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Assumption

Hank

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Watching other riders and videos, one of the most common dangerous practices I see is assuming that other drivers will behave as you expect, especially in turns.

Examples:

A car signals for a turn. Rider sets his speed on the assumption that the car will turn at a normal speed, and not, say, jam on the brakes halfway through the turn. Or just slow down and make the turn slowly.

A car in front of you slows but does not signal. Slow down! He is probably going to stop or turn.

A car at an intersection is signaling for a left turn and turns despite your right of way.

All these are predictable and can be prevented, basically by slowing down.
 
Right turn signal and turned left got me a couple years ago. Good thing I had slowed down to about 15 mph when she turned left with the right turn signal on.
 
I too have been bit by making assumptions. Not even eye contact and a nice smile has kept people form pulling out right in front of me. People who signaled a left turn with plenty of room to make one have started to make the turn, and then changed their minds and hit the brakes:rolleyes:

Several times, I have almost run into the rear ends of fellow riders, because I assumed I knew where they were leading us, and they had different things in mind, abruptly...
 
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I guess assuming they are going to do the most stupid and dangerous thing possible is a good assumption.
I used to live in a tourist town and regularly had to dive down side streets or jam on the brakes to avoid people driving the wrong way down one way streets or turning left without a signal.
 
Went to the ground pretty hard my first year back in riding by assuming a cager would do the logical thing. I was lucky.
 
Might not be related but I have this fear that cagers will hit me from behind... some of them are in such a hurry I am just assuming they will run me over if I don't speed up!:rolleyes:
 
Legitimate fear. I man was was killed locally when a woman ran him down from behind on the interstate. He was going the speed limit.
 
Legitimate fear. I man was was killed locally when a woman ran him down from behind on the interstate. He was going the speed limit.

I have been debating to wave with my left arm in a back off gesture some how like 'back off' waving so they back the heck off my tail... but on the highway it's harder to do that...
 
No guarantees, rear ending cars at intersections is too common.

Two Basic Defenses:
1. Be visible. Anything you do to make yourself more visible reduces odd of being rear ended:
- Hi vis clothing and helmet are big help.
- Flashing brake lights get attention
2. Have an escape route while keeping an eye on your mirrors;
- If you're in the center of the lane close to the cage in front of you there is no where to go. Stop to one side with room to move forward if necessary
- Frequently check your mirrors for approaching vehicles from the rear to take evasive action when warranted. .
 
Might not be related but I have this fear that cagers will hit me from behind.
It happens, but not very often. According to the lastest data from the NHTSA's National Center for Statistics and Analysis, only about 6% of motorcycles involved in vehicle crashes were the result of the motorcyclist getting hit from behind. The percentage varies by year from around 4 to 6 percent and (my opinion) will probably start to drop even further as more vehicles are put on the road with collision avoidance technology and the pending rollout of mandatory Vehicle 2 Vehicle wireless networks (in the USA, not sure about Canada).

Although I understand the numbers and know how probability works, like you I'm still concerned so I installed a pair of Whelen TIR3 flashing strobes and wired them to my rear brake lamp. They WILL get anyone's attention that is behind me, day or night. They have a variety of really annoying/attention getting patterns to select from and I've set mine up to will wig-wig for three cycles, go solid and then wig-wag for three more cycles, repeating for as long as I'm on the brakes.

Maybe the $125 or so will put your mind at ease and if not, just remember that the odds are (relatively) slim you'll get hit from behind.

Whelen TIR3™ Super-LED(R) - StrobesNMore.com
 
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