I was going 15 miles over today (75 in a 60) in the 2nd lane from the left on a 4 lane interstate stretch and I noticed I was getting passed in all the other lanes by cars and I mean getting my doors blown off passed... as I got over to the right I was like dang what ARE speed limits even for today?

 

Coming home on the freeway last night I look down to check my speed, 91mph(speed limit, 75). I think damn, I better slow down. Then I realize that I'm just BARELY staying ahead of traffic and I'm very slowly passing cars.

Those drivers must be motorcycle riders as well...

 

Well , sort of. Brain infection from cat poop.

The Cat Parasite that Sells Motorcycles | Next Nature

nextnature.org

😳

Dude?! Do you have insomnia so bad that you’re just reading anything and everything that pops up on the internet? I read that ”article” or whatever it was. 😆 There are some craaaazy people out there and apparently their leaders are in the Netherlands.

 

When you are out riding your motorcycle, and everything is under control, you are not going fast enough. 😁

 

Good point. Back in 1972 I was at an outdoor table at my watering hole with my first new HD Electra Glide a few feet away. All the foreign bikes were zipping by. I asked the older wiser table mechanic (stripper) why drive so fast. "So you don't have to see them, Honey. Drive slower on that Glide and give them something to hear and see." 87 HD's and 2 Indians later that still rings true. 75 and still on 2 wheels (289 bikes total in 63 years).

 

I agree 100%. Give them something to look at!

 

I was just keeping up with traffic doing 80, officer.

 

not the speeding bikers.. but the texting cagers who have poop fer brainz..

.. but that may be just my opinion

 

...or the girl I passed on the interstate eating a bowl of cereal, both hands.

 

Some people just have a need for speed.

 

YES!!! That’s what needs to be done. We just have to be careful the we don’t end up on YT doing it.

Yeah I always worry about that, but to be fair, there would have been my dash cam, her own dash cam which I saw as well as all the witnesses to attest to her moving 3-4 feet into my lane without paying attention. Being YouTube famous for something like that doesn't bother me. I'm sure it prevented this happening again and maybe even saved someones life down the line.

If I'd had gotten up the nerve to grab her phone, I don't think I would have had the restraint to just throw it in the passenger seat.

It took some restraint, but at the end of the day what I did was fairly harmless. If I had broken something she could have easily swerved and hit me. I try to play it safer these days.

 

With age comes wisdom,atleast this is what I've been told.

 

"I highly disagree with you on the distracted driving part, though."

Well, my stance isn't that distracted driving of any kind is anything but unsafe, it is that distracted driving is here for good and there is nothing you or I can do about it. It is part of the driving experience today and they (the car driving society) have accepted the risks, even to each other, just as you and I have accepted our risks on motorcycles. They haven't not only accepted it, the cars of today are designed for it. Just like the speed limit is 70 mph, but my cars (and bikes) easily pass 120 mph.

Are some people better at distracted driving than others, absolutely! And using turn signals, entering traffic, driving high performance cars that have no business on public roads, etc, etc, etc.

And I say "better" not "perfect" because everyone does it.

"Without people intervening or without consequences people can run amuck doing what they want, and that is never good for society as then that becomes "socially accepted" in some form or another."

It has already become "socially accepted" unfortunately, and I do not ever remember vigilantism ever stopping something from becoming socially accepted, or even delaying it. Society has laws and police and penalties to disuade it and discourage it and that is the best we can do. You do not want this on YouTube, the viewere will now shower you with praise.

I disagree with you that we should tale the law into our own hands and snatch phones from drivers. It isn't only illegal, I am quite sure you profile the people you do this to, to be sure they don't respond by running you over or sending a bullet in your direction. And it is rage to do something illegal like that in the middle of traffic. It is like the riders who break mirrors becauise the car did something "wrong".

The thing that gets me most about this behavior, acting out against cars because the car is allegedly doing wrong, is the following...

1. The rider says it is risky for traffic, yet the rider decided to ride a fucking motorcycle in that traffic.

2. The rider says it is against the rules. You are not driving a car, cars have different rules than motorcycles. That is like bicyclists who say they abide by the same rules as cars. You all abide by the same rules of physics. If you can't understand that then be prepared for constant annoyance when you ride a motorcycle in car traffic. What may be a rule to you is treated like just a guideline to a car. Don't do a head check in a car and you get a fender bender. Don't do a head check on a bike and you get run over. Of course you should always do head checks, but the outcomes are so vastly different, it affects how people drive. How people drive are the rules, not what is written in the handbook.

When I started riding and riding in traffic became normal, I was just excited that I was able to ride with cars and all of their ways and not feel vulnerable. I was thrilled that I was ALLOWED to ride something like a motorcycle with all of these cars and their shit and get good enough that I felt reasonably safe doing it. It never crossed my mind to start policing them, especially not from the vantage point of a motorcycle.

 

Wow!! It sounds like you’re ready to just bend over for all the wreck less drivers and take what they have to give you.

 

I think my main point got lost in all of this.

The younger generations have grown up with 24x7 connectivity. It is normal to them and not being connected is not normal. When we grew up (or at least me) when you stepped out of the house you lost all connectivity. It was easy to not be distracted. When iphones etc got big, I left mine in the back seat. But the younger generation did not do that, even the ones on motorcycles. And the cars themselves are doing it, even more.

You cannot tell one of this generation to leave all their drama behind when it is right there within reach. I don't think handsfree calling is even safe, if it is heated.

This isn't just about telling people how to drive. It's about telling people how to live with themselves without connectivity while spending an hour or more in a car, and I don't think they can do it.

We will have more and more auto-driving before you put any dent in this genie.

 

"Phone was not stolen, or broken. If you're halfway into my lane and you're physically close enough for me to barely stretch my arm and grab your phone I don't see how you can find fault on my side at all. "

It is assult and battery. You can't forcably take stuff from people. Then there is you riding one handed grabbing the iPhone and startling a distracted driver driving one handed and crashing together. Well, not together, you'll be getting a lot worse than the driver.

I can't understand why you didn't simply know this was illegal? We are talking in the U.S., right? I never bothered to mention it because I thought that was a given, that it was illegal, but who would bother to press charges? Probably just rack it up to one of those crazy riders you see on youtube.

 

I'm sorry but that's comical. You're completely excusing someone almost killing a motorcyclist multiple times because their phone got thrown back into their own vehicle. I bet you also get mad if someone gives a beer to their own kid who's 16. We'll just part our ways Mr. Perfect Citizen. Regardless of what you think the situation ended up for the better over a minor action.

 

I remember years ago. Long before cell phones. Passing some guy with a book strapped to his steering wheel. So stupid sh!ts been going on for years.

 

Agree! When insanity is observed as a norm because "many people do it, so what's the big deal", we are in big trouble!! I think we're close right now and I for one will not let bad behavior go unchecked if it is sensible to prevent it. We have too many people getting taken advantage of and much worse while others stand around and video it.

How can you ride more than 30 minutes anywhere but an empty road and not experience drivers doing stupid shit? The next time? Probably be tomorrow. If you drive a couple hours a day in city traffic, interstate traffic, the whole CAR experience, it is going to happen OFTEN. It happens often to car drivers to. Just deal with it. What is the point of raging? Getting from point A to B and not hitting anything in that chaos, its a good day. And I get more out of it when I do it on my bike than in my car.

I get it, you are saying you are doing something about it, and I am not. And since you have been straight with me, I am going to be straight with you. Very few people like you doing that shit. Riders and drivers alike. You must not be watching Youtube or any of the channels. This stuff gets almost unaminously booed. I've given you the reasoning most of us go through and why we don't rage. And I hate to say it, but when that rider raging over a near crash creates a real crash, well, no one wants to see anyone get hurt, but I would be lying if most drivers and riders don't kind of laugh when that happens.

If there were very few bad drivers, then this would happen seldom, and it would be a moot point. If there are a lot of bad drivers, then there is no point in doing this, and again it would be a moot point.

That is all I am going to do to try to disuade you from this path. It is your path, do what you want. Don't tell me I don't feel the same emotion when I see this stupid shit. I just thought through it more, and grew up more, and took a different path.

The thing is these issues happen twice a year for me. I'm not sure how bad the drivers are where you live but I very rarely have anything happen that makes me bat an eye lid. I have no clue why you seem to think this is a daily occurance for us? Stupid is one thing, dangerous and nearly killing someone is a completely different story.

 

Well, Syscore proved my point that insanity is becoming normalized. Hence my comment, we need to observe and change this behavior when it is safe to do so. I damn near was killed this summer in the middle of the afternoon by a lunatic that some deem his driving insanity as "normal now". Regardless of frequency, it only takes once and the consequences are often dire! So when I can, I will have someone arrested by showing a video. I will follow and report if my wife isn't on the bike. Unlike the early days when you could settle it in the street and kick someone's ass, I will do the civilized thing. Besides, this old man is calmer now and don't want to hurt anyone. Also for those of you that say, what about a gun being pulled. That is the chance you take to get a lunatic off the road. But the equalizer is a Sub2000 in trunk or a CC, so be careful if you are reported by a biker and you want to draw on them, you may get more that you wanted!!

 

"They'd rather be a passive watcher than risk their face being on a video."

That is not anything like what I said. We don't do it period, because most people think raging and assaulting drivers or cars is simply psycho. An anger issue. Read the comments on the videos if you don't believe me. And most of them are from other riders! We aren't all riding angry like that, and calling incidents where no one hits anyone something that ALMOST KILLED ME. Sorry, that made me laugh. I just know the difference between flying through the air at 80 mph, minus a motorcycle, and someone making me slowdown beause they weren't curtious or paying attention.

You can rationalize your behavior however you want, but don't tell the rest of of us that we don't do it because we don't want to be on video. We abssolutely think it is wrong and just plain raging. And the videos of those doing it make us cringe, and gives riders a bad reputation. I thought I was clear on that. Lol, save some of that anger for when you actually hit something, that almost kills you.

 

The car pushed me within 2 feet on the left side of a concrete barrier, and was half in my lane. Car behind me close enough I couldn't slow down much and the car that was in my lane had blocked my escape route at 2 o clock. I had no escape route. Had I not reacted there was a strong chance she would have chosen my lane instead of the one she was in and forced me into the barrier. I also think our definition of rage is wildly different. There was no rage associated with my actions at all, just calm, collected decision making to change the outcome of the situation. I also don't look back at this situation with anger, it's something that happens.

 

"The thing is these issues happen twice a year for me. I'm not sure how bad the drivers are where you live but I very rarely have anything happen that makes me bat an eye lid. I have no clue why you seem to think this is a daily occurance for us? Stupid is one thing, dangerous and nearly killing someone is a completely different story. "

I ride in rush hour traffic on the interstate and highway and secondary streets. Anywhere from 60 to 85 mph, with the traffic. I don't pass all the cars and all the cars are not passing me. I ride in the top 25th percentile. People are on their phones, not all them, but so many, there is nothing to be done about it. It is woven into my traffic brain and I stay out of situations where that might be a problem, of if they are drifting into my lane I simply adjust. And it is a race track of sorts out there. At least where I am. I actually like the bike better in terms of situational awareness. It is just more open. Of course, you are more exposed as well. And you don't have a rear view mirror.

But I don't make decisions based on the driver's handbook, or right-of-way, or the rules of the road. I follow them, but damn if I make decisions on the assumption that the other drivers are following them. I treat it more like a video game, and some of the characters have really bad AI. And I am somewhat more protective of myself on the bike. I make my decisions based on how people are driving. I never understood the anger of some riders regarding cars truning in front of them. Didn't they know that cars did that?

It would be almost impossible for someone to almost kill me. I guess I am assuming they might try and I am just ready for it. I do treat the other vehicles as threats, but I have enough experience to have an out in almost every situation. If someone is distracted and drifting over, shit, that's nothing. And when traffic is tightening up and someone might make a fast lane change, I already know that might happen and stay out of a dangerous spot.

You can change the rules in your head that you see others doing and drive to that and be safe. It is just a game.

 

 

Pussy. 😉

 

I figure those who have "daily occurrences" are doing something wrong.

 

That is true, if I said "close calls". I am talking about daily (multiple) occurences of distracted drivers doing things like there is no one else on the road. And even non-distracted drivers doing things like there is no one else on the road. There is a mindset that allows you to ride in that shit such that you stay out of danger.

Our environments may be very different. I am in central florida, traffic is dense and driving ability across a wide spectrum. I also ride my bike instead of a car, everywhere, year round, and with the "work crowd", not the back roads. Those dense urban cooridors from A to B, that suspiciously have very few bkes. Pretty much like I used to when I was younger and all I had was a bike. But whether I am on a bike or in a car, it is constant. So many people driving distracted. They are pretty easy to spot though. They drive like shit.

That may be the difference. It is so common here, people on their phones, just counting uber drivers alone, that I wouldn't have any enjoyment if I focused on it. Just like I don't care about the last 2 or 3 cars at every intersection that run the red light. It isn't 3rd world, but it is also nothing like driver's ed either. And we have laws and they do try to enforce them. We also had packs of troopers, wolf packs they called them, to catch speeders. But interstates like I-95, I-4, are so dense and fast now that it is virtually impossible for troopers to effectively do that anymore. Something like I-10, rural, yeah, you still see the the speed traps. Or in the rual stretches of I-95.

I actually enjoy it more on my bike because it engages my skills, which is why I like riding to begin with. The physical engagement. It gets to me more when I am inside a car, trapped.

 

Either way, I guess you should call the Sherriff because i'm a hardened criminal for tossing someones phone.

 

They don't have any brains at all !!

 

Just yesterday, a car pulled out in front of me, and that by itself doesn't make me mad, it's when they don't even try to get out of my way. I asked a friend once, who gets in the left lane and won't at least go with traffic (faster), why not just speed up? And she replied she feels unsafe going faster. Ok, I guess I get that, then why get in the left lane? These people do not have this more omnious view of "safety". Now, if we are in congested traffic, I don't care, you can't really fix congestion, even if the drivers were all perfect. This youtube actually delves more deeply into how complex this can get ...

Calm Traffic Needs More Than Calm Driving

Anyways, I did let this driver get the best of me a bit, meaning I slowed down later than I should have (but could stop if I had to) and hit it afterwards more than I should have. Normally I just slow and go, whatever. But this guy just took his time to weave across two lanes of a highway while doing 20 mph while we were all at 60 mph. He had a turn lane he was trying to get to that wasn't very far down the road, and damn if he should time all this better, or speed it up a bit. I didn't get on his ass or anything, but yeah, I know when I let that shit into my judgement.

Maybe this cellphone incident was less offsensive than it sounded, two vehicles at a stop inches from each other. I had a woman simply pull into my lane as we approached a light, just at the end when there wasn't much I could do, I just inched over to the far left and we both stopped, she finally realized what she did. Obviously, I didn't exist in her situational awareness map. Maybe I was in the left position and it threw her off, or maybe she was on her phone. She opened her window and appologized and I just replied"Let me go first", I went, she followed, and that was it.

Just curious of what others here think about this video ...

I drive this stretch all the time. I've lived here for 60 years! And nothing in this video regarding the cars going by or the car turning onto the highway surprises me. Note the speed of the cars prior to the SUV pulling out, and then the speed of the bikes. Both bikes hit the car, the first rider died, and the second went down as well, but suffered non-critical injuries.

Obviously, legally, it was the cars fault. No doubt.

But I don't understand how either bike hit the car in that situation, or at the very least, how they were going that fast when they hit it. I am not saying they were going so fast that the liability would shift to them, even though they were going faster than traffic. I just don't understand their strategy. I am always prepared to slow down, and have, and would have been going slower here by this point. I am not saying I am perfect, but I often try to imagine what a car would have to do to for us to hit hard in this situation. Bwtween my awareness and adjusting my speed to possible situations, the car would almost have to JUMP out at speed and hit me on the side. I am just so ready for it, that I would at least bleed off the speed. And I have, many times. The speed limit there is 40 mph, it isn't a place where the +10 rule applies, generally the -5 rule applies because of the traffic.

I've studied a lot of these left turn accidents, and I am in no way blaming the riders. Unless the rider is speeding really fast, it is the car's LEGAL fault. But this riding and minding my own business or I have the right of way, to hell with that! Who cares who's legal fault it is when you are on a bike?

 

...Who cares who's legal fault it is when you are on a bike?

I always tell my son that they can write "But I was right!" on your headstone.

 

People on bikes who are going to engage with stupid drivers in a risky, high-stakes game of chicken are asking for trouble. Survival on a motorcycle is the most important thing, and it's not always easy. Add some ridiculous sense of duty to train drivers during confrontations or by 80 mph lecture or even reaching into the passenger compartment? Jesus...

Now if someone wanted to record drivers acting like idiots (with a clear shot of the plates) and then forward the video to authorities... that might actually be useful- and a hell of a lot safer.