SMIDSY Close Shave

[Grip Fast]

Yesterday morning about 10 miles into a ride out, I was in a 40 mph zone and looking into a bright, low sun. Ahead, there was a side street with two vehicles waiting to join my road; a car in the righthand lane, waiting to turn right onto my road, and a van (guess the colour) in the left hand lane, that I would have expected to be turning left (it is a t-junction, so no straight on for either vehicle).

As normal, I drifted nearer the centreline to give better visibility and slightly safer margin. There was nothing coming towards me. As I got near the junction, the car started to creep out. That is when I discovered that the van was also planning to turn right onto my road - coming out parallel to the car and joining the main road behind the car.

As I reached the junction, the car started to go, and the van took that as the signal to go too; it came right out in front of me. I realised that if I braked, the car would t-bone me, but I was heading for the side of the van. I felt a collision was definitely on. My only option was to try to accelerate past the front of the van on the wrong side of the road. As I passed the front of the van, it felt very close and I was convinced it would hurt a lot and goodbye R1200S. He (she?) must have slowed because we missed each other but only just.

It is clear the van driver was watching the car beside it for clues to go and not watching for the road to be clear. From the driver's position, I would have been well light by the low sun - they would not have been blinded by the sun, but helped by it. I share the blame a bit with the car driver for edging out before I was passed the junction.

That was definitely the closest I have come to a mishap in 18 years back riding.

[cornishflat]

Phew, bet that had the sphincter twitching.

[Corvus]

Well done for thinking quick. Glad it turned out ok! The inching forward thing does my head in. The van driver was a Pratt tho.

Wonder if the driverless cars will do that? !!!

[StrokeB]

Sometimes you have luck on your side and sometimes not! Your close shave reminded me of a morning in 1977, going to work on my Bonnie in the rain, when travelling on the main road with a post office van at a junction ahead and on my left. I was doing about 45, when I got closer to the junction he pulled out over the line by about a foot and stopped giving the impression he had seen me coming. There were no other vehicles on the road. I slowed a little just in case and just before I got to the junction the van pulled right out in front of me... It was seriously too late to stop before hitting the side of the van so I attempted to throw the bike down to the left and hope I missed the rear of the van by going up the road he came out of. The bike slid, my rear tyre hit the last foot of the side of the van and I was catapulted 20 feet beyond the van. Damage to the van was a small dent, damage to my bike was general scrapes and bent footrest, damage to me was a broken rib and back. The driver had straightened up for some unknown reason and ran over a lady at the bus stop opposite, she suffered a broken arm. The outcome was that the driver blamed me for speeding and only changed his tune at court where I was present on crutches and wearing a corset. Turns out he had problems at home and was also on a charge for pulling out from being parked at the side of the road forcing a car to swerve into a lorry head on, the car driver was still in hospital when it went to court months later. Justice meant that he got a 6 month ban and £30 fine total for both accidents. This was when I realised that the law is a game of black and white and not justice after I listened to his union paid for barrister tell a pack of lies to mitigate his clients position and since he had pleaded guilty at court I was unable to correct them. I have had great respect for vehicles pulling across my path ever since and although I don't ride as often now, I have been lucky since with only the odd overbalance at stand still. To ride is to live, I just wish that all vehicle drivers were trained on motorcycles first so as to allow us to ride in safety. Anyway, isn't it partly the risks that make riding so much fun