I woke up a Cager this morning

I was on my way to work this morning watching out for obstacles. I saw a SUV on side street waiting to turn right in the direction I was headed. I usually ride in the left third of the lane. When I saw the SUV I made my normal move; change my position to the right third and try to aim the headlights towards the car so I get noticed. The SUV started the right turn at the same time as I made my move. Instead of pulling out into my lane the SUV cut his turn short and pulled into the bus stop on the curb. Defensive riding does work.

Scott,

Good work and it's good he didn't hit you or make you hit someone else. Good going.

Glad you keep a good watch on what's going on around you. The life you save will be your own.

Well done! Just remember to "ride like you are invisible"! To cages you usually are Even with all the lights on my Goldwing (looks like the QE2 going down the road) cars STILL don't notice us...

Be safe out there!

Educate 'em one at a time!!  Good job and no loud pipes needed.    

When I see a vehicle sitting at an intersection I always watch the front tire. You can see that start to turn before you can really sense the vehicle moving forward.

I always do the same Dale.[/i]

gdenn wrote:

I always do the same Dale.[/i]  

X3

Smooth Move, ScottO,
Congratulations. Many folks talk defensive riding but many forget to practice it. Glad it worked well for you. I try to use all the tactics everyone talks about but am always leery of one of those nutcases that wait till the very last half-second to make their move. That's how many others get hurt.

Nice tip Dale N. Thank you

If they can't see three tons of ambulance with blue lights and headlights flashing, sirens sounding and a yellow bonnet (hood) coming towards them because they are texting, using the mobile phone or computer or having their lunch while driving, what chance have we got?

When you have two wheels under you you need twice the awareness of everything around you.

Plus, I usually ride/drive so fast I'm by the accident before it happens...
I couldn't resist. It's what I tell everybody when they tell me to be careful. They either laugh or look at me like I'm nuts.

It surely does take plenty of defensive riding when on two wheels. One thing I've put on all of my bikes, though I still need to do my scooter, is a headlight modulator. I've put them on all the Goldwings I've had (5) and over several years riding with them believe that they are a great piece of safety equipment. I highly recommend the Kisan Pathblazer headlight modulator. Simple to install and does get attention. Legal in the US and Canada.
When motorcycles here were mandated to have headlights on whenever moving, back in the '70s, it made bikes stand out to help cagers notice them. Unfortunately a lot of cars now have daylight running lights which means bikes don't stand out from the general traffic. Modulated headlights once again help a bike to be more noticeable.

http://kisantech.com/mag/index.php/pathblazer.html

Amen to the Kisan Modulator. Dave :

In the U.K., only the emergency services are allowed to use flashing headlights on the move; however see my post above.

Yeah, I know you guys on the Eastern side of the pond can't run with a modulator. I will argue that modulators do help with being seen regardless of emergency vehicles using flashing lights. For one thing in the US most emergency vehicles use strobing white lights along with red and blue strobes. They don't look at all like a modulated light which doesn't exactly flash but varies its intensity from 100% to 20%. I've had quite a few motorists wave at me and point at my headlight. Once in a while when I stop beside a cager at a traffic light they'll ask me if I know my headlight is flickering. If there's time before the light goes green I tell them about modulators otherwise I just say "yes".
The point is these things do make a bike more noticeable. By law they have to shut off automatically in low light levels such as those at dusk so they don't glare at oncoming drivers since modulation is done on the high beam.
It is a puzzle to me that they aren't allowed in the UK. Both the US and Canadian governments liked modulators enough to make them legal in all states and provinces which overrides local governments from trying to bar them.