Couple on Harley killed Tuesday.

[dentheman]

Oct 12, Lubbock, TX, a man and woman on a HD were killed when a 24 year old woman in an SUV (Tahoe) made a left turn into their path. She was driving with a suspended license for numerous traffic violations and her license had been suspended once previously as well.

A case for vehicular homicide if I've ever seen one.

[blaine]

Originally Posted by dentheman

Oct 12, Lubbock, TX, a man and woman on a HD were killed when a 24 year old woman in an SUV (Tahoe) made a left turn into their path. She was driving with a suspended license for numerous traffic violations and her license had been suspended once previously as well.

A case for vehicular homicide if I've ever seen one.

That is so tragic,happens way to often!Will she be charged with vehicular homicide,or walk away with a slap on the wrist?

[dentheman]

I don't know, but will update if I hear more.

Correction: I said the SUV driver had her license suspended previously. It should read she had been previously cited for driving with an invalid license, but at the time of the accident her license had been suspended. Maybe not the same.

Now some around here are saying the motorcycle driver was an MSF coach!!!

[alanmcorcoran]

Left turns are the killers. All the street books stress being extra vigilant when you see a car waiting (or not) to turn left in front of you. I actually hold up one finger (not that one!) as in "wait a minute (for me to get past)" and try to make eye contact with them. If I don't get any reaction, I slow down to a crawl. I've had some near misses already. Some of the books say that psychologically, because you are NOT a car, they often really don't see you - and I believe that is true.

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Left turns are the killers. All the street books stress being extra vigilant when you see a car waiting (or not) to turn left in front of you. I actually hold up one finger (not that one!) as in "wait a minute (for me to get past)" and try to make eye contact with them. If I don't get any reaction, I slow down to a crawl. I've had some near misses already. Some of the books say that psychologically, because you are NOT a car, they often really don't see you - and I believe that is true.

Very true Alan. Most folks are programmed to see a car/truck and disregard anything smaller. That is why we are finally seeing day-glo helmets, vests, reflectors on clothing and bikes. Anything to get a drivers attention rather than just being part of the overall picture.
I will often weave back and forth in my lane when approaching an intersection. This does help change the picture the oncoming driver sees. Of course I also weave just for fun anywhere/anytime and wonder how many drivers are waiting for me to crash. Safe and entertaining.

[dentheman]

Yeah, I know from my bicycle riding that drivers just don't see you if you are smaller than a car. I now use a bright flashing daylight riding light on my bike and it helps tremendously. I see drivers staring at me as if mesmerized, thinking to themselves "What the hell is that"?

[blaine]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Left turns are the killers. All the street books stress being extra vigilant when you see a car waiting (or not) to turn left in front of you. I actually hold up one finger (not that one!) as in "wait a minute (for me to get past)" and try to make eye contact with them. If I don't get any reaction, I slow down to a crawl. I've had some near misses already. Some of the books say that psychologically, because you are NOT a car, they often really don't see you - and I believe that is true.

:plus1: I get especially nervous if they already have their wheels cut waiting to turn left in the intersection.
:sad:

[dentheman]

That is one reason I will be getting a headlight modulator (as well as LED brake light flashers) and a WHITE helmet. I have noticed a white helmet is the first thing to catch my eye at a distance, where a dark helmetted motorcyclist tends to blend in and is less noticeable. Also, at first glance the white helmet means motorcycle cop, since the police wear white helmets and no one else does.

[dentheman]

Another motorcyclist was killed this morning (Fri) in Lubbock. A lady driving an Avalanche turned in front of him, witnesses say she had the green turn arrow. And a fourth motorcyclist died from injuries from an accident that happened in September. That makes four that have died this week in Lubbock. Man, it's getting bad here.

[dhgeyer]

According the the Hurt Report about 25% to 30% of all motorcycle accidents result from a vehicle turning left in front of a motorcycle. There's was recently a big discussion on the BMWMOA forum about headlight modulators with respect to this.

There is no conclusive evidence that headlight modulators cause people to see a motorcycle better than a steady headlight. Personally, I always see the motorcycle before I notice that the headlight is blinking. I think some of that has something to do with the way the modulators work. The ones I've seen aren't very abrupt. The headlight turns on and off, but it's not really striking. A strobe effect would be more effective I think.

What I have noticed makes me see a motorcycle sooner is a very bright headlight. The brighter the better. Better yet are the three across setups that some of the cruisers have, but only if they also are very bright. I use an extra power bulb when available (GE Nighthawk H4 on the GZ250), and aim it straight ahead rather than down slightly. I think that helps. There is documentation that bright lights help, and the AMA recommends daytime hi beam use for that reason.

It has been documented that bright clothing and white helmets aid in being seen. Also, WW's tactic of weaving is sound practice, as it creates lateral movement from the point of view of oncoming traffic. A bike coming straight on is very much like a stationary object from the front, and people are much more likely to see movement.

So, bright clothing, white helmet, and bright light, and movement are effective strategies. A headlight modulator might or might not help.

Having said all that, it is still foolish to assume that any driver sees you. Hough advises getting on the front brake just enough to warm it up, eliminate reaction time, and scrub off a few mph whenever approaching an intersection with potentially turning traffic. I also try to either speed up or slow down to avoid a potential conflict, if I can see where a car is going to turn left. In other words, get through the intersection before the car gets to it if I can. If not, slow down so that I can be sure they are going to stop.

It's all part of "Do everything you can to be visible, and ride like you're invisible".

I don't know about other parts of the country, but here in New England, and the Northeast generally, it's getting more dangerous all the time. Enforcement is getting less stringent, and people are finding more things to do other than pay attention while driving. I think people are on average getting more aggressive, selfish, lawless, and short tempered also. One thing I noticed on my cross country ride was how much less traffic there was in the Midwest and a lot of the West. As the traffic thins out, people seem less aggressive.

We just had a road rage accident that injured a motorcyclist here in NH the other day. The car driver was a mother with a young child in the car.