more food for thought. nklr /

[e. rhoads]

> > ---Lack of attention to the driving task is a common factor for the > motorcyclist in an accident. > ==== paying constant attention to traffic is the one thing I find really

tiring

> I've actually read through the report and I recall that they also > said that in around 30% of the investigated events the rider did > nothing to avoid the accident. > I guess that's the "Oh S#!T!!!" reflex > > ==== "oh shit" is the most common last words on cockpit voice

recorders.....I had one of these situations the other day when a vehicle I complacently assumed had seen me started changing lanes on me....this was in city traffic about 30mph, so not real fast...I say complacent because I didn't notice until his front was almost 2 feet over. There was a car ahead and I didn't have room to accelerate. He was towing a boat so he was long. Although I never use the horn for anything I am truly amazed at how instantly I found it and warned him away. It was just like I knew it was there. Well, I had tested it a week or two before. I think assuming they're trying to kill you is good practice....car drivers don't like bikes anyway because for them it means the possibility of hurting someone. No one wants to do that and motorcyclists add to the stress level of driving. Next time you see a driver acting rude to you think of it as possibly he's reminding you of your vulnerability and that he wishes you weren't on the road. I'm like that to pedestrians all the time. Then there's the Volvo drivers on cell phones turned around toward the back seat yelling at the kids....etc.