Cop loses to Soccer Mum
Tonight I witnessed a soccer mum in a SUV run into a Cop on a HD and
knock him to the ground. I met this Cop at the corner of Dairy
Ashford and Memorial and followed him a half mile Eastwards down
Memorial towards Kirkwood. Traffic was light with dry roads – but it
was early evening with just headlights for driving. We were driving
at about 30 to 35 mph as the limit was 35. We were both in the slow
lane to go around traffic waiting to turn left into shopping
centers. Then he moved into the fast lane while I stayed in the slow
as I had to make a right into Kirkwood. He was just about 50 ft
ahead.
About 100 yds from Kirkwood I noted a SUV at a side street apparently
waiting for an opening to pull onto Memorial and proceed West. From
experience, this is a very hazardous entrance and one I avoid. I
would proceed west through the shopping center to Kirkwood then up to
Memorial which has a protected left turn. In horror I watched, as if
in slow motion, as the SUV proceeded to move into Memorial directly
into the path of the Cop. I noted, when he was about 50 yds from
impact, that his rear began to slide into the slow lane, then back
into the fast lane as he corrected the slide. I saw no skid marks
for his front wheel. She clipped him with the front of her left
front fender. The saddle bag was wedged into the front of her
fender, between the frame and the fender. Her speed was likely about
15 mph or less, and his of about 5 to 10 mph. His HD fell over on
impact and did not slide down the road as it would have had he any
speed at all.
I at once stopped short at the side of the SUV, got out and called
911. After being assured by the cop that he was OK, he stayed on his
back the next 30 minutes. He removed his helmet and I retrieved his
gloves and placed them next to him. Then I directed traffic in the
oncoming lanes as he was lying in the oncoming fast lane until
relieved by accident runners. Soon there was a collection of first a
tow truck, then of three firetrucks, and two ambulances and five
squad cars. It looked like New Orleans at Mardigraw time.
The soccer mum came out, followed by her small boy, and said how
sorry she was. Her story – she looked left, then right, saw nothing,
then proceeded to enter the four lane roadway – right into the path
of the oncoming cop. The AMA says that all drivers, when entering a
busy street from a side street – should look left, then right, then
left AGAIN, and proceed only if the roadway is clear. She did not.
Perhaps she saw only a light – against a backdrop of other lights.
Clearly, she did not see anything that she feared. Perhaps she would
not have pulled out had the cop been driving an 18-wheeler and she
heard an earth shattering blast from a truck multi air horn.
After giving my statement to the police on what I witnessed, the cop
who took my statement said that it probably would not warrant even a
traffic citation as she did not dispute the findings of fact – and
that it likely would be settled by her insurance company. Woopee.
Be very aware if you come to Houston on a motorcycle. I can recall
case after case where a motorcyclist has come off the worse, or even
paid the ultimate price, and the news story is about how this
fatality tied up traffic for six hours or longer.
Hal Kendall
When I lived in L.A., I saw this sort of thing happen time and time again both to the Police riding bikes and to civilians. Instead of looking both ways several times, people will simply pull out in front of anything. That includes cars, trucks, railroad trains and especially motorcycles.
I'm glad it was a low speed crash. We lost a police officer on a bike here in Sacramento about two weeks ago. It's really sad.
A friend I ride with drives a city bus. People have run into busses and the first thing they say more often than not? "I didn't see you." It's amazing to me that so many blind people are issued drivers licenses. If they don't see a bus, how the heck are they going to see a motorcycle?
Back in 82 I made my first long distance trip to Sweden were all vehicles were obligated to have light on even during the day. I was amazed how well you were seen from very far away, so I started to use light always and was the first in my area to do so . (except when the battery was low, or now with my Jawa rig because of the low generator output(but I use a fluorescent street workers jacket in stead))
Until years later riding with light on became an official recommendation in Germany (perhaps meanwhile law? don't know) I am sure that it helped a lot to keep my bones healthy. ( Not for nothing I made my testament at the age of 21....)
One of the 3 cases I had to give "Last auxiliaries" was a tiny 18 year old scholar on 80ccm bike who had short after dawn the light already switched off. I still see him hitting the trunk and fly 17,5m across my lane against a (KM) mile stone, while the helmet went opposite.
I recall an occasion where I didn't use the low light during a summer day that somebody watched my rig so intensively that he nearly hit me frontally on my lane. He didn't react until I put the high light on pushed the horn and went off the street into the green. => "So sorry, but I have seen such a vehicle only in old time movies with Harald Loyd...."
So I really recommend to everybody who's electric system works well to use the light always. People are unpredictable and do not recognize such a strange bulk as a rig is on the road.
Interesting side effect: The bulbs started to last way longer then before.
Best regards and ride safe.
Sven Peter
Originally written by Peter Pan on 12/8/2008 11:19 AM
Back in 82 I made my first long distance trip to Sweden were all vehicles were obligated to have light on even during the day. I was amazed how well you were seen from very far away, so I started to use light always and was the first in my area to do so . (except when the battery was low, or now with my Jawa rig because of the low generator output(but I use a fluorescent street workers jacket in stead))
Until years later riding with light on became an official recommendation in Germany (perhaps meanwhile law? don't know) I am sure that it helped a lot to keep my bones healthy. ( Not for nothing I made my testament at the age of 21....)One of the 3 cases I had to give "Last auxiliaries" was a tiny 18 year old scholar on 80ccm bike who had short after dawn the light already switched off. I still see him hitting the trunk and fly 17,5m across my lane against a (KM) mile stone, while the helmet went opposite.
I recall an occasion where I didn't use the low light during a summer day that somebody watched my rig so intensively that he nearly hit me frontally on my lane. He didn't react until I put the high light on pushed the horn and went off the street into the green. => "So sorry, but I have seen such a vehicle only in old time movies with Harald Loyd...."
So I really recommend to everybody who's electric system works well to use the light always. People are unpredictable and do not recognize such a strange bulk as a rig is on the road.
Interesting side effect: The bulbs started to last way longer then before.
Best regards and ride safe.
Sven Peter
It's certainly good advice to use one's headlights and tallights in the daytime as well as night on a motorcycle or rig. In California and many other states it's a legal requirement. Most cars nowadays have Daylight Running Lights (DRL's) and all bikes sold in California have them.
It's not 100% insurance against trouble but it may be the best one can do.
Originally written by Reardan Tom on 12/4/2008 9:36 PM
A friend I ride with drives a city bus. People have run into busses and the first thing they say more often than not? "I didn't see you." It's amazing to me that so many blind people are issued drivers licenses. If they don't see a bus, how the heck are they going to see a motorcycle?
Tom i drive a ready mix(concrete)truck....while making a delivery-parked in a hospital parking lot all flashers working properly and my big amber (Disco Ball) rollers going...a lady runs into the back of my truck....yup first words were....I did'nt ever see you there...ed
Re lights on at all times, perhaps there are some still around who can recall the efforts by Texas and by Oklahoma to require all vehicles to drive around with their lights on. No, that was not just a few years ago, but back in the early mid late 1950's and perhaps into the early 1960's. The intent was to reduce fatal traffic accidents, especially during the hectic Xmas holidays when folks just seem to leave their senses behind. No statistical reductions were noted, but some interstate bus companies and even some long haul truckies made this their companies requirements. These efforts basically disappeared by the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was not until the Jane Claybrook era and all her misguided efforts that the lights on for motorcyclists began again, then only in an effort to reduce the liability of the motorists and to shift the blame onto the motorcyclists. I am bigger than you therefore it is up to you to get out of my way. This is a basic and proven fact of life. Then when the motorcyclist cannot defy the laws of motion or time or circumstance are now smashed by the ignorance of the motorist - it is now the motorist who cfries to the attending cop and ambulance crew - I did not see him, office, and I trust this will not blemish my drive safe accident free record.
If you have a strong light, use it, under you control if possible. Just do not blind the other drivers so have it adjusted correctly. It must not shine into the eyes of either oncoming drivers or into the rear view mirrors. These powerful lights do blind, even in daytime.
Better yet, have a loud air horn, but not so loud as it might get you a ticket for noise pollution. Use it with discretion. It has saved my life on many occasions. You have to cut into the steel shell with the A/C on and the hi-fi blasting, and now the concversation on the cell pjone, shake them, and get them to focus on the problem at hand. Namely, that you are on the road and that they are about to run you down through no fault of your own. The more they think that you are a threat the more respect you will get. Even so, they still hit big trucks and cement mixers and trains and buses. But you reduce the odds of them doing it to you.
Always ride as if they are going to get you and always have a planned escape route for as many forseeable road mishaps as you can imagine. If the other guy does this, you will do that. And so on. In the infamous Harry Hurt Bike study in California it was found that in the majority of biker-auto accidents that the biker, once aware of a potential hazardous situation, did nothing to prevent the collision. He either held on and froze and said - Oh - Sh1t, or if he did try for an evasive manouvre, it was the WRONG manouvre and resulted in a worse crash. On the other hand, do not practice crashing. Not good for the phsye.
Hal Kendall
Headlight modulators are legal in all 50 states and really do increase the visibility of motorcyclists. I use one on my rig and recently had an encounter that validated the modulator's use.
I was delivering a package to be mailed to the Post Office and upon returning to the rig was stopped by a lady who admired the bike. She commented, "Did you know that your headlight flickers?". I explained the modulator and commented that it's purpose was to help me be seen. The woman smiled and replied, "It works!"
I highly recommend this simple modification for the safety of the rider.
