True this!

 

a female driver hit a fellow rider head on and then ran him over. he's in rough shape. i will not say anything more out of respect for their family. i still do not understand how this happened...


as for those modulating headlights...not a fan. what do flashing headlights usually represent? go ahead, i'm giving you the right of way.

 

Bummer. I understand the feeling though. Close calls are enough to make a bleiever out of ya.
I live here in CA and i hear we have horrible drivers here but ive driven in approximately 20 states in my life, and i would venture to say MOST other states are significantly worse. Here in CA we just drive fast. Be safe out there yall.

Good luck with the sale brotha.

 

With the light flashing continuously, and at a rate of four times per second (the rate proscribed by law), there doesn't seem to be any confusion about that.

There are tons of threads on various forums with input from actual users, and the only confusion seems to be that occasionally someone will mistake it for an emergency vehicle, and pull over. LOL
That might be entertaining, but I never had it happen myself.

One of the most common, ugliest, and hardest to do anything about scenarios is when a car pulls out from a side street or driveway, and the motorcycle center-punches the side of the car. The most skillful driving in the world won't do much for you there. Maybe you have enough time to decide whether to lay it down, and hope to hit it wheels first, maybe not. Sure, you could drive 5 mph to allow more time to react and reduce the carnage, but driving much slower than traffic creates other hazards of its own.

When that happens, the most common explanation from the car driver is "I didn't see him". It's up to each rider to decide how far they want to go to be noticed. I probably won't ever go as far as wearing an orange safety vest, but I've got no problem at all with riders who do.


I also have no problem with riders who aren't afraid to die. Unfortunately, it isn't always that simple and glamorous. How about being a quadriplegic? Or needing to have someone change your diapers for the rest of your life?
I have one friend who has almost no brain function, and is confined to a wheelchair. He was an excellent street rider, and also held a few racing records. He never got hurt racing. He and his wife were quite comfortable financially. Not any more.

 

I also agree that an idiot would confuse the flashing headlight to mean that you are giving him permission to left turn in front of you. When I saw a Gold Wing with a flashing headlight a few days ago , thats the first thing that I thought of. I wouldn't have one for just that reason.

 

I take some comfort in the knowledge that most idiot drivers don't know what "flashing to give permission" , or flashing a "thank you" means anyway. They're more likely to think you're trying to tell them their eyeliner is smeared. LOL It's signalling that's mostly used between professional drivers, like truckers.

But like any type of signalling, you can't make assumptions. If someone has their turn signal on, it doesn't necessarily mean they're going to turn. And if they don't have their turn signal on, it doesn't mean they won't.

In Europe, flashing the lights mostly means "Get the heck out of the fast lane. I'm coming through".

 

Here's a short review by a motorcycle accident attorney:

http://www.zifflaw.com/NYBikerLawBlo...ng-headlights/

 

In addition to my last reply to this thread I will also add that, that is why I put that yellow film on my 2 fog lights, or what ever you want to call them, on my Deluxe. I have had people tell me they see me so much better with that on there. It was easy, very inexpensive and I think it kind of looks cool too!

 

Sorry to hear you giving it up. I'm in the NY/NJ area and it's insane here also. Probably more cars/trucks on the rode per square mile than any place. I ride to work most of the time and getting home is like the start of a motocross race. And our Police don't bother with cellphone violations any more. Hell, some of them are on them too. Maybe you should take up riding after hours, Sunday mornings, holidays. Works around here.

 

I live in the DC area and it's ranked as one of the areas with the worst drivers in the country. Commuting here on a bike is a death wish.

We ride outside of rush hour, normally weekends.