Things In Front of Me that Make Me Cautious

[Dolph]

Bicyclers riding side by side and oblivious on narrow two lane roads, and ususally there is an oncoming cage to complicate the situation. Nearly had to make the decision who to hit just the other day. (Guess the cyclers would have been softer)

[HappyMan]

Anyone wearing one of those flat hats and with a license plate from FL!

 

Generally anthing that breathes and thinks they are in control of their four wheeled cage.

[Knifemaker]

You're traveling way too close for this one

[Knifemaker]

_________________________________________________________

 

Cannabis smoke/smell from some vehicle ahead of me...

_________________________________________________________

 

You're following way to close

[Rusty1945]

All of the above. And I'm so spooked, I'm parking it for good

 

Rusty

(I lied)

[murrayg]

1. Newly mowed grass spread across my side of the road.

2. Any vehicle relatively closs to me with the stars and bars displayed.

3. Road kill

4. Deer on or visible from the road

5. Suite cases

6. 2 x 4's

7. Big card board boxes on the road or on the shoulder

8. Any vehicle speeding up behind me

9. Birds in the road, never sure if they are going to get out of the way in time.

10. Dogs not on a leash anywhere near the road

11. Free range cattle zones. Had to come to a quick, non panic stop for a heard of cattle in Colorado. Until that time I had no idea that free range could mean meandering on the beep'n road.

12. Drivers throwing drink cans out of their pick up trucks (in my experience)

13. Road ripples caused by heavy vehicles braking heavily repeatedly.

14. flatbed truck hauling hay bales. Some always breaks loose.

15. Farm tractors on the road.

16. Any oncomimng vehicle in my lane.

17. Pack of cruisers in front of me on a twisty two-lane road.

18. School buses

19. road construction zones where the lanes shift and they are using the Jersey barriers.

20. Road gators (the remains of tires on the road)

 

I think that's enough for now. With all this stuff it's hard to remember why I like to ride.

[Kenny2]

A mattress atop any small car.

 

Or atop the SUV that has to do the 75mph.

Had a SUV with the mattress NOT even touching the roof pass me last night. Held in place by the twine. While riding with my 16 yo. Told her to AVOID vehicles like that, like the plague.

[wrestleantares]

Since an incident 2 years ago -

 

Trucks hauling mobile homes. Sure you cannot see around them well, we all know that.

 

But when a 10 foot section of the home falls off in front of you, you learn the real meaning of panic braking. I am pleased to say my reactions kept me out of the main debris, but I had to let off the brakes and pray as I went through some of the scraps.

[Carl_T]

1. Corners with road surface bathed in camouflage shadows/sun spots, from thick tree branches (can’t read surface hazards).

2. Flash of light off of something very shiny through the foliage of a blind turn (one alerted me to a car stopped dead center of my lane hidden by roadside bushes.

3. flat cardboard, crushed cans, or anything slick that could jam under a tire under braking.

[JohnBoy]

Leaving El Paseo there was a group of 8 of us heading back to Charlotte. We came up on an old Toyota pickup with a load of old looking lumber. The lumber was too long for the bed, so they had stacked it on TOP of the closed tailgate, sticking out the back and sitting on top of the cab. It was tied down in the middle with what looked like some old rope. Not only this......but I caught a faint wiff of their 'drug of choice' for the morning.

 

Thank goodness I was in the back of the formation.

[ChrisM]

If it ain't behind me and stopped or moving slow, it's something to keep track of.

[MWS]

Long line of cars waiting to turn, I'm in the other lane going straight, just expecting someone to jump out of their lane into mine, with no indication!

 

It's happened in my cage, but not on the bike....yet!

[BULLman]

No one has mentioned -

 

1) Anyone driving a Ryder or U-Haul truck [because the last time they've driven a truck that big is... NEVER!!! ]

 

2) Pick-ups with sheets of plywood or sheet-rock on top of the roof racks. Saw one make a short-stop at a red light and his load kept going into the middle of the intersection.

 

3) Also, I've seen a piece of plywood flip of the back of a moving truck right in front of me [thank goodness I was alert enough on the cellphone to avoid it ]

 

[bTW, I don't normally talk and drive at the same time because I am aware of I can do only one thing at a time ]

[270]

a) Those little cement mixers towed behind pickup trucks. The driver usually can't see the trailer, and if s/he could, he'd notice that the tires suck and are out of round and/or underinflated. Watching those top heavy things weave around scares me to death.

 

b) Big loose things in pickup trucks.

 

c) Loads on flatbeds that are leaning to one side.

 

d) Ladders on bed racks with one little bungie strap at each end. Eek!

 

e) Any diesel motor home on a freeway entrance ramp with a license plate from a different state. Chances are decent that they've just filled up and forgot to put the fuel cap back on.

 

f) Any motor home, gas or diesel, climbing a long, slow grade. That's when you're likely to see overflowing coolant.

 

g) Right hand curves on narrow roads with gravel shoulders, as that's when long trucks swing inside and "track" the gravel back onto the road.

 

You?

 

1) Anytime I'm between a vehicle and an exit ramp or turn, whether they are moving the same direction or opposite of my direction of travel.

 

2) Any "spot" in the pavement that is inconsistent with the color of the surrounding surface.

 

3) Any vehicle with anything riding in or on said vehicle that doesn't appear as if it came from the factory that way; bicycles, laders, boards, trailers, etc.

 

4) Any vehicle traveling in the left lane that is traveling below the rate of travel of vehicles in the other lanes moving the same direction...they're either turning or just slowed you enough to cause a need to change lanes and pass on the right, but another driver from behind also intends to use your new lane choice...and it traveling 20 mph faster than you when you enter the lane in front of them...not good unless you're on a new sport bike

 

5) Brake lights...even one brake light from any vehicle in front of me regardless of lane.

 

6) Turns (specifically sweepers) that are blind due to traffic or concrete barriers...don't know if there is debris, oil, gravel, bodies, etc. lying in the lane...

 

7) Cops. Yup, not starting an argument...I've more than once shaken my FORE finger (not middle finger) at a cop running radar which causes people to hit their brakes in reaction regardless of speed. We've all seen it...Less concern about the ticket than I am someone hitting me who didn't see the slowing traffic...caused by a stinkin' speed trap.

 

8) Tractor/Trailers running side/side-if moving slowly, causes traffic to bunch up behind and makes drivers anxious and dangerous in anticipation of passing. They block the view of any debris that may lie on the road (gators, wood, etc.)

 

9) Construction zones-especially at night...follow those lines or reflectors right into the wall...or into oncoming traffic!

 

10) Billboards for adult video stores (not really, but I wanted an even 10 and I've lost my concentration)

[Steve1962]

One word ..............

PHEASANTS !!

 

Steve

[PhillyFlash]

Cattle grates in the middle of a curve or at the entrance or exit of a curve. If you see one on the road, you know there will be more to come (who are the idiots who plan where to put them?).

 

A vehicle with anything strapped to the roof.

 

A pick up truck with a wobbly camper shell on it. I had one fly off and crash to the ground right in front of me.