Well I managed to make it two whole weeks before somebody pulled out in front of me. I suppose I should be happy about that. It even happens to me in my car with a frustrating frequency. All areas have this problem but it’s seems especially bad in my neck of the woods.

It sucks a lot of joy out of riding when you realize that it is only a matter of time until a driver does something stupid and you have to dodge them. I don’t really ever let my guard down and only have a handful of roads where I can truly enjoy my machine fully.

I am so lucky to have a few country roads to enjoy but even then farm equipment has caused me a few “oh shit!” moments. My riding style has changed a lot in the past decade. I now do a pass of my favorite fun road before I go on a spirited ride. The idiots are slowly ruining it for me.

Fellow riders how often do you have to take evasive action while riding?

Not a rider, but sickles hanging in my blind spot are a constant frustration. I try to be careful, but the ignorance is working on both sides of the equation.

Always, it's CFL, and we've had an influx of new drivers, many from the north, I swear none of them have a lick of sense when behind a steering wheel.

Used to live on the outskirts but it's being overdeveloped here, even the gators n snakes are moving further out.

I think as humans we always have a biased perspective on a subject depending on where we sit. There is a reason the auto manufacturers proudly publish crash test ratings. Traveling on the roads with other drivers of various skill and levels of attention in vehicles in various states of disrepair is inherently dangerous.

It’s dangerous out there for all motorist for a verity of reason, it always has been. Teenage driver, old folks with failing eyesight and motor skills, distracted drivers. Those dangers make us all less safe. You are choosing your recreation amongst those realities on a vehicle where you are likely to die or be seriously injured in a crash that may be a minor fender bender in a different vehicle. That’s just the reality of your choice. I have a good friend who went out and bought a bullet Mustang to “enjoy spirited driving”. It was an awesome machine and a blast to drive and carried an insurance premium based on that performance. When I heard he totaled it I immediately assumed he was speeding or otherwise pushing the envelope and lost control. The reality is that he was crossing a four lane divided highway where there was no signal, failed to see the speeding car in the left lane that was perfectly behind and overtaking the semi in the right lane in the split second that he was making the decision to cross. He got tboned by the car he never saw at an intersection he has used daily for years. Fortunately both he and the other driver walked away. Had either been on a bike they wouldn’t have stood and chance. His fault, absolutely. Was he a chucklehead that day, perhaps.

That scenario plays out countless times a day all over the country. That’s never going to change but your perception of and tolerance for risk will certainly change as mine did. I rode before I had kids. I stopped when my oldest was born. That was almost 18 years ago and based on what I see every day on the roads, the amount of chuckleheads has not changed much in that time. Unless you live in a once rural area that had seen significant population growth. For me it wasn’t that things got more dangerous suddenly, I just had people counting on me to make it home and alive and get up the next day to go earn a living.

It has becomes so commonplace that it barely gets a reaction from me anymore. I ride very defensively so more times then not I can keep the situation from developing into something dangerous but of course, not always.

I just had a car speed past the car behind me in the left lane and then cut over in front of it to make the off ramp on the right side of the road which took him right through me. Fortunately (for mej he saw me before he got all the way into me but instead of moving back over to the left he must have panicked and hit the brakes. I don't know how the car behind me kept from hitting him.

Been riding since I was in single digit age. I commute to work on two wheels every day that I can.
I always ride like everyone is sincerely trying to kill me.
I never have the ROW, and I’m invisible.
I play a constant game of “what if” as I ride.
And I learned to just “let it go” while behind the wheel of a big rig, believe it or not. If I let every driver’s error around me get my BP up, I’d have stroked out a long time ago.
Plus, on a bike, you’re never gonna win that fight with a vehicle that outweighs you by several orders of magnitude.
I also understand that fairly often, it’s ME being inattentive or complacent that causes near misses. No one is a perfect driver.
Plenty of idiots, both part time and full time, on any number of wheels.

Common problem in the Yoop. Distracted drivers mainly. When passing cars, I look over at the driver to see if they are aware of me. A high percentage of them are holding a cell phone down in their laps. On one recent 2 mile ride in town, I had three people either pull out and cross my path or turn left in close proximity to me. I ride like everyone is going to pull out in front of me, hit me from the rear or turn in front of me. I only relax about 5 miles away from town.

I have had a lot of bikes. I got my first one in 68. Now I have a slingshot but riding in the DC metro area is just no fun anymore. I think I am old.

It gets worse every day. Roads are more crowded, cell phones are a continuing distraction, people are angry.

I used to use my motorcycle for almost all transportation: commuting to work, running errands, etc., but even if I were still physically able to ride, I would not do it any more.

Commuted the 20 miles each way when I had the Vulcan.
I45 in Houston is mighty congested during rush hour, both ways.

Never had any moments, fortunately, but did see some other riders with close calls.

I've never had a motorcycle, but did have a black Corvette.

At first I thought people were just being a-holes as they pulled out in front of me, changed lanes into me, and then it dawned on me.

Most of our roads here are black asphalt so I am driving a low slung black car. People just didn't see me. It got so bad that I drove with my headlights on all the time and my wife would not ride in the car anymore.

I guess that explains why I was hit in the car 4 times with the last wreck totaling it.

I can't imagine how much worse it would be with a motorcycle. I feel for you!!!

I rode going on 50 years and it definitely is worse today than decades ago. Inattentive and distracted drivers are the norm now for sure. I practiced counter steering often and it saved my ass more times than I can remember, as many times with deer as cars. Like V-Tail, I gave up riding due to medical and age related issues. I miss it but not enough to give up my life over.

Jim

Oh it's always a shit show in town. I've been on two wheels for over thirty years now and always take that moment when the bike is first warming up to reset my focus.
Like anything, when you develop habits they follow you. Good and bad.

Stay focused and think about those quiet days of sunshine, machine, and open road.

Cheers~

I ride as often as I can and seem to have someone pull out without seeing me on most every ride.

My attitude on the bike is to always try to have an escape route, and always try to anticipate stupidity of the cars around me.

That said, most all of my riding is on country roads. I do head to town from time to time, but try to avoid it. Seems the more people there are in an area, the higher the stupid level is in that area.

I don’t ride…for many of the reasons listed above.

I’m someone who actively looks for bikes; even I miss seeing you from time to time. It frightening to think of the number of drivers out there who don’t even bother to look for you.

Be careful guys, some of you live in my blind spot and I’ll never understand why.

quote:

Fellow riders how often do you have to take evasive action while riding?

Not very often these days in fact very rare. What changed it for me?

About 10 or 12 years ago after almost getting hit 3 times in one ride. I bought a hi viz yellow jacket. It made a tremendous difference.

I had a close call about 10 years ago. Scared me to death. As a result, I only motorcycle off-road now.

No more motorcycling with other cars on a busy public road.

Honestly I find the off-road stuff to be very relaxing. Sure there are a few jerks in the off-road areas (Brown's Camp for you locals) but not nearly as many as on the main road.

I would love to get a bike but after seeing first hand the injuries,most are caused by car drivers and not necessarily the bikers fault, I won't get one. I would love to get a trike as I have a few friends that have them and they are perfect for long trips.

I have rarely had to take abrupt evasive action, but that's partially due to having adapted over the years to think like a 3D chess player.

That said, no amount of defensive riding techniques will save you from what I call the "suicide" move, and I have had that happen to me once about 5 years ago. An old man in a pickup truck rolled up to a stop sign, paused, and then pulled out perpendicular to me on a divided two-lane highway. There was nothing I could do to avoid it and if I had been driving a car I'll pretty much guarantee he would have been killed because I would have drilled. But instead I hit the driver side front fender after scrubbing off speed from about 55 to maybe 30, flew over the hood, did a somersault on the other side, and popped up with a scratch on me. Bike was totaled. Incredibly lucky and unlucky at the same time.

quote:

I had a close call about 10 years ago. Scared me to death. As a result, I only motorcycle off-road now.....

Safer there too, you won't have a tree or a rock making a left turn in front of you.

One advice from me, always ride armed in the woods. Lots of two legged animals out there.