And down goes...

Skootz Kabootz · Post by **Skootz Kabootz** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 7:28 am

Nope not me. But this was close. Literally.

So... out riding today, I came up to a red light - two lanes in my direction, one lane for right turns or continuing straight, one lane for left turns or continuing straight. It's not marked very well.

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So as I arrived at the red light I saw a guy on a sport bike waiting in the right lane two cars back from the front so I pulled up next to him, we said hi and continued waiting.

Light changes to green, traffic moves, I let the biker go first... and half way through the intersection he turns left... right into the side of a lady in a green sedan in the left lane!! She must have been in his blind spot. I think she was turning left, or going straight, hell, I'm not sure.

The guy hit the side of her car as he turned, not fast or especially hard, but enough that he lost balance, couldn't hold the bike and went down. Dented her door pretty nice. As fast as it happened, it was like it was in slow motion at the same time.

I pulled over to help - helped him pick up his bike, did what I could to calm his nerves (he was uninjured, but visibly shaken) and gave them each my number as a witness.

It was amazing how quickly it all happened. And all of 5 yards in front of me. Talk about a sobering experience. But what a reminder to stay aware and always look before you turn!

I hope this is closer than I ever get to an accident again.

Ride safe everyone!

r0sa · Post by **r0sa** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 9:36 am

thanks for posting kabootz.

i like reading posts liek this because its kind of like a reminder for to ride safeR

kudos to being a good citizen and helping the guy and volunteering to be a witness

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:34 pm

Well, a good tip we could all write on the inside of our arm - "don't turn left from the right lane" - especially when there is a car in that lane. Usually the mistake the cager makes by turning in front of you (isn't it usually the cager that pleads that the scoot was in his "blind spot"?)

Lil Buddy · Post by **Lil Buddy** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:18 pm

Was his name Frazier? That would have been funny. Not funny ha-ha but funny...... no, what.... thats not funny.

Post by **ericalm** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:19 pm

Wow, close call!

A lot of the streets in this area (Beverly Hills, 90210, yo!) are very confusing as far as lane markings go. I know this intersection pretty well; I've attended a few 3-week conferences at the hotel across the street and this was how I came & went on the scoot. It's a weird intersection. There's a light but heading the direction of the street view above, you cross the main street (Wilshire) into the hotel driveway. The traffic on Wilshire can be very fast. It's one of those places where every car is jockeying for position, changing lanes without signaling, etc.

The hotel driveway doesn't look like a street when you approach, so the biker may not have known he could have gone straight through to the next intersection. I wonder if the biker started across the intersection then decided to take a left halfway through it.

There are numerous places where no one knows if there are supposed to be two lanes or one. Then there's this intersection. It's a six-way stop, no lights. Crossing it is always like a game of chicken with 5 other drivers—no one knows who got there first or whose turn it is so everyone starts to go at the same time. I've had more than one close call trying to get across this and now just avoid it entirely.

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Skootz Kabootz · Post by **Skootz Kabootz** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:27 pm

ericalm wrote:The hotel driveway doesn't look like a street when you approach, so the biker may not have known he could have gone straight through to the next intersection. I wonder if the biker started across the intersection then decided to take a left halfway through it.

I think that may very well have been the case. It was a confused situation to be sure.

That intersection you posted Eric it always total mayhem (drag the image and look at the 360º view. There are 6 streets converging). I usually time going through it so I can be beside another car and let the car be my blocker

What it really needs is a fountain or something in the middle to make it into a roundabout.

pimaCanyon · Post by **pimaCanyon** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 5:40 pm

wow, what a shocker to be sitting right there and see the whole thing. yes, it's a reminder of how easy it is to do something stoopit while riding, the most important time we need to be most alert and always paying attention to every detail is when we're riding. Kinda feel sorry for the sport bike rider, he must feel pretty bad about now.