Why we crash article...

[cimmer]

I ran across this on Facebook and thought I would post the link to an article on " What Virginia Tech learned about how and why we crash our motorcycles".

Here is the link to the story.. https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/what-virginia-tech-learned-about-how-and-why-we-crash-our-motorcycles?utm_campaign=boosted-posts|tpfn&utm_content=common-tread-how-to&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_term=what-virginia-tech-learned-about-how-and-why-we-crash-our-motorcycles-post-112116-|tpfn

 

Sorry if this was posted here before but I didnt find it on a search on the site.

 

Rick F.

[BlueSky]

Thanks for the article. It's always a good thing to review what can happen and keep us thinking about how to avoid a crash.

[Sailor]

I used to take people out sailing and teach them the basics. When they ask how long it takes to learn to sail I tell them "The day you stop learning is the day you die".

I think the same applies to motorcycles. I also tell them a car compares to a motorcycle the same as a power boat compares to a sailboat.

[zagger]

I'd be curious to know if crashes increased significantly in recent years now that maybe a third or more of car drivers are fiddling around with their cell phones while driving. Paying partial attention to driving cars while changing lanes and negotiating stop lights seems to me a likely source of cars crashing into bikes. About an hour ago I was driving my car home from the store and a line of cars making a left turn through a protected light ahead of me just kept on coming towards me even after their light changed to red and my light turned green. Lots of honking by other drivers. I don't waste time honking, I just look to take actions which improve my chances of survival. I'm always on "DEFCON 1" when I'm riding around cars - which I try to avoid by doing most of my bike riding on deserted back roads. I would bet that the majority of motorcycle crashes are the result of actions taken by cars around them on the road.

zag

 

I ran across this on Facebook and thought I would post the link to an article on " What Virginia Tech learned about how and why we crash our motorcycles".

Here is the link to the story.. https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/what-virginia-tech-learned-about-how-and-why-we-crash-our-motorcycles?utm_campaign=boosted-posts|tpfn&utm_content=common-tread-how-to&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_term=what-virginia-tech-learned-about-how-and-why-we-crash-our-motorcycles-post-112116-|tpfn

 

Sorry if this was posted here before but I didnt find it on a search on the site.

 

Rick F.

[saddlebum]

I'd be curious to know if crashes increased significantly in recent years now that maybe a third or more of car drivers are fiddling around with their cell phones while driving. Paying partial attention to driving cars while changing lanes and negotiating stop lights seems to me a likely source of cars crashing into bikes. About an hour ago I was driving my car home from the store and a line of cars making a left turn through a protected light ahead of me just kept on coming towards me even after their light changed to red and my light turned green. Lots of honking by other drivers. I don't waste time honking, I just look to take actions which improve my chances of survival. I'm always on "DEFCON 1" when I'm riding around cars - which I try to avoid by doing most of my bike riding on deserted back roads. I would bet that the majority of motorcycle crashes are the result of actions taken by cars around them on the road.

zag

One of my pet peeves on top of those already mentioned is vehicles make U turns around the traffic island in the middle of an intersection. Last week I almost got clipped while making a legal right turn by an idiot that suddenly decided to make one of these U turns at the same instant. I was actually lucky to be on the bike as it allowed me room to avoid the nutcase. Had I been in the truck there most definitely would have been a collision. It seems these U turns and running stop signs are becoming so common and through texting in the mix you got a recipe for collision.

[Riderduke]

One of my pet peeves on top of those already mentioned is vehicles make U turns around the traffic island in the middle of an intersection. Last week I almost got clipped while making a legal right turn by an idiot that suddenly decided to make one of these U turns at the same instant. I was actually lucky to be on the bike as it allowed me room to avoid the nutcase. Had I been in the truck there most definitely would have been a collision. It seems these U turns and running stop signs are becoming so common and through texting in the mix you got a recipe for collision.

 

Same thing happened to me...He started yelling out his window and cussing. We were going to the same place... He tried to say he had the right of way. I told him that he should have turned on his "U-turn Directional". he said he didn't have one...I said exactly I thought he was taking a left turn and therefore since I don't read minds... I had the right of way.... Cop came out of the coffee shop and backed me up.....

[baylensman]

It was an interesting read. When I have time, I'll look up the 20 page report and the raw data. One category I'd like to see is the very day driver versus the hobbiest driver. I remember the first time I saw the t-sift slogan "$20,000 and 20 miles don't make you a biker" The only truer words were spoken by a guy 2000 years ago and they crucified him.

 

I'm not be littling any body or trying to start a flame war. But to some of us the bike is daily transportation, to others its an escape. To some its a hobby they enjoy. All are welcome in my opinion. I'll admit that i've dropped every bike i've every owned at low or no speed. I really wouldn't consider that a crash or a near crash. Crossing a white line especially when going around a r/h corner, again not really a crash or near crash, most lane stripe are not followed by anyone let alone bikers. Several years ago ( as we get older that number gets bigger so it may be 10 years or more ago) I read an article calling insurance data into question, because they had collected information from police asking if the speed of the vehicle has any bearing on the damage or injuries reported, not on the casue of the accident. So in almost every case the answer was yes, well duh. Insurance Companies used this as a reason to raise your rates if you get a speeding ticket.

 

So I for one won't draw a whole lot of conclusions from the article, but its a start and I'd like to see more of those type of studies. Perhaps even someone draw several of the studies together and synthesis the data (Doctoral thesis anyone?).

[Kretz]

Same thing happened to me...He started yelling out his window and cussing. We were going to the same place... He tried to say he had the right of way. I told him that he should have turned on his "U-turn Directional". he said he didn't have one...I said exactly I thought he was taking a left turn and therefore since I don't read minds... I had the right of way.... Cop came out of the coffee shop and backed me up.....

 

LOL'd at the U-turn directional comment! :happy65:Glad you avoided a collision & isn't it nice when police are actually there when you want them to be? How many times have we said "where are the police when you want them?" Have you also noticed how people who are wrong nearly always get nasty, belligerent or aggressive, instead of just saying "yep! Sorry I was wrong".

I'm pretty sure it's illegal here to U-turn in an intersection. Definitely is at a light controlled one, but I see it quite often.

[camos]

I'm pretty sure it's illegal here to U-turn in an intersection. Definitely is at a light controlled one, but I see it quite often.

It is illegal to make a u-turn in any intersection and also when there are signs on roads restricting u-turns. Other than that vehicles my make a u-turn pretty much anywhere when it is safe to do so.

[Sailor]

Some time ago I read a report that tried to figure out why motorcycle deaths had increased. After taking all factors into consideration they were left with the conclusion that the only real change had been the increase in mini vans and suvs on the road. When a biker hits a car he is usually thrown over the roof and survives. When he hits an suv or mini van he gets thrown into the vehicle and chances of survival are far lower.

[Flyinfool]

Back a few years ago the state did a study to find out why the number of motorcycle deaths had risen.

Their conclusion was that it really did not rise, the number of bikes on the road had risen greatly with the spike in gas prices and the number of MC deaths per 1000 bikes stayed close to the same. By far the greatest number of deaths was for riders with less than 2 years MC experience. They only looked at deaths, not crashes.

 

You can always shake the beans till they fall into the pattern you want.

[luvmy40]

I'd question the experience levels of the riders in this. Not that it invalidates the study in any way, but How many experienced riders drop their bikes often? I have dropped a few when I was very young and learning to ride the heavier street bikes, but it has been at least a 2 decades since I "dropped" any bike. I suppose they may be talking about drops happening when pushing a bike around in a cramped garage or such but I doubt it.

[baylensman]

It is illegal to make a u-turn in any intersection and also when there are signs on roads restricting u-turns. Other than that vehicles my make a u-turn pretty much anywhere when it is safe to do so.

 

 

Actually here in Florida it is legal to make a u-turn in an intersection, unless otherwise posted! You must however obey all the traffic signals at the point of the turn. So it can't be done on a red light or red left arrow.

[Sailor]

The article I read took into account every variable they could think of including, age of rider, experience of rider, size of bike, type of bike, miles ridden in a year, type of road

surface, weather conditions, time of day, amount of traffic on the road, type of traffic, speed, bike maintenance, increase in ridership, etc. It wasn't until they looked at the cars involved that they found that accidents involving suvs and mini vans resulted in higher death rates which matched the rise in popularity of those vehicles.

[camos]

Actually here in Florida it is legal to make a u-turn in an intersection, unless otherwise posted! You must however obey all the traffic signals at the point of the turn. So it can't be done on a red light or red left arrow.

Interesting, that`s a scary thought considering intersections are probably the most hazardous part of a road.

 

Thinking of the recent conversation about Venus Williams getting T-boned in an intersection by a gal that had a green light will keep me from making a U-turn in Florida intersection... if I ever get there.