Modern Vespa

Wednesday morning heading for a meeting 130 miles to the south I was traveling GA HWY 19 about 20 miles south of Dublin, GA around 7:30 AM. Not a lot of traffic but most of it going the other way into town. Approaching an intersection with a minor cross road. Several vehicles approaching going north and a car on each side of the intersection waiting for the traffic to have a break for proceeding.

Just as I am getting to the intersection traveling between 60 and 65 mph the car to the left starts to rush acroos the intersection. My reflex was to break, but quickly let go the levers realizing I was too close. I swearved right just missing his front bumper. His bumper was inside the line of site from my eyes past the end of my left handle bar. I believe I cleared him by less than a foot at over 60 mph. Over before I knew it but took a while for my heart beat to slow down.

Semper Vigilare or Ever Vigilant is a military motto I have seen (not sure the unit). It applies to us. I believe there were signs I should have paid more attention to. I was in light traffic enjoying the ride in the fresh morning air. I was approaching an intersection with traffic and did not heighten my aleart status. There was probably a sign of the car starting to move I could have reacted to. For example MSF teaches to watch the top of the wheel of any car on side street as first sign of movement.

Next Saturday I am taking the experienced rider MSF course in Macon, GA and hopefully will learn some additional safety tips. Proficient Motorcycling shows statistics that the second year of riding is the most likely to have an accident and that experience level is me. Speculation is that the rider is more comfortable and looses some of his vigilence.

I have decided to get a headlight modulator to help my visibility. Doesn't change the need for defensive driving attitude, but does help be seen. I will be doing a search but will appreciate any comments here on model and installation.

I am also reminded of a post of Jimc's sharing the increased visibility of a bike weaving in the lane when approaching an intersection. I started doing this after reading the post but had drifted out of the habit.

Be safe bro. Sort of a variation on the "familiarity breeds contempt" theme - we start slacking off and thinking the world is a benign place - be paranoid - they really ARE out to get you.
Jon

Hey Fuzzy! Glad you're okay, man!!! I know the feeling, the rush and the gradual decrease in heartbeat afterwards. I can possibly offer some insight or food for thought as to why so many motorcyclists have accidents in their second year once they make it through the "learning to ride phase". When I was a trainer/coach in retail, we learned something called the "4 phases of Learning". It's a model that holds true for ANYTHING you learn. It goes something like this:

1.Unconcious Incompetence - The person learning isn't aware of the skills/required. This would be the cagers who have never sat on a bike.

2. Conscious Incompetence - Person is well aware of their deficiencies. This would be the first few weeks of riding when you're like "OMG, I'm gonna fall" or "this curve is too sharp for me!" This is the level of people taking MSF.

3. Conscious Competence - This is where you have gained some level of confidence in the skill. This would be year 1-2. You know you can ride, and you actively practice all the things you were taught in stage 2.

4. Unconscious Competence - This is the stage where you perform a skill "without thinking about it". This is the cager who is yapping on the phone or munching on a hamburger, or in this case(no offense) enjoying a morning breeze while riding.

It's VERY HARD to not slip into stage 4, but the point of this model is to try and stay in Stage 3 as much as possible. The majority of us are in Stage 4 all the time, but after a 'near miss', you immediately are snapped back into Stage 3 mode, where you start checking mirrors, watching for movement in cars, etc...basically you become "Conscious" about your competency and its limitations.

Just some food for thought from the sales world . It's an interesting model that has been used for over 25 years. My favorite 'example' of all the stages was a baby learning to walk....

Stage 1: Baby doesn't know it can't walk so tries and falls
Stage 2: Baby KNOWS it can't walk so when it does, it immediately heads to something to grab onto
Stage 3: Baby knows it can walk, so starts getting into stuff that it can walk to.
Stage 4: Baby bumps it's leg because it is not actively watching where its walking like in Stage 3.

Anyways, glad you're okay again! You have to live long enough for me to come down real soon and visit .

Well said Gents.
Fuzzy I'm glad you're okay and wrote a great post
Luthor great follow-up...a keeper!
Stage 3 ...... let's do it!

Oooh ... very good tip...I'll use it...

Luthor......excellent Reply...thanks for sharing it...

Thanks, ya'll....jacquie

Let's hope no one around you thinks you're drunk and you are pulled over by the police after someone dutifully reported your actions.

These close calls don't only happen at intersections. Sometimes they involve wildlife too. BTDT. The most important thing to do is have instant/automatic reactions to the split second situation. That takes years of experience on the road with all kinds of successfull
learned situations. Dirt bike riding is a good place to start.

Great reactions fuzzy. I wish I had done as well last year.

I hate it when a close call happens, but I'm thankful it was just a close call. I'm glad you were not hurt.

As much as I don't like reading about close calls, I appreciate everyone who posts them. I read them for the lessons learned so I can apply the experience to my own riding. And since I am still in "stage 2" as luthorhuss puts it (but getting closer to #3), every close call I read about is a wealth of knowledge to me. Thanks for sharing that harrowing experience Fuzzy.

I do this when approaching cars from behind too - make sure they see me before I filter if possible.

Glad you're ok, fella.

Glad you are OK Fuzzy.

The weaving thing is RECOMMENDED IN A BRITISH SAFETY STUDY if anyone asks. Vehicles, especially motorcycles, are often not seen by vehicles going in the opposite direction because they are like a stationery blind spot. Lateral movement, as in a weave, is recommended - longer to the right, shorter and sharper to the left as I recall.

Also, get a Stebel horn. Wake them up.

Which if you think about it works in a very similar way to a headlight modulator... Just a thought.

Your close call was WAY scarier than my recent one,hard to believe you pulled it off! Congrats and glad you didn't have a coronary! Great job!

I have always used Kisan modulators and though pricey they are good quality and usually easy to install. https://www.kisantech.com/

A modulator is another tool to help protect yourself, but never assume someone sees you anyway. I saw a cager pull out in front of a Fire truck with sirens and lights all blazing, and get creamed. So where is the chance a tiny blinking light will do the trick? Still worth it I think......
I turn mine on when I see the least need ( your situation today for example)
and off again when I am passed it. Kinda obnoxious to run with it all the time.

Really glad you are ok!!

Fuzz,

Good quick thinking. Give yourself a pat on the back. Credit where credit's due. I know that whenever I have a close call, I beat myself up after the fact. I think it is a logical part of the learning process. The point is, had you "grabbed handfuls", This conversation may be happening under very different circumstances, if at all. Glad you're here to talk about it, bro.

Todd.

Wow, glad everything worked out okay. I never really explained my close call. I was stopped centered behind a car, 2nd vehicle waiting to turn left, suspension lock on, left foot up. A possibly bluish possibly Nissan possibly sedan came flying around the corner in front and to my left, making a right turn onto the road I was on but in the opposite direction. I'm in north Jersey, so drivers doing crazy things and driving badly don't generally warrant any notice, but the car was doing over 40 around a 90 degree corner. The rear wheels broke loose and the car pivoted clockwise, with the back left bumper clipping the rear left bumper of the car in front and raking my left side. Not slowing down, but instead gunning the throttle, which catapulted the car into a ditch on the right side (I caught a glipse of this in the left mirror) before gunning out of the ditch and down the road. My front wheels stayed put but the rear wheel was lifted up and thrown a yard to the right; somehow I didn't tip. This all happend in under two seconds, by the time I got myself stabilized and turned my head the car was passing 70 with two cars in front of it having dove out of its way, one into the ditch, disappearing towards the freeway.

Everybody bailed out and ran over to me. I asked if anybody caught a plate number but nobody did. I wasn't even sure of the color much less the model. I didn't call the cops, although several people offered to do so. I know that is completely wrong but I wasn't thinking too clearly; the trike had just taken a major impact, and yet the only damage was the rear reflector was broken. That seemed impossible (and, it turned out, was impossible) and made the whole thing very dream-like. Finally a driver pointed out that I needed to clear the road, and the moment I tried to turn to the shoulder a gut-wrenching scraping sound came from the bottom. What had happened was the bumper had collided with the centerstand kick pedal, twisting the stand like a pretzel. I tried to limp home but the slightest turn caused the stand to drag. I called my girlfriend, who came over with a monkey wrench, and we managed to force the foot pedal over the hub sufficiently to drive 20mph to the dealer.

I had been researching what exactly the dealer does during the 600 mile check and had been debating whether or not to try it myself ($180 just for the oil change portion). I had just passed 600 miles when the accident happened, so I suppose you could say that helped make up my mind. The dealer took the kickstand off, untwisted it, remounted it, and checked out the hub, all for free, so I can't say I didn't get my money's worth.

Takeaways:

1. If I had been stopped in the left tire track like the DMV manual says to, I'd be dead.

2. If my left leg had been on the ground, I'd have at least a broken leg. I'm not sure if, on an overall risk-to-benefit basis, this means putting one's left leg down is actually bad...just a factual observation.

3. If I hadn't had suspension lock on, the trike would definitely have gone over. Ditto if I'd been on a two-wheel bike.

4. You can get killed just by standing still and doing everything right.

What is WRONG with people? Glad you are OK!!

A very good 'Why MP3s are safer' example for Piaggio to trumpet...

They are proven to be so in all sorts of ways - but the reports have to go in to be counted.

>What is WRONG with people?

This morning on the Interstate I signaled to take the ramp, behind three cars and a truck. I checked behind me and there was a car right on my tail. I thought, "what kind of idiot tailgates a motorcycle?" The car blasted off to the left, floorboarded past me and the other exiting vehicles, and lunged to the right with no signals, cutting across the zebra stripes and cutting off the truck.

"Oh" I concluded to myself, "THAT kind of idiot."

Jacq, here's the report:
http://www.network.mag-uk.org/smidsy/How%20Close%20is%20Too%20Close.pdf

Glad you were able to get out of that scrape Fuzz. I read that report awhile ago when jimc posted it before and it is some great info...have incorporated the zig zag in my riding style too.

good to hear your ok and glad your reactions where there to get you thru.
stuff like that will make you want to drink some moonshine and then go find that idiot and shoot the dumb ass.

+1 Can I come too?