least expensive gas prices around town. Of coarse, traffic was bad. So I started going down between lanes in stopped traffic (by a red light). When this retard past middle age guy starts closing gap on me! Not on purpose: The light turned green and the traffic was slowly picking up to move. He decided to take that moment to "nudge" his way into a lane change from his left lane to the right lane without signaling (So. Cal. drivers on majority do that). Upon realizing this, I stopped inches with my clutch side fairings next to the passenge side mirror of his nice, expensive, Champagne color Jaugeuar. Luckily he stopped too.
I leaned on my tank, looked at him, and gave him that hand signal of "what are you doing, stupid!!". I let him change lanes. Turns out he was trying to change lanes from a stop (with all that traffic around him) to get to the same gas station I was going to. I had to pull my helmet, walk up to him as he was pulling up to a pump to point at him and gesture with 2 fingers for him to keep his eyes peeled. He held up a apologetic hand, we both got our over-priced gas and went our merry ways.
What gets me is that he intended to force his way into the right lane from a stop with no consideration of that car that was next to him. Unfortunately (glad that was the extent of the word), I happened to come in between this retard and the car that he was trying to force into. All WITHOUT using his signal to give me an idea of what he was trying to do!
Wish I COULD say that that's only drivers in So. Cal, but from what I've been reading online in this forum and SuzukiHayabusa (there's a posting of a driver that intentionally ran over a biker and dragged the bike underneath the car for 4 miles in N.C.!)... it's not isolated in So. Cal.
Which got me thinking that summer is a particularly dangereous time for us bikers. Pre-accident and even Post-accident. Allow me to count the ways:
Pre-accident:
* More cars on the road in summer. Maybe because the kids are out of school?
* More cars = more traffic. Plus some of the cars break down more easily in heat, adding to the traffic congestion. Splitting / Sharing lanes or not, bikers are ALWAYS at more risk being caught up in a pack of traffic.
* Drivers in cars are more isolated. Most people will have their A/C during summer to stay cool in their vehicles. That typically means windows are rolled up. Vehicles with tinted windows makes it even worst, now the driver is not only not able to hear us coming/near them, their visability of us are even more limited by the tinted windows. Worst of all are the higher priced luxary vehicles with tints. Those cars are so sound isolated, the drivers usually won't even know if a nuke bomb went off in the lane next to them. And the drivers "bumping" their music with their "pimped out" tint rides are up there too.
* Aggravated / Malice Drivers. Nothing pisses off people more than being stuck in traffic on a hot summer day(especially if they don't have A/C) while they see bikers being able to split lanes and/or use the carpool / HOV lane, at least in California. Not many, but there are a few drivers out there that will really are out to aim at us like we're targets. I've experienced a few myself, as I'm sure most of you have too.
Post-Accident:
* Too hot for leather, which is the safest gear we have, so most of us have to use mesh gear or plan out denim. Because of the summer heat, most of us will compromise the safest leather gear for the comfort of mesh gear. In the event of a down, I bet most if not all would wished to have endured the how sticky leather instead of the flimsy mesh.
* More Cars = more traffic congestion. Same as in the Pre-Accident section, but now it's not for us to move about freely or avoid accidents. It has happened, we're down. Most cases, a EMT of sort would be dispatch to get to us. Now how freely and quickly could they get to us while we lay on the pavement with our helmets still strapped on because there's a crowd that's gathered around us, and someone yells "don't move him!", and there's a traffic jam surrounding us. And once the EMT does get to us, how quickly can they get us out and to the nearest hospital? Minus a airlift that is.
So at the end of all this ranting and raving of mine... what's it come down to? Just be more careful, and say a prayer to whatever/whoever god/budda/allah/shiva/lucky charm that you believe in. Because most of us on this board will not stop riding during this "Biker Hunting" season, and most would still wear mesh / denim for comfort in risking the sacrafice the safety of leather.
Be careful, be cool, be alert, be ready, and most of all, BE SAFE.
I was going down Rosemead Blvd. in San Gabriel after getting off of the 210 Fwy to stop at the 76 station known for one of the least expensive gas prices around town. Of coarse, traffic was bad. So I started going down between lanes in stopped traffic (by a red light). When this retard past middle age guy starts closing gap on me! Not on purpose: The light turned green and the traffic was slowly picking up to move. He decided to take that moment to "nudge" his way into a lane change from his left lane to the right lane without signaling (So. Cal. drivers on majority do that). Upon realizing this, I stopped inches with my clutch side fairings next to the passenge side mirror of his nice, expensive, Champagne color Jaugeuar. Luckily he stopped too.
I leaned on my tank, looked at him, and gave him that hand signal of "what are you doing, stupid!!". I let him change lanes. Turns out he was trying to change lanes from a stop (with all that traffic around him) to get to the same gas station I was going to. I had to pull my helmet, walk up to him as he was pulling up to a pump to point at him and gesture with 2 fingers for him to keep his eyes peeled. He held up a apologetic hand, we both got our over-priced gas and went our merry ways.
What gets me is that he intended to force his way into the right lane from a stop with no consideration of that car that was next to him. Unfortunately (glad that was the extent of the word), I happened to come in between this retard and the car that he was trying to force into. All WITHOUT using his signal to give me an idea of what he was trying to do!
Wish I COULD say that that's only drivers in So. Cal, but from what I've been reading online in this forum and SuzukiHayabusa (there's a posting of a driver that intentionally ran over a biker and dragged the bike underneath the car for 4 miles in N.C.!)... it's not isolated in So. Cal.
Which got me thinking that summer is a particularly dangereous time for us bikers. Pre-accident and even Post-accident. Allow me to count the ways:
Pre-accident:
* More cars on the road in summer. Maybe because the kids are out of school?
* More cars = more traffic. Plus some of the cars break down more easily in heat, adding to the traffic congestion. Splitting / Sharing lanes or not, bikers are ALWAYS at more risk being caught up in a pack of traffic.
* Drivers in cars are more isolated. Most people will have their A/C during summer to stay cool in their vehicles. That typically means windows are rolled up. Vehicles with tinted windows makes it even worst, now the driver is not only not able to hear us coming/near them, their visability of us are even more limited by the tinted windows. Worst of all are the higher priced luxary vehicles with tints. Those cars are so sound isolated, the drivers usually won't even know if a nuke bomb went off in the lane next to them. And the drivers "bumping" their music with their "pimped out" tint rides are up there too.
* Aggravated / Malice Drivers. Nothing pisses off people more than being stuck in traffic on a hot summer day(especially if they don't have A/C) while they see bikers being able to split lanes and/or use the carpool / HOV lane, at least in California. Not many, but there are a few drivers out there that will really are out to aim at us like we're targets. I've experienced a few myself, as I'm sure most of you have too.
Post-Accident:
* Too hot for leather, which is the safest gear we have, so most of us have to use mesh gear or plan out denim. Because of the summer heat, most of us will compromise the safest leather gear for the comfort of mesh gear. In the event of a down, I bet most if not all would wished to have endured the how sticky leather instead of the flimsy mesh.
* More Cars = more traffic congestion. Same as in the Pre-Accident section, but now it's not for us to move about freely or avoid accidents. It has happened, we're down. Most cases, a EMT of sort would be dispatch to get to us. Now how freely and quickly could they get to us while we lay on the pavement with our helmets still strapped on because there's a crowd that's gathered around us, and someone yells "don't move him!", and there's a traffic jam surrounding us. And once the EMT does get to us, how quickly can they get us out and to the nearest hospital? Minus a airlift that is.
So at the end of all this ranting and raving of mine... what's it come down to? Just be more careful, and say a prayer to whatever/whoever god/budda/allah/shiva/lucky charm that you believe in. Because most of us on this board will not stop riding during this "Biker Hunting" season, and most would still wear mesh / denim for comfort in risking the sacrafice the safety of leather.
Be careful, be cool, be alert, be ready, and most of all, BE SAFE.
