SUV tried to run me off the road

[Skootz Kabootz]

I still find this hard to believe...

I was riding west on Sunset Blvd., past UCLA, approaching Bel Air (2 lanes each direction and lots of nice big turns for those who haven't seen it). I'm traveling in the right lane, no traffic, just me and a big white SUV up ahead in the left lane.

I was just about to pass the SUV when during a long, wide, right to left curve, the SUV starts drifting wide into the right lane, just as I was coming up even with his rear passenger door. So I lean on my wonderful Genuine horn to let him know I am there, the guy wakes up, goes back to his lane, I pull ahead, end of story. Almost.

15 seconds later as I am riding along, still in the right lane, this guy, still in the left lane, speeds up to catch me, pulls up even with me, slows to match my speed, then moves over into the right lane to run me off the road. What a psycho. He was in his 60's I'll guess, grey hair, wife in the passenger seat beside him. I wanted to kick his door and put a nice big dent in it but I didn't want to risk losing balance and going down.

There was some traffic stopped just ahead so he slowed and I lane split and got out of there. It took a long time for my anger to subside. What a freakin maniac this guy was... yeesh.

Ride careful everyone.

[Lostmycage]

Glad you're OK from the incident. The first part is common cager stupidity. The second part was attempted manslaughter. You made it home safe, ultimately that's all that matters.

Do yourself a favor and don't think about what you should have done, nor should you dwell on what you could have done.

That's got to be the absolute best reason to lane split that I've ever heard though!

[michelle_7728]

What a jerk!

Glad you are okay.

[TVB]

That reminds me of a semi that tried to kill me last summer. US-2, which runs the length of the Upper Peninsula, is a two-lane highway, which is my least-favorite kind of road, but there's literally no other way to get where I was going. Traffic had been lighter than I'd dared to hope for most of the day, and the semis that had to pass me did so with the sort of practiced professionalism you'd expect from... professionals. But as I was finally approaching Manistique late in the afternoon, this one semi pulled up less than 10 feet behind me and stayed there.

I jerked my thumb backward in the universal gesture for "back the frak off, asshole", and he did. Then when the oncoming traffic was gone, he did a half-lane change, straddling the center line as he passed me, close enough to give me the full effect of the shockwave that any semi pushes along with it. And he started pulling back over to the right before I'd cleared the back of his trailer, so I had to brake to avoid being run off the road. All I could do was to squeeze the horn for several seconds as he pulled away from me.

[toycoma98]

Just dont get into the drivers "blind spot" right rear side of the vehicle.

He was probably mad that you were in their blind spot. Thats why he tried to run you off the road.

I hate it when people do that when I drive my truck.

[Roose Hurro]

Just dont get into the drivers "blind spot" right rear side of the vehicle.

He was probably mad that you were in their blind spot. Thats why he tried to run you off the road.

I hate it when people do that when I drive my truck.

But do you commit an act of attempted MURDER when someone does?

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[toycoma98]

But do you commit an act of attempted MURDER when someone does?

No! of course not. I'm a fellow rider myself. I own a cafe bike and my metro 125. To be honest i like my scooter better.

What i'm saying is to be a good rider... Be defensive.

Try not to ride on the "blind spot" especially a SUV.

[Skootz Kabootz]

Just dont get into the drivers "blind spot" right rear side of the vehicle.

He was probably mad that you were in their blind spot. Thats why he tried to run you off the road.

I hate it when people do that when I drive my truck.

First, why do you presume I was in his blind spot? Second, I was passing the SUV. When you come up with a way to pass a vehicle without going beside it, let me know. Third, what does any of this have to do with this persons choice to attempt murder?

[ericalm]

Just dont get into the drivers "blind spot" right rear side of the vehicle.

He was probably mad that you were in their blind spot. Thats why he tried to run you off the road.

I hate it when people do that when I drive my truck.

First, why do you presume I was in his blind spot? Second, I was passing the SUV. When you come up with a way to pass a vehicle without going beside it, let me know. Third, what does any of this have to do with this persons choice to attempt murder?

I don't think toycoma98 was saying that the actions of this driver were justified. He's just giving a possible reason the guy got pissed at you.

It's just not possible to pass a vehicle in an adjacent lane without going through their blind spot.

I know that stretch of road well. Because of the curves, visibility in front and behind is limited. Still, it's one of those places where everyone opens up the gas and hauls.

Some people act like you've just insulted their grandmother if you use a horn when they're driving like an asshole. Go figure. I had a similar situation once. A Porsche Cayenne I honked at (changing into my lane, no signal) thought it would be funny to try to scare the piss out of me by swerving at me a few times and chase me down.

Glad you're okay, Skootz!

[jasondavis48108]

I've been trying to figure out a way to attach a can of pepper spray to my scoot for this very reason PSYCHOS! Twice I've had a group of teens/ young twenties harase me about wanting to ride my scooter (aggressively) and if a cager gets all ragey and your at a stop light, you can't just lock your scooter door. I think what I'm gonna do is get some velcro and put some velcro inside the glovebox and then some on the can of pepper spray. This should hold it in place and out of sight quite well. I've learned to not react in anger when someone does something stupid (for my own safety) but sometimes you can do everything right and they still flip on you. Sorry to hear about your lousey experience with yet another cager idiot.

[rsrider]

Scooters aren't really the type of vehicle to attempt any sort of retaliation. If you feel that someone has made a road rage type attack on you, get the license plate number, and then get away from them. When you stop, call in the plate number, explain the circumstances of the incident, and then forget about it. I've been on two wheels for decades, and I have had more incidents of people almost taking me out than I can remember. It happens so frequently that I've just come to accept it as part of riding. It sucks that it has to be that way, but that's the way it is. Let your anger go, because you're at such a disadvantage that in any confrontation with a cage, you're going to lose.

[Lostmycage]

Scooters aren't really the type of vehicle to attempt any sort of retaliation. If you feel that someone has made a road rage type attack on you, get the license plate number, and then get away from them. When you stop, call in the plate number, explain the circumstances of the incident, and then forget about it. I've been on two wheels for decades, and I have had more incidents of people almost taking me out than I can remember. It happens so frequently that I've just come to accept it as part of riding. It sucks that it has to be that way, but that's the way it is. Let your anger go, because you're at such a disadvantage that in any confrontation with a cage, you're going to lose.

Exactly!

[ericalm]

When these sorts of things happen and get posted on a forum, the conversation inevitably turns to self defense and protection. I've yet to hear of a solution other than what rsrider suggested that doesn't have a high probability of turning things from bad to worse.

[charlie55]

Or........

1) Take down their plate number.
2) Leave the scene without confronting them
3) Find out where they live
4) Rent a 40-foot truck from U-Haul, with collision coverage
5) Wait down the block from their location
6) "Accidentally" play bumper cars with them when the opportunity arises.
7) Apologize profusely

Yes, it's only a fantasy, but I like it.

[Vic]

I am not saying that I know anything or trying to put myself up as an expert, just my own personal opinion here (insert any other standard disclaimers here)

As far as pepper spray, make sure you know the laws of your area and are prepared to deal with the consequences.

Pepper spray can also cause more problems and headaches than it solves, not only if you are not trained and knowledgeable about how to use it and not experienced in what to do if you end up getting some of the spray on (or in) yourself, but also because the other party may (probably will) bring you up on charges of battery.

You also need to be aware that pepper spray can be extremely hazardous and I have *heard* (third party) of people having very serious reactions that could have been fatal if not handled quickly and appropriately.

Again, I am not addressing the @$$+*[# that attempted to murder you and deserves to have the same thing happen to him... There is no excuse for that, but meeting violence with violence may not help the situation.

-v

[LuvMyScoot]

Glad you made it out ok, Skootz! Damned cagers and their road rage.

This is why everyone should keep an industrial sized bottle of Valium in their medicine chest. When the get home they can just pop one of those suckers and sooner rather than later the whole incident doesn't seem like a big deal at all.

[rsrider]

Glad you made it out ok, Skootz! Damned cagers and their road rage.

This is why everyone should keep an industrial sized bottle of Valium in their medicine chest. When the get home they can just pop one of those suckers and sooner rather than later the whole incident doesn't seem like a big deal at all.

Better living through chemistry!

[Skootz Kabootz]

Totally right what everyone has said about taking revenge/vengeance while on a scooter being a bad idea. That's why I just got away instead. There's nothing wrong with being good and angry, but don't let anger steer you into making bad or dangerous decisions. Sure it would have been gratifying to kick a big dent in this guys door, or to kick him anywhere on his anatomy for that matter... but as he was clearly unstable to begin with that one vengeful act could very well have been the tipping point that lead to my death by vehicular homicide. Better to be angry than dead.

As they teach in the MSF course, when it comes to a conflict between a scooter/motorcycle and a car/truck, the two wheeled vehicle loses every time.

Stay alive. That is priority #1. If you have ever chosen to just walk away, give yourself a pat on the back. You chose wisely.

[bunny]

I feel the presence of Obi Wan.

Just for the record, I am not a ragin' cager. I am, however, a ragin' scooterer.

Not as in road rage, but as in, I will find a safe spot and speed up to get the hell out of the cage nests that always seem to occur whenever I ride. And by speed up, I mean WOT till it hurts. Uneducated cagers scare me.

[jasondavis48108]

I am not saying that I know anything or trying to put myself up as an expert, just my own personal opinion here (insert any other standard disclaimers here)

As far as pepper spray, make sure you know the laws of your area and are prepared to deal with the consequences.

Pepper spray can also cause more problems and headaches than it solves, not only if you are not trained and knowledgeable about how to use it and not experienced in what to do if you end up getting some of the spray on (or in) yourself, but also because the other party may (probably will) bring you up on charges of battery.

You also need to be aware that pepper spray can be extremely hazardous and I have *heard* (third party) of people having very serious reactions that could have been fatal if not handled quickly and appropriately.

Again, I am not addressing the @$$+*[# that attempted to murder you and deserves to have the same thing happen to him... There is no excuse for that, but meeting violence with violence may not help the situation.

-v

I completly agree that the best choice is to get the hell away from whoever is threatening you. I have had two istances this year though, of people appraoching me while I'm on the scooter in an agressive fashion. In one instance I just ran the red light and was able to get away. The other I was lucky enoguh to have the light turn green and got away. Both times I felt like I was moments away from getting scooterjacked. I'm all for letting some nut job call me a fag or whatever if it makes them feel like a big man. I'm all for letting it go when some idiot cager does something stupid that almost kills me, but there are times when I have felt lucky to get away and wondered what I would have done if I had not been able to get away. I thought about getting my CCW, but worried that I wouldn't be able to get to the gun with all my gear on in time for it to be of any use. Pepper spray seems to be one of the least harmful options for self protection that is leagal here in michigan (we're not allowed to carry tasers of I'd have one already).

[Cheshire]

Glad you're unscathed, Skootz.

As the weather's warming up, I'm noticing the testosterone levels are rising. Must be rutting season...umm, I mean...no, I meant that.
When it was cooler down to bleeding cold, people gave me much more consideration. Now that it's warming up, the respect on the pavement is fading back to summer's normal. Drat.

[easy]

1 can of wasp/hornet spray 1 lighter sorry thats the Marine in me just pray and thank God for saftey

[toycoma98]

I just installed a Stebel horn. Its frickin loud, louder than my truck. You should get one.

[ericalm]

1 can of wasp/hornet spray 1 lighter sorry thats the Marine in me just pray and thank God for saftey

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure that they used to give Marines guns. This budget crisis is insane.

I just installed a Stebel horn. Its frickin loud, louder than my truck. You should get one.

The Buddy Internationals actually come stock with a Stebel. Genuine, FTW!

[Kaos]

1 can of wasp/hornet spray 1 lighter sorry thats the Marine in me just pray and thank God for saftey

I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure that they used to give Marines guns. This budget crisis is insane.

I just installed a Stebel horn. Its frickin loud, louder than my truck. You should get one.

The Buddy Internationals actually come stock with a Stebel. Genuine, FTW!

The NON internationals come with a Stebel also, just a different model
I forget which has which, but one is the Stebel Nautilus the other is the Stebel Magnum.

[Skootz Kabootz]

I applied my mighty Stebel in no light hearted manner when the guy started drifting over into my lane. I wondered if the whole trying to kill me thing was just the drivers reaction to being startled... RESPECT THE STEBEL!

[Lostmycage]

The 150's get the Nautilus (139db two tone) and the 125's get the Magnum (115db single tone). Those db readings are assuming dead quiet and the recording device is inches in front of the horn. Both are a lot louder than most every motorcycle stock horn.

[Ray Knobs]

1 can of wasp/hornet spray 1 lighter sorry thats the Marine in me just pray and thank God for saftey

now all you need is a 3rd hand to hold onto the bars