The Official Un-official close call thread....

[saygbye]

Just wanted to start a thread to see how many folks on here have close calls with a cager. i ride to work everyday so im on the bike quite a bit more than just the average "ride for fun" guy.
However i find that at least twice a week some dumba** cager just....
1) makes me so mad i want to choke them out
2) makes me ride more aggressively than i want to
3) just shake my head

dont really know why i have the differing reactions i guess it just depends on what strikes me at the time.

here is what has happened to me in the past 2 weeks of riding to work.
1) had a guy coming off another highway not merge at all, not look, signal or anything come right into my lane.(cop saw him and pulled him over)
2) had a guy come up beside me, where his lane was ending, look me dead in the eye and whip right in front of me.(gave him a big 'ol thumbs up as i got the h*** out of there...fast)
3) had an idoit pull out right in front of me, off a side street and go about 10 miles an hour.(kicked at the side of her car as i passed)

btw, 2 & 3 happened on the same day.

sorry about the long rant but dam does anybody pay attention anymore or what?

ok lets hear em.

 

[nabusa]

On the way home Saturday I was in the left lane when this mini van came along side me. Then proceeded to move to my lane as if I wasn't even there. I slowed down and moved to her right side and she flipped me off. I almost, almost lost my damn mind. But instead I just got infront of her and drove 5 under the speed limit for 10miles. Watching her screaming made my day.

Oh and 2 & 3 on your post happens to me all the time. I ride my bike to work every day and it's a 80mile round trip.

 

[BusaBret]

The wife and I were going for coffee last week. Had to cross the river and each bridge is 3 lanes. I started past her with an empty lane between us. She came all the way to my lane while putting on lipstick with the mirror on the sun visor. She realized where she was when I evacuated the area.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[mr8ball]

Glad you made it Ok. Here is my story. Just yesterday I was riding down the road and ran up on a sherifs car. We get caught by the light and another sherifs car pulls up beside him in the right turning lane, stops and said something to each other and then the one on the right turns and goes on. I notice they are both on the phone so no big deal. The light changes and we take off and the one in front of me is just kinda going slow so I pull out to pass him. As I get beside him I notice that he is coming into my lane. I am on the horn revving the engine anything so he will see me. Well, nothing!! I just have enough room to slow down to let him get in front of me and I am waving my arms and still on the horn. He goes into a left turn lane still on the phone. Man was I pissed. It was to many cars behind me to stop and give him that what for but. If he would have hit me man it would have been on then. I just wish I would have had a gopro then. No one pays attention to bikes at all these days.

 

[Hectic]

I've had more close calls than I'd like to think about. The kid trying to play tag a few weeks ago, people not paying attention, pulling out unexpectedly or people deciding they want to drive thirty miles an hour on the gd highway.

Minivans. I hate them. I don't think you can buy one if you hold a valid driver's license.

I admit I tend to roadrage pretty bad, but I feel that people drive worse and worse every year. Makes me want to move to the middle of nowhere.

 

[Hectic]

Idea: I propose that those of us who wear Bluetooth helmets rig up a system that replaces the horn with a high powered loudspeaker, sync it with our lids and pull power to it through the horn button. What would get a cager's attention better, the horn going honk, or someone yelling "What the **** are you doing, man!? Get in your own lane!"

 

[xx2busa]

In my opinion the largest hazard I see almost everyday is a women with cell phone glued 2 her ear. I get away from them as fast as possiblelease:

 

[chrisjp]

megaphone idea is good..or train air horn mod!!

 

[chrisjp]

I forget about them soon as they happen.

 

[Gregor6]

I forget a lot of them, but one that stuck with me was when I was on the R6.

I pulled out on route 23 (two lanes each direction plus a center turn lane)
I was in the left lane a Dodge Dakota was in the slow lane. I was cruising along thinking about everything BUT what I was doing. :sulk:

I came near the BMV and seen a car with a young girl driving and (her mother?) in the passenger seat. She turned right in front of me. I checked my mirror and couldnt see that Dakota anymore. I looked back at the woman and could read her lips "he's right there!!" pointing right at me.
The little girl was freaking out. she was checking her mirrors and not sure to put it in reverse or what.
I did a quick check and went into the turn lane and passed the car without harm. Once I got through the intersection the car waited for a second then went into the BMV parking lot.
I was a little further down the road and then it hit me what happened. I could have hit that car! I thought about going back to scare the girl into watching out for riders..

Not sure if its a good thing that I can be off in La La land and still make it safely around cars? If I was watching what I was doing, I would have stopped, waited and probably flipped them off. Dont know...

 

[busaziggy]

Be careful and try to stay cool. Cars go to the autobody shop bike riders go to the hospital. I don't think you/we/I can teach the inattentive people anything.
They are in their own world and nothing else exists/matters......my 2bits worth.

ziggy

 

[BUSA CRUSEN]

last weekend I went to chelan for my cousins wedding and got rear ended. Luckily I was in my car. My wife was with me and I was about to start freaking out on the guy, but when I looked there was no damage. I think he knew how lucky he got by his reaction. Two days later I was riding my busa home from school and pulled up to some slow moving traffic in town. They were going maybe 5 to 10 mph when I hear really loud tires screeching right behind me. WTF! I looked back and there was a car just a couple feet behind me. The bastard must've been hauling to screech his tires that much. If that guy hit me and hurt my bike he would've regretted it big time. I was still pretty unhappy about the weekend.

 

[BusaWhipped]

Happens pretty much every day commuting in STL traffic. You gotta just take a deep breath and let it go. Raging on a bike around cars and trucks is a recipe for disaster and it won't be the cage driver that gets hurt.

 

[Josh]

Unsignaled lane changes on the slab is what I deal with most frequently. It's usually girls on phones. I handle my business, then typically blow kisses as I go around them. Had an old dude almost take me out on 95 South a couple years ago, then follow me until I stopped to apologize. I'd guess he was probably in his late 80s, had retired Marine stuff on his truck. We talked for a few and went on our separate ways.

It happens pretty often. Stay alert and ride like everyone else is trying to kill you.

 

[Jacobs]

Stay alert and ride like everyone else is trying to kill you.

Words to live by right there. It's sad that it's come to that, but it's the only way to insure yourself/your passenger's safety anymore