Bikes - Talk & Issues Newsworthy and topical general biking and bike related issues. No crapola! Need Help: Try Searching before posting |
|
Thread Tools |
23-09-14, 08:15 PM | #1 |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 176
|
Watch out for idiots!
I met two of them last night!
Riding home from work, down Westerham Hill, Kent. Rural A road, 50 mph limit, unlit, a dark night. Nothing in front and what appears to be a single vehicle approaching me. I'm riding slowly (to manage my 4 day commute of 196 miles on one fillup) about 45. I ride like Miss Marple. On Tamazipan. Then 50 yards or so from me, a second pair of headlights appears, on my side of the road from behind the car I can see. I've now got 2 lanes of oncoming car, they're both side by side. On my side seems to be a large modern 4x4 thing. The set of headlights on my side are these modern, very white and bright beams. First thought was "I'm going to die in a couple of seconds". Not a helpful flight or fight reaction, thank you body. All I can do is slam on the brakes to minimise impact speed, swerve to the left to give myself the best chance of avoidance, with a view to going right through the rural hedgerow and any fence hidden within if I have to (and my brakes were in tip top condition from the last service, better than any time since I bought the SV 4 years ago). Just as the headlights are up to me, the overtaking car starts to cut in, and just missed me by oh, less than a couple of feet, which on a dark night, with a contact speed of guestimated over 100, would have been fatal had it been head on with a big 4x4. I've lost control on the gravel/verge at the side of the road - bike goes down. I under it, and there's quite a interaction of helmet/road surface. And they didn't even stop. They can't have failed to see me. They didn't even stop. The guy following the two oncoming "racing" cars, who kindly called the police, hung around as a witness til they arrived, said they'd been more or less road raging each other, trying to overtake each other, accelerating to prevent it, and generally giving it "the beans" (Think Gareth Hunt, Nescafe ads) to each other and almost stuffed someone else off the road half a mile earlier. The car behind slammed on, and stopped in the road to make sure I wasn't run into/over, and they stayed to give evidence too - a real talking point of the poor young ladies 21'sbirthday meal! But what kind of **** human, almost kills another, and doesn't even stop, to see if they did? To be more worried about their bloody ncd than a likely manslaughter. I am genuinely shocked. It's the first accident/incident, where I really, truely feel that there's NOTHING, I could have done to avoid it! Nothing. Bikes a wreck, kit's a wreck, no registration, so no one to claim from but my own fairly limited comp policy. And so close to being life changing/ending. I'm sitting here tonight for the first time since I got my licence in 2001, wondering if it's all worth it. I really thought my time was up. Apologies for boring you.
__________________
Bodily injury claims handler on hand for free advice. |
23-09-14, 08:24 PM | #2 |
Guest
Posts: n/a
|
Re: Watch out for idiots!
Frigging scum of the earth!!
|
23-09-14, 08:37 PM | #3 |
Member
Mega Poster
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 9,096
|
Re: Watch out for idiots!
Sad indictment of the times of the times we live in, taking someones life means nothing these days, until the doors slam shut in jail
__________________
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land Make everyday count RIP Reeder - Jolly Green Giant and comedy genius |
23-09-14, 08:40 PM | #4 |
Member
Mega Poster
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Alton, Hampshire
Posts: 1,606
|
Watch out for idiots!
Cnuts.
Total cnuts, complete disregard for human life.
__________________
Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit - Ad infinitum et ultra White 650 V-Strom -No mods Blue curvy 650 (OMFG I FIXED IT!!!) -200mm Delkevic Stubby. |
23-09-14, 08:58 PM | #5 |
Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Redruth, Cornwall
Posts: 221
|
Re: Watch out for idiots!
Glad to hear you are still here. Truly horrible to hear just think KARMA. On their part not yours, one day it will be a lorry on the other side of the road and not a bike.
__________________
Yamaha YBR 125 Custom - 2000 miles SV650s K5 - 18/07/2014 |
23-09-14, 09:00 PM | #6 |
Member
Mega Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: essex
Posts: 5,314
|
Re: Watch out for idiots!
Ah man what a nightmare.
Thing is you did cope with what could have been worse. Got past the target fixation and fear thing brilliantly. "I'm sitting here tonight for the first time since I got my licence in 2001, wondering if it's all worth it. " Thing is YOU are worth it. Some one rulling your life is a probably not a option for you and your going to rise above it .
__________________
Raisin cookies that look like chocolate chip cookies are the reason I have trust issues. |
23-09-14, 09:05 PM | #7 |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 176
|
Re: Watch out for idiots!
The thing is, I've long believed that good observation, and a defensive attitude go a long way to being safe. You can be criticised even when not at fault. You get hit at a T junction, and didn't make eye contact, you got sideswiped by a car pulling from a parking spot and didnt watch for the wheels/puff of exhaust... ect ect
But this one has frankly, distressed me. I can't see anything I could have done otherwise, to make myself safer, and what I did, prevented a high speed head on, mitigating the effects. (And I'm a crap rider, it wasn't a "great bit of riding" it was sheer panic but not "freezing" that meant I just evaded them). I really feel genuinely lucky to be here today, albeit really ****ed off that they didnt even stop and turn round to see if I was ok.
__________________
Bodily injury claims handler on hand for free advice. |
23-09-14, 09:16 PM | #8 |
Member
Mega Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: essex
Posts: 5,314
|
Re: Watch out for idiots!
Juju don't sell your self short .
You did a top job . You dint freeze unfortunately $hite happens People get stabbed struck by lightning.etc pick yourself up and get a lottery ticket!
__________________
Raisin cookies that look like chocolate chip cookies are the reason I have trust issues. |
24-09-14, 07:32 AM | #10 |
Member
Mega Poster
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 4,790
|
Re: Watch out for idiots!
Glad to hear you're still up and about buddy MIB might be worth a look.
http://www.mib.org.uk/Customer+Servi...river+FAQs.htm What are the Untraced Drivers’ Agreements? These agreements between the Secretary of State for the Environment and Transport and MIB explain the precise circumstances under which an application from a victim of untraced motorist will be paid.
__________________
RIP Reeder 20/07/1988 - 21/03/2012 - You were awesome Cbf600, sv650, sv1000, gsxr 750 srad, KTM adventure 950, gsxr 750 k1, gsxr 750 srad, fazer 1000, zx9r ninja.. |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Idiots | littleoldman2 | Idle Banter | 15 | 15-02-12 10:03 PM |
Idiots | ranathari | Bikes - Talk & Issues | 106 | 21-06-10 08:25 PM |
Sit back, watch and be amazed by idiots.. | speedplay | Idle Banter | 11 | 29-12-09 12:19 PM |
Idiots | MCN_LiamM | Idle Banter | 1 | 23-04-09 02:15 PM |
idiots! | kwak zzr | Idle Banter | 2 | 29-05-06 12:30 PM |