Came within inches of being killed on my eBike today

[GOTWAVZ]

They think they are excellent drivers because they are willing to go absurdly fast on a freeway. They aren't. They suck. If you haven't driven a car on a racetrack at the true edge of control, then you suck at driving. I don't know any good race car drivers that drive dangerously on the street.


I can't wait for driverless cars.

Everyone in my house who drives has been to the track multiple times, including my 17 year old, who raced karts.  My wife used to scare the shit out of me driving so I took her to the track to drive (not watch me) and even she became a way better driver after several track days under her belt.  I make it a prerequisite in my house:)

[Tom]

I grew up in Minnesota and in the winter the lakes would freeze solid enough to drive a car on. As teenagers, we would take our cars out and 'do donuts' on the ice. This teaches you how to handle a car that skids by losing  traction going around a turn. This is a skill that can only be learned by doing, you can tell someone to turn into the skid all you want, but they'll skid out every time until they practice it.

[Weasels wake]

I got my first street legal motorcycle when I was 16, very much to my parents disapproval, but because I have been on dirt only motorcycles for a couple years, they relented, but they thought I would get killed.  So I had to go and get my motorcycle driving license and the instructor told me that if I always reminded myself that I was invisible, I should be fine.  No accidents ever, thank you Mr. Instructor.
That was probably the best bit of advise that I had ever gotten in my whole life, about anything, one reason I'm still here.  That's also one thing that you can apply to anything, it is very helpful on most things like waves, ski slopes, to shopping carts in the grocery store.
Everybody else is blind  , never forget.

[GOTWAVZ]

....agreed....I used to live in NY and grew up doing donuts in the mall parking lots after first snow....

However today its more people being distracted by cell phones, texting etc...

...our world will be a safer place once they get the autonomous car figured out, made affordable and available to the mass market

I had the privilege of having a conversation with Larry Page (co-founder of Google)a few months ago, he was pretty focused on getting this done.

Now I hope there is truth to the rumor that he is working on a personal flying drone

[Old School 213]

And that's why I won't ride a motorcycle in CA. Glad you're OK Zoo. You were almost a hood ornament for the entitled "Oooh! Someone is in *my* way! *I* need to pass them regardless because *I'm* too important and in far to much of a hurry to slow down" Crowd.

[Quickbeam]

I grew up in Minnesota and in the winter the lakes would freeze solid enough to drive a car on. As teenagers, we would take our cars out and 'do donuts' on the ice. This teaches you how to handle a car that skids by losing  traction going around a turn. This is a skill that can only be learned by doing, you can tell someone to turn into the skid all you want, but they'll skid out every time until they practice it.

I used to do the exact same thing when I was a kid, except same as Gotwavz, I would do my donuts in the local shopping centre parking lot.

I also used to play hockey and sometimes the games would be late at night. Coming out of the games after a snowfall, I would listen to the car radio and wherever they would advise motorists to stay away from, I would go there. I’m sure this is what taught me to drive in snow. I’ve never been the least bit concerned about driving in snow, other than the concern I have for other drivers and their inability to drive in the conditions.

The only two conditions that make me nervous driving are black ice and dense fog. Dense fog especially, because I really don’t like not being able to see. For some reason we don’t get the same dense fog we used to, but I remember as a very young adult having my drivers door open and my head bent down to the road so I could see the line and follow it. A very eerie feeling driving in conditions when you are basically blind.

[Eagle]

Not many that track their cars drive like fools on roadways.  It is more the wannabe race car driver who thinks traffic is like some video game.  Both men and women are guilty of this.

And what I did also -> was go to empty parking lots to practice driving in the snow and ice.  As well go up to local ski hill parking lots to practice after the mtn shuts down.  Still do in fact to keep in touch how our different cars handle in varying conditions.  Everyone should practice.

But yeah black ice is terrible and fog makes me car sick.  Had to get off the coast Hwy out of SF and get back onto I5 because the fog was too much.  Just a few days ago was in Whistler and the snow was dumping so heavy in the dark it was like being hypnotized.  You lost track of your speed and all driving sensations.  It was basically a whiteout.  That was super freaky as well.  So always drive super defensive when anyone is around me.  Was like this the whole way coming back from Seattle in the snow.  In that way autonomous can be a benefit.  But that as well definitely has its own limitations.

[mrbig]

Ha! We used to go behind shopping malls in their unplowed state and race. This was in high school in the early and mid sixties. BEEG crazy donuts! My Sunbeam Rapier with a highly modified Alpine engine - hahaha - was awesome. I owned snow tires. Got busted for going 85 in downtown Bethesda in that toaster car..

[Weasels wake]

"Everybody else is blind  , never forget."

I feel I should spread out some blame, there are blind motorcyclists also.
In the middle of this last summer, we had a nice crash (one of many) here on Hwy. 1 at Pico Creek.  A car pulled out from the side street in front of a group of motorcyclists, the first guy saw the car, but was able to lay down his bike and avoided hitting the car, but about 7 other bikes following him were looking at the kiters riding the waves, and all piled up in a big ugly heap in the middle of the intersection.  One had to be choppered out of there and several others taken away in ambulances, it was a mess.
One blind driver, and 7 blind motorcyclists.

[PonoBill]

^^One more reason I rarely ride with groups of motorcycles. There's always one idiot, and often two. When I do ride with other motorcyclists they are usually sportbike or adventure bike riders. Fewer accidents, but the ones they have tend to be doozies.

On the only occasion I've gone on a trip with a bunch of Harley riders (one of those guided things through the Dolomites) my friend and I blew them off after the first day and did our own trip. We met up with them at the hotels on the route each night. They were doing 150 miles or less, we were doing 400 or more. Had a great time once we got away from the cat herding.

[covesurfer]

  A car pulled out from the side street in front of a group of motorcyclists, the first guy saw the car, but was able to lay down his bike and avoided hitting the car, but about 7 other bikes following him were looking at the kiters riding the waves, and all piled up in a big ugly heap in the middle of the intersection.  One had to be choppered out of there and several others taken away in ambulances, it was a mess.
One blind driver, and 7 blind motorcyclists.

Laying a bike down IS a crash. If the first rider had been able to brake sufficiently or swerve, or a combination of those, that would have been AVOIDING a crash. Sounds like the whole group were short on riding skills. Not surprising at all. Sport and ADV riders tend to take motorcycling a little more seriously, kind of like flying airplanes. But Darwin candidates certainly ride every brand and type of bike that's out there.

The last experienced rider course I took, which is probably 10 or 12 years ago, was pretty enlightening as to the kinds of riders out there. The class was filled with guys long on testosterone and short on skills. Nearly everyone in the course was afraid to use their front brakes and locked up their rear ends on all the braking drills, smoking rear tires and failing to stop within the allotted distances.  One of the morons, I mean students, argued with the instructors repeatedly, until he was finally told he could either open his mind and close his trap, or just leave. If I recall, he ended up leaving.

Four years ago, I decided that after riding motorized two wheelers since I was 10, I'd have a lot better chance of seeing my 'golden years' if I sold my Beemer, which was basically a two wheeled missile. Bottom line, no matter what your riding, if it isn't a cage, you've got very little protection and the physics are definitely not in your favor. You have to do everything in your power to stay safe if you want to enjoy two wheeled travel, and it is the best way to travel if you can manage it.

[yugi]

The throttle twisting entry ticket is just that little bit too easy and does tend to attract that kind of person long on testosterone, short on skills and not too much action sports background.

eBikes have a bit of the same attraction aura. They certainly will be putting a whole lot more nOObs on the street going a lot faster then they are used to. Recipe for a lot more bike accidents. It's going to happen.

[Area 10]

Most ebikes provide no assistance above 15 mph, at least here in the UK. It's the law, I think. You can chip them, of course, but then you aren't likely to be showing that off much. But in any case I don't think you need to worry about hooligan ebikers - they are too expensive and specialised, and going fast on the road is not really what they are about. But I can see many people enjoying cycling off-road much later in life because of ebikes, and that has to be a good thing. I did 25 miles off-road yesterday on one that I borrowed from a friend and no way in hell would I have been able to do anything like that ride on my ordinary bike. They make cycling so much more enjoyable it's unbelievable. It's like going from a prone surfboard to a SUP: enjoyment goes up, choices go up, fitness goes up. Cost also goes up, mind you, just like SUP...

[PonoBill]

Yes, not exactly a hooligan sport. though I love the notion of a bunch of eBike riders terrorizing a neighborhood. Heck's Angels. I reprogrammed my controller again a few days ago to set the assist speed back down to 20. I wasn't getting enough workout. I could reduce the assistance, but I know myself. Cutting assist speed works better.

Here in La Jolla there are almost no bikes on the road. People circle constantly looking for parking. So weird. I don't use my truck at all in the town except to surf. I've ordered some board racks for the bike so I won't be doing that either. Makes the town and surrounding areas so much more enjoyable and accessible. Lots of fit people here, but it looks like mostly the "drive to the gym and wait for a close parking spot" folks.

I wouldn't be grabbing my bike every time for a twenty-mile trip if it was just leg powered, or using it to get groceries either. It's practical transport.

[yugi]

A10, I agree on the fun. Especially the distance and speed aspect. It’s still a bit steep and technical on the serious off-raod here with portage sections. Not for me yet but never say never. Batteries may become insanely light one day just when I get old enough. I'm a weight weenie like any decent cyclist.

I wasn’t talking about hooligans on the road. It’s precisely the crowd with more money than senses that I was talking about. Unfortunately their hubris doesn’t exactly help much either. A sense of righteousness is exactly what will kill a cyclist on a road.