Properly Executed Emergency Stop VS "Laid It Down"
Banned
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,461
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From: MI
Okay, Ill give it a bit more detail. This is a street that has 4 lanes, 2 heading north and two heading south, separated by a 6 inch high concrete barrier. The purpose of this barrier is to prevent vehicles from turning left (south) when they leave the parking lot of a large shopping center. The speed limit is 35 mph and there is a lot of traffic. Stopped, because it was very long and would need to ease into the parking lot, was a Coke truck making a delivery to a supermarket.
Coming across the lot, behind the truck so I couldnt see him, at a high rate of speed, was a 78 year old man in a Lincoln Town Car. A group of vehicles, I just happened to be in front, had just taken off after having stopped for a red light. His intention was to beat us to the point where he would exit the parking lot, go across our 2 northbound lanes, turn left and head south. The speed limit is 35 mph but I was only going 20 mph, a cage behind had actually changed lanes to go around me, to better be prepared if someone nosed out or made a wide turn out of the parking lot beyond the truck.
As he neared the street, the cage driver saw the barrier would prevent his plan to cross to the southbound lanes. He quickly decided to turn right, and head north, instead. Only problem was that he was going way too fast to remain in the lane closest to the parking lot. Instead he made the turn so wide he actually took up almost both northbound lanes and I was going to hit him broadside. That prompted my plan to slide into him sideways. I thought it might save my forks and prevent me from being catapulted over him and breaking my neck. I didnt want to lay it down because I didnt want to slide under his rear wheel and get ran over.
I found out later the old man lived in the area, and this was probably where he regularly shopped. Either the barrier was new or he had forgotten about it. Does that make it a little clearer? As was my original point, a rider cant be ready for everything. Another example is the time I was going north on a two lane street bounded by open desert, the first 6 feet of which was soft blow sand, and couldnt have been used by street bikes.
Just as I was about to pass a truck heading south, a 6 foot long fence plank floated off a rack over the truck bed into my lane and hit me in the head. Sometimes crap happens. Be careful out there, you never know what can happen, until it does happen that is.
Comments?
Ron
Coming across the lot, behind the truck so I couldnt see him, at a high rate of speed, was a 78 year old man in a Lincoln Town Car. A group of vehicles, I just happened to be in front, had just taken off after having stopped for a red light. His intention was to beat us to the point where he would exit the parking lot, go across our 2 northbound lanes, turn left and head south. The speed limit is 35 mph but I was only going 20 mph, a cage behind had actually changed lanes to go around me, to better be prepared if someone nosed out or made a wide turn out of the parking lot beyond the truck.
As he neared the street, the cage driver saw the barrier would prevent his plan to cross to the southbound lanes. He quickly decided to turn right, and head north, instead. Only problem was that he was going way too fast to remain in the lane closest to the parking lot. Instead he made the turn so wide he actually took up almost both northbound lanes and I was going to hit him broadside. That prompted my plan to slide into him sideways. I thought it might save my forks and prevent me from being catapulted over him and breaking my neck. I didnt want to lay it down because I didnt want to slide under his rear wheel and get ran over.
I found out later the old man lived in the area, and this was probably where he regularly shopped. Either the barrier was new or he had forgotten about it. Does that make it a little clearer? As was my original point, a rider cant be ready for everything. Another example is the time I was going north on a two lane street bounded by open desert, the first 6 feet of which was soft blow sand, and couldnt have been used by street bikes.
Just as I was about to pass a truck heading south, a 6 foot long fence plank floated off a rack over the truck bed into my lane and hit me in the head. Sometimes crap happens. Be careful out there, you never know what can happen, until it does happen that is.
Comments?
Ron
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4,416
Likes: 88
From: San Quirino, Italy
Using your logic, there is no such thing as a low-side. I'll bet a lot of riders would be impressed to know that they were just imagining things. LOL
Human physiology dictates that there is a minimum reaction time, and no skill in the world is going to change that. The laws of physics says that for any given speed, there is going to be a minimum stopping distance, and no skill in the world can change that.
Almost anyone who's ever been in an accident knew that there was no stopping in time. That's not lack of skill, but lack of time.
You guys that come on here and think that all accidents are avoidable if you have the right skills just amaze the **** out of me.
Human physiology dictates that there is a minimum reaction time, and no skill in the world is going to change that. The laws of physics says that for any given speed, there is going to be a minimum stopping distance, and no skill in the world can change that.
Almost anyone who's ever been in an accident knew that there was no stopping in time. That's not lack of skill, but lack of time.
You guys that come on here and think that all accidents are avoidable if you have the right skills just amaze the **** out of me.
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,817
Likes: 116
From: Raleigh, NC
And the fact that no matter how skilled, there are many things on the rode that can happen and are unavoidable no matter what our skill levels. That's why riding is always inherently more dangerous than driving a cage.
If, and I emphasize if, I suddenly found myself in a situation when I instantly knew that I could not stop or avoid, I would prefer, if I could, to lay it down than hit in any other way. Nothing good about it, but at least it puts the bike, moving in the same direction, between you and whatever it is that you're going to hit.
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
From: Dallas, Tx.
Let's have a play by play analysis of that and let me get my popcorn.
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