motorcycle crash in Dallas

[upflying]

This video seems to be making the rounds. Let's see if we can count the number of mistakes that almost killed him. Excluding the mistake of the cage that rearended him of course.

Failure to ride with high visual scan

Following too close

Riding in the center of the lane

Locked rear wheel braking

Not watching six

Not diving left or right around the car ahead

Any others?

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/caught-on-tape-motorcyclist-hit-by-car-13457488

[bobbybob]

This video seems to be making the rounds. Let's see if we can count the number of mistakes that almost killed him. Excluding the mistake of the cage that rearended him of course.

Failure to ride with high visual scan

Following too close

Riding in the center of the lane

Locked rear wheel braking

Not watching six

Not diving left or right around the car ahead

Any others?

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/caught-on-tape-motorcyclist-hit-by-car-13457488

 

How can you tell all that from that grainy video? Actually it looked to me that he sped up and got closer to the car in front possibly because he saw the car closing from the rear...?

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

This video seems to be making the rounds. Let's see if we can count the number of mistakes that almost killed him. Excluding the mistake of the cage that rearended him of course.

Failure to ride with high visual scan

Following too close

Riding in the center of the lane

Locked rear wheel braking

Not watching six

Not diving left or right around the car ahead

Any others?

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/caught-on-tape-motorcyclist-hit-by-car-13457488

 

Not sharing the lanes.

[Groanup]

I caught the interview with the guy. He's getting married and his soon to be wife isn't going to allow him to ride a motorcycle anymore... Probably just as well...

Lucky kid...

[Paul Mihalka]

"his soon to be wife isn't going to allow him to ride a motorcycle anymore..."

 

If he is crossing the street and steps off the sidewalk, falls and breaks a leg, she is not going to let him walk again ?

[AviP]

Failure to ride with high visual scan

+1

 

Following too close

Not sure. It does look like a typical city commute. A big gap would be reduced by some other vehicle anyway. On closer review, it looks like he was 4+ car lengths away.

 

Riding in the center of the lane

+1

 

Locked rear wheel braking

Probably nothing he could do about that.

 

Not watching six

Hard to say. He's skidding anyway and it wouldn't help him even if he was watching since he can't turn.

 

Not diving left or right around the car ahead

+1

 

Any others?

I think you covered it well.

[PhilipJCaputo]

wow on 2 levels... 1, that he wasn't killed. 2, that ABC made me watch a 60 second long ad for a 32 second video.

 

try this link

 

 

and or this one

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URDaZSPkO2o

[Groanup]

"his soon to be wife isn't going to allow him to ride a motorcycle anymore..."

 

If he is crossing the street and steps off the sidewalk, falls and breaks a leg, she is not going to let him walk again ?

 

You're preaching to the choir Paul. I personally would not marry a woman who would not let me ride, just ask my wife!

 

It sounded like she was going to make him stop riding before this event at any rate.

The kid had training before he went to Iraq. I'm sure it helped him survive. Seems he didn't have the proper training to survive out on the road on two wheels.

Like I said, lucky kid...

 

Here's the link I used. 15 second comercial...

LINK

[Skywagon]

I dunno... The first thing for me, and it is just a personal thing is I don't ride in the left hand lane in commute traffic. The Dallas North Tollway has very narrow lanes and traffic is fast. I don't like driving on that road in my Tahoe. After looking at it a few times his spacing seems consistent with other traffic. Locking up the rear brake probably can't be helped. I rented a HD Dyna Wide Glide one time and the same thing happened to me. Trying to stop to avoid an accident in a hurry, I locked the back wheel and the bike was fish tailing like crazy. I kept trying to get off the brake, but the more I did the closer I came to peril. Love my ABS Whizzy brakes.

 

I suspect a motorcycle will creep back in the garage down the road. It will start with a dirt bike. Guarantee it will slow him down.

 

If he weren't so young and fit, it would have been a lot worse.

[David13]

This is only half of it. I saw the version without the commercial advertisement, but with the interview.

This 'war veteran' said that he saw the car driving crazy or erratic, weaving, and it appeared they were 'dancing' in the car. So he sped up and got in front of them.

5 or 10 feet in front of them????

That's his positioning when he sees a crazy driver? Speed up and get in front of them?

The wife is doing this guy a big favor. She realizes what he doesn't. He doesn't need to ride a motorcycle.

dc

[dirtrider]

I saw the original airing on the morning news and part of the story was about the driver that hit him. Apparently the driver that hit didn’t have a drivers license OR insurance. The police just ticketed him “AND LET HIM GO”.

[ElevenFifty]

This 'war veteran' said that he saw the car driving crazy or erratic, weaving, and it appeared they were 'dancing' in the car. So he sped up and got in front of them.

5 or 10 feet in front of them???

 

There you have it. Distracted erratic driver was going to rear-end somebody. The kid made a very bad choice ... if you can't outrun them then out-slow them but GET AWAY!

[beemerman2k]

This kid made very poor choices. His first mistake was riding without a rider education, and spending time reading books like, "Proficient Motorcycling" by David Hough.

 

Unfortunately, this is what happens when you cannot lane split as well. He could have done everything right, and the driver behind him could have been perfectly alert and just happening to be messing with his cell phone when the pileup occurs. Yet, if this motorcyclist could have split lanes, he would have had more options in avoiding this accident.

[upflying]

This kid made very poor choices. His first mistake was riding without a rider education, and spending time reading books like, "Proficient Motorcycling" by David Hough.

 

Unfortunately, this is what happens when you cannot lane split as well. He could have done everything right, and the driver behind him could have been perfectly alert and just happening to be messing with his cell phone when the pileup occurs. Yet, if this motorcyclist could have split lanes, he would have had more options in avoiding this accident.

Correct. My point is if you check your six when slowing and see the threat coming, feel free to lane split to save your ash, legal or not. I'll take a lane split ticket if it means avoiding a collision/injury/death.

[AviP]

Correct. My point is if you check your six when slowing and see the threat coming, feel free to lane split to save your ash, legal or not. I'll take a lane split ticket if it means avoiding a collision/injury/death.

It's hard to lane split when you have locked up the rear tire thereby losing all ability to turn the bike. Bu I would agree that this should have been his first option, even before touching the brakes.

[upflying]

Correct. My point is if you check your six when slowing and see the threat coming, feel free to lane split to save your ash, legal or not. I'll take a lane split ticket if it means avoiding a collision/injury/death.

It's hard to lane split when you have locked up the rear tire thereby losing all ability to turn the bike. Bu I would agree that this should have been his first option, even before touching the brakes.

And had he been riding on the right or left portion of the lane, he may have been able to set up that accident avoidance evasion lane split. This may have also eliminated the need for the rider to apply panic locked wheel rear braking.

[dhanson]

Couple of big mistakes that put him in harms way.

 

First, he identified a careless driver, decides to pass and then pull in front of this car in pretty fast and heavy traffic. Avoid do not agitate bad drivers.

 

Second, he pulled in front of the car while not observing traffic ahead was slowing/braking, then panics with locking up rear wheel, lost of control results. Control your braking, watch your 6 when hitting the brakes, look for exit routes to either side if traffic behind is not stopping.

 

Rider or family should have gotten lawyer and sued or pushed for law enforcement to the guy that rearended. Regardless that the rider brought this on himself, the car had responsibility to stop or at least hit the brakes.

[Glenn Reed]

Also, by setting up in the center of the lane, he made locking up much more likely, with the oil that typically accumulates there.

[Mister Tee]

This kid made very poor choices. His first mistake was riding without a rider education, and spending time reading books like, "Proficient Motorcycling" by David Hough.

 

Unfortunately, this is what happens when you cannot lane split as well. He could have done everything right, and the driver behind him could have been perfectly alert and just happening to be messing with his cell phone when the pileup occurs. Yet, if this motorcyclist could have split lanes, he would have had more options in avoiding this accident.

 

I had the same exact thought. I am so used to riding in California (even though I'm not from California) that I am conditioned to hang out between the #1 and #2 lanes so I can be prepared to split or otherwise maneuver to avoid an accident. Of course, in the end, I'll do whatever I need to do to avoid an accident and I'll gladly take a ticket over a smashed bike and body if it comes down to that.

[Dave_C]

when traffic slows down ahead of me I slide over and split the lanes just to avoid this very thing. Also, if you are near a car that's driving erratically, I'm pretty sure you have plenty of power to get away.

[beemerboy]

The accident disturbed me. The other thing that really disturbed me is the actual video monitoring. Yea, I know this is off topic and no, I don't want to hijack this thread but it creeps me out that we're on video everywhere except our homes. Some people say that the day will come when we're being monitored there, too.

 

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.....