I drove a bike today.........

[Colin_T]

The problem with riding motorbikes is motorists (car owners) don't look where they are going and run into, cut off, and pull out in front of bike riders. Car drivers don't give a crap about cyclists or motor bikes and you put your life on the line every time you go out on the street.

You can be the safest cyclist/ biker in the world and all it takes is one ahole to be chatting to their mate, or doing their lipstick, or not looking where they are going, and you're dead.

One of my sisters used to ride a motorbike and some nob drove straight up the back end of the bike and knocked her off it while she was sitting at a set of traffic lights. The motorist claimed my sister pulled up beside them and rode into the side of the car when they were parked at the lights and refused to pay for repairs. When the insurance guy was looking at the bike, I pointed out the damage was at the back of the bike, not the front. If she had ridden into the car, the damage would be on the front of the bike, not the back. After that the insurance assessor agreed the car driver was at fault but it took several months of bs before they would even look at the bike or consider it was the car driver's fault.

Just about everyone I know that has ever ridden a motor bike has been hit by at least one car. And as a cyclist, I have been hit by 8 cars whilst out cycling. As far as I'm concerned, motorists can't be trusted and you put your life on the line every time you take a bike onto the main road.

 

[Essjay]

My younger son was knocked off his motorbike by a car pulling out of a side road in front of him. The driver claimed my son was going so fast that he wasn't in sight when he started to pull out. But my son had only recently passed his motorbike test so to comply with the law his bike was limited so he couldn't go over 50 or 60 mph (forgotten which). The dealer who fitted the limiter provided proof that the bike was limited so my son won the insurance claim. He had a broken wrist and a sprained ankle so he came off lightly.

My older son's friend wasn't quite as lucky. He reckons my younger son saved his life by telling him to buy a jacket with reinforced panels. He was commuting to work when a pickup truck in front of him slowed down. He moved out to overtake only for the truck to do a U turn. He regained consciousness in A & E long enough to say to ring my older son (his mother died when he was 16 and his father when he was 20) then spent several days in hospital recovering from his injuries.

 

[seangee]

For anyone who does after all those horror stories...
IMO nowadays a video is essential. A few years ago I was knocked off by a woman who decided to do a U-turn while I was stationary beside her. The first words out of her mouth were "How fast were you going, there was nothing in my mirror when I looked." My insurance was saved when a witness (the biker behind me) asked if she had not seen the stationary bike next to her. He then gave me his business card and announced loudly that he had the whole thing on video and if I called him he would send it to me. She had no choice but to admit that she hadn't even bothered to look!

In the UK we are allowed and encouraged to filter (its called lane splitting in the US). It is truly staggering how many people think they can drive while texting, applying makeup, shaving, inserting contact lenses or even video calling. The worst I have seen was a guy on a motorway reading his Kindle at 70mph. Obviously not a one off because he had a mount for it on his dash (and another mount for his phone). Usually I am fairly easy going but I did forward the footage to the police on that occasion

Oh and if you do drive a car / truck / lorry - please please look out for bikers and cyclists.

 

[Colin_T]

I used to cycle to the shops each day and this Chinese lady in her early 20s kept pulling out of the side street in front of me. She knew I was there but didn't care. It happened about 10 times in a month before I remembered to take my camera.

One day I recorded my ride to the shop and she pulled out in front of me again. I followed her back to her house, which was just up the road. She got out of her car and started heading towards her house when I got there.

I asked why she pulled out in front of me. She dribbled on in Chinese pretending not to understand what I was saying. I said you can talk in whatever language you like, but I have it on video, and held up the camera. I said I will be giving the footage to the Police and having her charged. I got on my bike and as I was leaving she yelled out "Hey mate, wait, wait, I'm sorry". All said with a strong Australian accent and all on video. I kept the camera rolling while she spoke Chinese and then perfect English.

I saw her a couple of days later and she actually stopped at the intersection for me as I rode along the road.

------------------------
Another time I was waiting to cross the road at the shopping centre when a woman pulled out of the carpark into the outside lane and hit another motorist (a P-plater). A P-plater is a probationary driver who has had their license for less than 12 months.

The woman who pulled out of the shopping centre went on about being sorry and how it was her fault and she accepted full responsibility. I had heard it all before so gave the P-plater my details and said I saw everything and if she wanted a witness I would be happy to help. The P-plater didn't want my details and believed the other woman but I insisted she take my details. I wrote them down on a piece of paper for her and said take it anyway, if you don't need it that's fine but just take it in case.

A few weeks later I get a call from the cop investigating the accident. He asked what I saw and I told him. I said the woman who pulled out of the shopping centre was at fault and pulled straight out into the other car. The cop told me she had denied liability and claimed the P-plater was speeding through the traffic. I said there was no other traffic on the road and the P-plater wasn't speeding and was actually slowing down for red traffic lights. The cop said that is what he thought too but the motorist at fault was doing a she says, she says and they needed an independent witness.

The P-plater was fine but the motorist at fault was charged with failing to give way and ordered to pay for repairs.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

The problem with riding motorbikes is motorists (car owners) don't look where they are going and run into, cut off, and pull out in front of bike riders. Car drivers don't give a crap about cyclists or motor bikes and you put your life on the line every time you go out on the street.

That is why you should have a GoPro attached to one of the handle bar, the back, and your helmet. You can get a cheap GoPro (Like a HERO2, but if you have the money, get the HERO7 black)

I suggest getting a HERO Session for your helmet, as they are pretty cheap and are small and light weight. GoPro's have saved many a cyclists life.

 

[seangee]

I suggest getting a HERO Session for your helmet, as they are pretty cheap and are small and light weight. GoPro's have saved many a cyclists life.

I doubt it. All they can do is prove who was in the wrong

 

[Essjay]

My younger son (the one who was knocked off his bike in 2001 before such things as dash cams were invented) now has a dash cam in his car and uses it all the time. His motorbike is in our garage at the moment. He moved into his new house in January and in order to collect the bike would have to come here by train which he is not willing to do because of Covid-19. I am quite happy with this as I don't like him riding it.