Near Miss (long)

[POB]

Tonight I had the closest near miss in months of 90-mile per day country road commutes.

I was riding at about 70mph on a straight stretch of road, with my headlight on dip and my hi-viz vest on. Although there were some small dips in the road, they weren't deep enough to hide me. I had a pretty unrestricted view ahead, on a stretch where I have done a ton before.

There were 2 oncoming cars, around 250m apart, which were also travelling at 60-70mph. A minor road joined the main road on my side, as a T-junction. When I was about a kilometre from the junction I saw a gold Daewoo Matiz arrive slowly, and signal to turn right (across my side of the road, as if to drive towards me).

I saw the driver look in my direction - she was elderly, with white hair and a lilac fleece top / jumper. I slowed down to about 55mph by rolling off throttle, and checked my mirrors. Nothing was behind me. Crucially, I also moved towards the centre of the road. I remember thinking of balancing the two threats - oncoming traffic (a crazy overtaking move? a tuning-the-radio weave?) against this person in the side road. I went pretty close to the centre-line.

I was watching the driver in the side road, and the wheels of her car. It turned out that the oncoming traffic passed me when I was about 25m from the gold Daewoo. What happened next is every rider's nightmare. She decisively pulled out, without looking in my direction as a last check. I couldn't believe it.

If I had not slowed down and changed my road position (to an assertive / defensive position in the middle of the road) I would have ridden into the side of her car. No ifs, no buts. It would have been the wing or perhaps the driver's door, and the impact would have been at about 50mph.

As it turned out, my left-hand cylinder head and footpeg must have missed the bumper of her car by less than a foot, and as I looked in my mirror (in horror) she just drove off. I think it was one of those situations where, to be honest, there was nothing more I could have done. From her perspective, I must have flashed across in front of her.

At some point (unless you want to pass every waiting car at 5mph), you have to accept your right of way, and trust others to have seen you.

I was tempted to pull a u-turn and stop the lady, to explain to her what would have happened (to me) in an accident. I would have asked her to think of others and to make sure she was SEEING, as well as just LOOKING. But I thought I'd just seem like another angry motorcyclist. So I came over all zen and just rode home.

Take care folks. And if you haven't already, call your local IAM and arrange an observed ride. Get a copy of Roadcraft and read it. I know it's not as glamourous as knee-down and trackdays, but it could save you. I think today it might have saved me...

[JoeC]

Glad your OK if not shaken.
I always look at it that everything/body is out to get me and take it from there - defensive riding. I taught myself to ride a bike about 15 years ago and since have been commuting into London. Not had an accident in all this time so doing something right.
You did the right thing of slowing down, centre of road etc and think you were right not to turn round and confront the motorist.
Agree with your IAM bit. I have been a car IAM (about 17 years) person longer than bike IAM person but either gives you skills for the road.

Bee good and look after yourself. This goes to us all.

[Paul]

Glad you're here to tell the tale POB.

Paul

[Ian Martin]

Glad you are OK - shaken not stirred - it's a debatable point moving to the off side position, it relies on the car seeing you at the last moment and then STOPPING. if, as happened to my girl friend last year, the car driver either didn't see (she, the car driver was 83!) or didn't care and carried on with my other half trying to brake (hard) and move further to the off side, as it happened the car didn't stop, well it did but only after Chris had hit it (fairly slowly, she's ok, bike bit of a mess) BUT the lesson here is, IF Chris had ridden down the near side (left) she would have missed the car and carried. you pays your money . . . . . . .any police riders/Rospa diploma riders care to comment

[Boxadog 2000]

Personally I would have turned around and stopped her at a convenient
place.

She could have been under the influence of alcohol, myopic or just plain geriatric either way she should be informed.

This happened to me a while back on the way back from a ride out with Judy, we approached a T junction and I could see as plain as the nose on my face that the driver at the junction would pull out.

I said to Judy, just watch this guy he is looking in the wrong direction and I bet he will pull out in front of us so we slowed to about 10 mph and sure enough out he pulled, I did what was probably one of my only stoppies as he was just about covering my side of the road he looked in my direction.

The look on his face was as if he was about to have a coronary, I wish.

We managed to survive that one but probably only because I had my wife on the back, had I been solo it may have been a different story.

Anyway your OK which is the main thing.

Ride safe but always ride ultra defensive.

Bob

[gus]

Personally I would have turned around and stopped her at a convenient
place.

She could have been under the influence of alcohol, myopic or just plain geriatric either way she should be put out of her misery by public hanging or shot.



Bob

Bit harsh Bob,but i see your point.
I always try and make eye contact with the person,if i dont suceed then i assume they havent seen me and get ready to stop.Stay in centre of road,then you have the option of going around the back or front of car.You seem to get a sixth sense when you know they going to pull out.
Glad your OK ,enjoy the "glad to be alive feeling"
gus

[oyster]

Good to hear all is well.
It's down to experience, a novice rider would probably not have engaged the defensive thought process.
You should try retirementland. The combined age of vehicle occupants is a frequently mentioned issue when minor accidents are reported in the press. 'Augusta Hepplethwaite and her whist colleagues, combined age 312 years, drove in reverse through the neighbours hedge demolishing the ornamental concrete bird bath.'
The times they pull out of side roads without seeing you; assume right of way in any situation; indicate left and turn right; cut corners.......
And one very inportant clue around here, if they are wearing a hat and or drivers gloves, they have dementia. Gauranteed.
All car drivers are mad and will try to catch out bikers. Those with hats go for everybody.

[Blackal]

Glad you escaped unscathed

It's one of those moments where you do think......... should I stop them and ask them: "You almost killed me today - how do you feel about that?"

She probably would have reported you for stalking/threatening her, though

Al

[winger]

I(we) nearly had our armageddon in country road in central Spain 7 years ago,i don't talk about what went on,it's bad karma,but ten years of rideing a bike and refusing to drive a car,8 years of raceing an offroad bike from a medal in the Welsh 2 Day Enduro,to getting a decent result in the Western Beach,30 odd years of pure gut instinct rolled into a milli second and a large dollop of luck,but i guess if bikeing was that easy everyone would want to do it,and that would never do would it

You survived dude thats the important thing,when the dust has settled,there'll be an extra bit of experience that will lodge in your brain for the next time.

[cc mac]

It's incidents like that which make you wish you were
A) A copper.
B) Driving an old Volvo.
C) A copper driving an old Volvo.

[mdouglas]

Whenever I am unsure that a driver has seen me, I give a decent blast of the horn. Other road users might think I'm a bit of a knob but i don't care. It makes other road users look.

[dave2wheels]

well done avoiding it!
sure most have had similar, I like the awakening feeling you get as your life flashes before your eyes but somehow your feelings get overtaken by the disbelief that they totally oblivious!

I've been doing IAM advanced riding and just taken test, I found it interesting that they were correcting my defensive riding that has served me well for 10 years on my London commute.

Dave

[Vince]

Whenever I am unsure that a driver has seen me, I give a decent blast of the horn. Other road users might think I'm a bit of a knob but i don't care. It makes other road users look.

2nd'ed, make them look at you, until your sure they have seen you, but have an exit plan JIC.
I fitted some super loud horns from Nippys, it'll be a shame to let them go to waste.

Glad you and the bike are in the correct state.

[dave2wheels]

funnily enough this sort of thing only seems to happen to me when i'm wearing a hi-viz vest!

[jivebiker]

Been there and done that, and been there and got taken out. I think the biggest factor is luck.

I did AIM 20+ years ago, and yes the theory is good, but sometimes it wont save you from the collision, but being ready for the possibility is very useful.

When I did get taken out, I was prepared for the possibility. The driver was looking directly at me before he pulled across my path, but he still didn't notice me (despite headlights, and much reflective yellow stuff).

What saved me was something I had always thought I should do in that situation. Instead of trying to stop, or swerve to avoid the crash (which wouldn't have worked anyway) or brace for impact, just before the impact I jumped as high as I could. As a result I walked away with nothing more than bruising. I have friends who have had serious injuries at lower speeds because they slammed into the car along with their bike. I glanced off the windscreen and landed on the road the other side of the car. My impact speed was about 40mph.

When I was sorting my bike out, I was talking to a Bike Cop who said it was almost certainly my fault that I had got knocked off, and that I should have been able to avoid it. He said that with Police training I could have avoided it.
How I laughed a week later when I collected my bike and the guy in the shop told me the Bike Cop had had a SMIDSY, and broke a leg, that same day. I guess he didn't jump.