Archive for February 15th, 2009
The Low-Speed skill that can save (or cost you) your life
by rider on Feb.15, 2009, under General
Ran out on the Road King to run an errand today, and on the way home, I was third in line in the right turn lane, behind a cage who was behind another biker. We were waiting to turn onto a two-lane road, with a 45 mph speed limit.
The biker made a lawful right turn on red, but he ran wide and crossed over the double yellow line right in front of an oncoming delivery truck. I was watching this unfold in slow motion thinking “Oh, hell. Turn your head more, get back over the line!” Fortunately, the truck driver was paying attention and swerved over to the right side of his lane, missing the bike by a couple feet.
The rider looked pretty shaken as he made the next right into the parking lot of a restaurant just down the block. I pulled in beside him to see if he was OK.
Long story short, he’s a newly-returned rider after a 10 year hiatus, and hasn’t done any refresher training or PLP. He recognized that he was target fixated on the center line, and that he let the clutch out too rapidly on his way around the corner, but he couldn’t correct it while it was happening.
I gave him the info for the local training center where I did my BRC, and he said he would be calling. We talked for a while, and when he was calmer, he set off for home (just a couple blocks down the road to the entrance to his subdivision). I really hope he seeks some training.
Just goes to show how easily one simple skill, poorly executed, can get you into trouble in a big hurry.
