Just to say I managed to pull off a bit of dreadful driving this morning on the way to work :-(
My route entails joining a fairly busy A road by turning right from a T-junction. Sometimes, traffic from the left is very slow-moving, whilst that from the right is free-flowing. This morning, someone from the left very kindly held back to allow me to join. An artic was approaching from the right, but plenty far enough away to pull out. So I did.
Halfway across the road I then saw the motorbike filtering past the queueing traffic from the left.
I instinctively stopped to avoid hitting the biker - whilst still in the path of the oncoming artic! The bike passed, I slotted into the gap left by the helpful motorist - and the artic continued on 'behind' me (don't think he was best pleased) - all somewhat simultaneously.
Had I pulled out with the artic a little closer, the outcome might have been rather different. Maybe the Grim Reaper was otherwise occupied at the time......
This has been a salutary warning that although we may offer our advice and 'sit in judgement ' on the driving of others, none of us is perfect. A single lapse of concentration is all it can take.
I can only feel relief that I did not have a serious 'accident' which would have been entirely my fault.
Take care.
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I think part of the problem with this situation is that as someone has stopped to let you out you feel compelled to pull out. I often let people out on busy junctions, but I always do my best to check for motorbikes.
The good news is that even though it was a close shave, things worked out ok in the end with no one being hurt.
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I can only feel relief that I did not have a serious 'accident' which would have been entirely my fault.
From your description, and if it's of any consolation, I don't think it would have been your fault. The biker was presumably filtering/overtaking at the time & rode past the car that had stopped for you - surely then, the rider had the responsibility in this case?
Oddly & co-incidentally, I had an accident many years ago in Islington (High road?, IIRC)
when I was the rider & was overtaking a line of cars (totally de rigeur for an urban despatch rider as I was) similarly deployed - when BUMMPH! - an emerging vehicle , turning right hit me broadside. Bike, me & splintering panniers all over the oncoming traffic lane - and my fault entirely. I had blythely assumed the stopped vehicle had simply not 'made up' the gap, rather than it allwoing a right-turning vehicle to emerge from a side street. The vehicle that hit me was a Citroen XM, and I still vividly recall that long shark-like nose hitting the left hand side boxer cylinder - saving my leg!
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From your description and if it's of any consolation I don't think it would have been your fault. The biker was presumably filtering/overtaking at the time & rode past the car that had stopped for you - surely then the rider had the responsibility in this case?
Insurance usually goes 50-50 in these cases. The motorcyclist shouldn't filter if it's not clear, and the driver at the junction shouldn't pull out if it's not clear.
Well done for avoiding an accident, sounds like a bit of a buttock-clencher for all concerned!
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When I'm filtering I watch out for this sort of thing. Any half-competent motorcyclist would.
Don't beat yourself up.
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When I'm filtering I watch out for this sort of thing. Any half-competent motorcyclist would.
What he said. If someone I'm filtering up behind slows down and stops to leave a gap, so do I. I've had the odd idiot filtering behind me overtake me in such circumstances, but hey! I want to arrive at my destination.
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Had a similar thing on a much quieter road at a mini roundabout...I was heading to the right exit, to my right a large artic was indicating right as was the 2 cars behind him all moving slowly. As I pull out a small scooter that had sat alongside the artic overtook the lorry and whizzed onto the roundabout and slammed its brakes on as it saw me pulling out.
It was impossible for me to see him as he was alongside the lorry.
Not sure what the motorbike riding books say, but surely riding alongside a vehicle coming up to roundabout or junction then pulling out at the same time as the other vehicle (single lane roundabout/junction ) is not a safe way to ride a motorbike.
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As I pull out a small scooter that had sat alongside the artic overtook the lorry and whizzed onto the roundabout
Pulling onto a roundabout without looking? 'Tis common practice for bicycles, motorbikes, cars, buses, vans, trucks.... I'm just waiting for a plane to do it and then I reckon I'll have the full set.
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Glad you got away with that! Someome mentioned 50:50 insurance claims - you might not have been around for the insurance claim if it all went wrong!
When I let people out/in/whatever I actually don't flash lights because others take that to mean it's all safe when it might not be. I don't want to be the one making them think that - they need to check for themselves.
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you might not have been around for the insurance claim if it all went wrong!
That's what I was thinking :-(
When reading other people's posts about similar situations it's easy to say what could still have been done to avoid a collision, but I have to admit my first reaction was to brake hard for the bike - temporarily forgetting that the artic was heading my way! Had the artic been closer I really can't say whether I'd have had the bloody-mindedness to save my skin (lorry collision with with driver's door = not good) and 'force' a collision with the bike.
Some things are best not dwelt on too long, I guess.....
Edited by Webmaster on 06/11/2007 at 19:24
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Don't dwell on it. I'm "lucky" that I have no memory of the accident itself last year in Italy where an HGV ran into the back of the hired Fiesta. We both survived with minor injuries although a car roof slicing into the back of my head could have been worse - doctor's surprised no more damage than a serious cut. Lucky nobody in the rear seats though.
As I say glad you're okay ;-)
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