Modern Vespa

So I leave for lunch and turn onto a 6 lane. I get in the left most lane as I will be turning left. 45 mph. In the first block an older lady in a minivan starts moving into my lane while I am occupying it. No blinker. I kind of anticipated this so I blast my horn...she corrected but not until she forced me into the middle turn lane.

Still muttering at her under my breath I go through the next intersection and yes you guessed it, another idiot in a pick up seemingly intent on killing me comes across two lanes. I hit the horn and the brakes at the same time and he passes in front of me into the turn lane...then honks and flips me off as I go by.

Two close calls in the matter of a minute. Must be something in the air. A little nervous about my ride home tonight.

ouuuu..... 2, close calls, so close 2gether.......I never want 1 to happen to me! You're still here Sticky, thank God. Those 4-wheelers tend to get in the way all the time....bas....tards

Those are the ones that scare me, the ones who really don't care if they kill somebody.  They're the ones I think likely will seriously hurt someone someday (and not necessarily with their driving).  People like that are rare, but not as rare as I'd like.

Good on you stickyfrog for being alert and keeping yourself intact.  Your attention and skills will get you safely home, scary drivers or no. 

Sticky,

If you don't have a Stebel Air Horn already, sounds like a good time to invest in one. It may not stop 'em, but it sure as hell will wake 'em up. The idiots are everywhere.

I was heading to work on day last week and this gal in front of me is yacking away on her cell phone. All of a sudden she realizes that traffic is stopped ahead of her, she locks up the brakes and runs off onto the shoulder of the highway to keep from rear ending the car ahead of her. She regains composure and then realizes that during the panic stop her cell phone went flying. She spent the next two miles weaving all over the road and tapping the brakes trying to find the cell phone. She was digging around beside the seats, peeking at the floor on both sides, etc trying to find the phone and, from my observation, never did. I stayed well behind her until I got to my turn because I just knew she was going to hit someone else. I can only imagine what was going through the mind of the person on the other end of that cell phone call.

Ride like you are invisible and that they are out to kill you!

Okay.....breath....you might want to leave when there are lot of cars out there when you get off...Everyone has to slow down when it's really "rush" hour....I use the heavy traffic like a shield....Instead of those times when traffic is moderate...that's the time when people are the most careless...I have found...good luck...jacq

Yeah in retrospect the first one...the little old lady...ironically may have saved me from the psycho in the pick up. My spidey sense told me that she was a good candidate to do what she did so I wasn't as surpised, just a little pissed but it did get my attention and heart rate up.

That may have made me more attuned at the moment for mr pick up killer man cause he came hard across 3 lanes right at me and started in my peripheral.

Oh thanks for the horn advice. Another irony is that just this past weekend I installed twim Fiamms. Not as loud as a stebel I am told but pretty damn loud and he damn sure heard them. Thus the one finger salute he threw...half expected him to cut back in and come after me.

Yeah and I also hope it stops raining soon.

Good on you for prodigious riding skills!

It could be worse though. Just found out that my Mom was driving home from work late the other evening, and she was the only one on the road. Wouldn't you know, a palm tree decided right then and there to fall right in front of her.

Thankfully, she was alright, but totaled the car.

It always seems these things come in threes, watch out for the third one!

Sticky,
It maybe time for a retrofit gun like on this Kawasaki.Hey sometimes you have to even up the odds.

It'll definitely get some attention, you can count on that. I know if I saw that thing barreling up beside me, I'd get way the Hell out of the way.

<rimshot>

LOL no doubt. If I would have had it today I woulda cut that truck in half

Glad your mom is ok thechicgeek

Yeah things come in 3's...damn and it is still raining.

Rain, rain go away! Stay tuned, more to come I want November...bring on November!

After a brief stop at the package store I am home enjoying a G&T. Enjoyable ride home...the rain stopped but roads still wet. Hopefully I have used up my alotment of close calls for awhile...or is the Sword of Damocles still hanging on the things happen in 3's superstition?

GAAhhh!! November is when the rains START, fer pete's sake. Well, around these parts anyways!

To the OP... good results from a bad series of events. Stay vigilant, ride safely.

Where is mjm50cal...he would love this pic!!?

I understand. I just wish it would rain here. We are in the midst of a 12 year drought. We average 12 inches a rain a year. We have only hit that amount once in the last 12 years.

Glad you were not hurt with your two close encounters, Stickyfrog. One should alway be on "point" when you ride an MP3. Your story helps show that. Thank you for sharing...