Triumphrat

Englander · 08-15-2009, 01:41 PM

Hope this isn't OT as it's not my new Triumph Bonneville T100 I stuffed (I get it on Tuesday Morning excited excited excited) but my dead ZRX1200S. I've been an advocate of defensive riding since ROSAPA first came up with it and I've trained using the methodology many a time with UK police instructirs.

So, 25 years of bikes small and large without an accident and then this, bust leg, dislocated kneecap, and ruptured ankle but it could have been worse.

What happened? I was going at a sedate 40kmph (sorry, been converted to metric since moving to Switzerland) through a village and around an s bend. A guy came out of a hidden driveway and knocked the bike from under me. I kept all my skin thanks to my Draggin' Jeans and leather jacket, boots etc. Helmet wacked the kerbstone and probably saved my life.

Lucky for me an off duty cop was the main witness and he said there was nothing I could have done but I'm not so sure. One thing that occurred was to sound the horn prior to entering S bends.

Anything else or is it really a case of you just can't do anything about the other road users if they are out to get you?

saphena · 08-15-2009, 03:26 PM

Hey Englander pleased you survived albeit with damage, don't worry about the bike - it's just a machine, get another one

Could you have done more? probably, but we'd need more information to second guess you. How fast did he appear? was he completely "at fault" - barrelling out despite your obvious presence? were you actively "moving away from danger"? were you actively looking for danger signals?

Your police training should have prepared you for those questions and you're probably the only one who can answer them.

Catenaccio · 08-15-2009, 06:33 PM

Glad you survived. I believe there are certain circumstances when things simply happen and you have no control. The consequences are yours undeservedly. Hope you heal quickly.

Englander · 08-16-2009, 03:29 AM

Thanks Saphena, just what I'm looking for....

Quote:

Originally Posted by saphena

How fast did he appear?

I think not very fast and I'm guessing he did see me but panicked - maybe even foot slipped off the clutch or hit the gas instead of the brakes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by saphena

was he completely "at fault" - barrelling out despite your obvious presence?

I guess that depends if he saw me - the way his drive approached the road he would be completely blind until he got half the car into the road. Officially he is 100% to blame so at least his insurance company are helping towards my T100

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by saphena

were you actively "moving away from danger"? were you actively looking for danger signals?

I think this is the area for improvement - I had no time to move anywhere but my policy on these roads is go near centre as there are often driveways or farm tracks coming from nowhere. I do look out for roadside mirrors all the time - these are often used as visual aids for tricky junctions and driveways - there was no mirror in this case.

Quote:

Originally Posted by saphena

Your police training should have prepared you for those questions and you're probably the only one who can answer them.

Indeed, those boys know their stuff.

Englander · 08-16-2009, 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catenaccio

Glad you survived. I believe there are certain circumstances when things simply happen and you have no control. The consequences are yours undeservedly. Hope you heal quickly.

Thanks Catenaccio, I guess it depends on where you're prepared to go in the nth degree. I remember one training session where we walked through a series of roundabouts (the magic roundabout, Swindon for those that know it

) before riding through it. I guess that could be done for any new road but of course, that would be impractical and more than a bit anorak.

saphena · 08-16-2009, 08:07 AM

As Catenaccio says, sometimes your number's just up, don't beat yourself up about it.

What I would suggest, while you're lying about healing, is to reride the incident in your mind, with as much detail as you can remember.

That might help with knowing where to look and what to look for in similar circumstances next time. Don't take it too seriously though, get back on a bike and practice instead.

Mk003 · 08-16-2009, 05:01 PM

Sorry to hear about the accident. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

If you travel on this road regularly, then you should have assumed this was going to happen. If there was no time for a panic stop or evasive maneuver, then it might as well been a deer. Perhaps you can convince the city or the owner of the driveway to place a mirror to see around the corner and warning signs to prevent future accidents.

Catenaccio · 08-16-2009, 05:55 PM

The instructor for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course I took last year (my first refresher course) said riding motorcycles was about minimizing risk, not eliminating it. He said it's important to visualize all possible scenarios so one can react appropriately, knowing full well one can never anticipate everything. In a private moment, I asked him if he'd ever been in a crash. He said "This is my first MSF course in four years. I've just recovered from injuries suffered when a woman rear-ended me at a stoplight. (He was riding a HD Road King at the time.) He then described the woman never saw him and was traveling at a high rate of speed while drunk. He saw her coming and tried to accelerate through the red light, but didn't get out of the way in time. I was amazed he returned to riding, but he said "It's in my blood, but I ride fewer streets and more 2-lane highways now."

jewel · 08-16-2009, 07:08 PM

Hi Englander, One thing I was told while doing my training, is in the event of an accident most people look at the obstacle therefore colliding with it instead of looking for a means of escape.
Glad to see you are Okay

Jewel

KingOfFleece · 08-16-2009, 08:29 PM

Pat Han's "Ride Smart, Ride safe."