You’ve seen them, texters barreling down the highway, someone talking on their cellphone with their arm propped up in the window, yelling and swatting at kids, eating a sausage biscuit while trying to drink hot coffee without burning their tongue, putting on eye make-up, etc. . . These drivers are totally oblivious to you, and unaware that you are anywhere around.
As bikers, we already know that we are “invisible”, and it’s up to us to ensure that other drivers know we’re close by. Even though loud pipes do save lives, distracted drivers may not hear us, nor see us. That’s why in traffic, we can never take ANYTHING for granted. The cage drivers don’t seem to understand that we have as much right to the road as they do.
All of a sudden as a motorist approaches an exit they need to take, the felonious distracted driver realizes they need to swerve immediately or they won’t make their turn. Never mind that they must jet across a lane or two of traffic, causing near misses by other drivers. These idiots will absolutely take a biker out. Why, because they never saw or heard a motorcycle. That’s the most common response anytime an automobile hits a biker.
So when riding in multiple lanes of traffic, which lane do you prefer? Personally, I prefer the lane farthest to the left. Not necessarily because I am in that big of a hurry, but it puts the odds of not getting hit by one of these guys/gals a little more in my favor. Plus, when I ride in multiple lanes of traffic, I usually try to take control of my surroundings and ride more aggressively to get away from the herd. I either get out ahead, or lag behind to cruise in between the multitudes.
NEVER do I ride in a center lane where I can be assaulted from all four sides. If you do choose to ride in the slower lane to the right, be especially aware of cars to your left when coming up on an exit ramp. It’s always best to stay far enough ahead, or a little behind any of your neighboring motorist. This allows them to be stupid, and not harsh your mellow.
Oncoming traffic from entrance ramps doesn’t seem to be AS bad. Those guys are pretty predictable and easy to maneuver around. Just speed up or slow down to let them in.
Anytime you’re in traffic, instead of casually cruising within striking distance of something with more wheels than you, get on around them or stay behind them. Especially those gargantuan vehicles that tend to throw and strew alligators in the road (pieces of re-capped tires)
And lastly, always remember that if you are following, stay in the rear-view mirror of the vehicle ahead of you. If you can’t see them in the mirror, they certainly cannot see you. Sometimes, it may not be a bad idea to ride in their mirror for a few seconds before passing. That way, you are better assured that the driver ahead of you has seen you, and knows you’re somewhere close by.
Hope this helps. Happy Trails!
Geno
November 21, 2011- -
-
Report
November 22, 2011- -
-
Report
November 22, 2011- -
-
Report
December 5, 2011- -
-
Report