Last night a cager saved my life... (maybe)
 

I was out riding at the weekend, going fairly quick through the lanes (but always keeping adequate stopping distance). A car coming the other way flashes me, thankfully I wasn't doing anythign "wrong" so my first assumption was, "something up ahead", rather than, "oops I'm riding like a tw@". So, not only do I drop to about 50mph, but I'm scanning the road even more thoroughly than normal. I see what it is- roll of carpet, rolled up, horizontal across the road, almost at exactly 90 degrees to the kerb and completely coveing my lane. Thankfully, due to the forewarning I managed to slow down and skirt into the empty oncoming lane to get round it.

Had he not warned me, I think to be honest, I probably would of seen it, but due to the colour of it, lighting, the shape/placement of it, etc. I could of easily mistaken it for one of those tarmac patches you get from the road being dug up and not slowed until it was too late. It didn't look like a full roll, but big enough to have you off.

So, they're not all inattentive, selfish and poor drivers. Still, lets be honest, probably a biker in his car, eh? :wink: :D

You didn't stop to get it out of the road then? I would have.

I've had that a number of times, most often when there's an accident ahead and I'm 'making progress'.

No, I really thought long and hard about it, but there was nowhere safe to stop. Had I been in my cage, I'd of pulled over with hazards on and walked back. It was just after a bend and not far from one in the other direction. Big hedges on either side and nowhere to "jump" out of the way of cars, either. This was down past Aberthaw power station, on the way to bridgend (sure some of the south west surfers know where I mean.)

Fair enough (I wasn't there so I can't argue with you). Maybe there was some way you could have turned round, parked the bike a way ahead of the bend so people would see it and hopefully slow down while you sort out the rug? I think most people would slow down after seeing a parked bike with lights on a country type road.

Should one call the police in this kind of situation?

It was probably the **** in the car that lost the roll of carpet off his roof, and was looking for a roundabout to turn round and go back :D

Not all car drivers are bad, some are quite good, I think that there are some bad drivers and riders too. I see all sorts in my job as a truck driver.

I can accept the mistakes that we all make, I hate the do gooders who try to police the roads themselves.

Also there are many drivers who just dont have a clue what is happening around them, or worse, dont even care :!:

Sorry to rant off topic

Blimey, and I thought a full length ladder was bad

Ceri, you haven't said what time it was, but I presume it was dusk. I know the place, I wouldn't stop there either.

Was it a red carpet, perhaps you arrived too early and they didn't get time to roll it out for you :)

It wasn't dusk, but late afternoon and the sun was fairly low. The slight shadow made it look even more like tarmac. Plenty of cars doing 80+ along there, so I didn't much fancy parking the bike and relying on them not smashing into it. I'd probably end up getting done on the insurance for "dangerous parking" or something when they crashed into the bike, had I stopped. :roll: :wink:

Incidentally, that area has some great examples of idiotic speed limits, there's a town section including a busy roundabout that's a 40 (you'd be mad to do over 30 around there) and then as you leave the built up area, it becomes a country lane, with a 30 limit. :D Consequently you get cars doing fantastically dangerous overtakes in the lanes to get past people sticking to the speed limit, and you also get lunatics flying around the built up area at 45-50.

As an aside: On the same ride, I saw a bloke out on a R6 with a nice shoei lid, but no boots/leathers, etc. Unlike your typical "jeans and tshirts" idiots, he was an exemplary rider, gave correct signals, good placement for roads, only safe overtakes, barely using his brakes, etc. I was following him, just waiting for him to do something stupid and he never did. :)

This cager, was he a DJ?