Was it your fault.

[newman]

In another thread by Vabs I said about telling my son that bikes can be dangerous.
For me I meant because other road users.

Of course bikes can be dangerous if you don't treat them with respect and ride like a idiot.

But I was thinking of how many times I've been in a accident on bikes and whose fault it was.
I've been off various bikes 6 times that I can remember and only once was it my own fault.

Car came out of a one way street and I hit that.
Run into from behind by a car at a junction.
Slamming my brakes on when a dog run out in front of me.
Knocked off by a taxi while I was overtaking and it turned right without indicating.
My cousin mucking about on his bike and knocking me off.

And the one which was my fault.
Driving slow in traffic and a taxi slammed his brakes on halfway across a crossing because someone walked out in front of him, clipped his rear light.

Just a thought that came in to my head as I was reading Vabs thread again.

 

[VaBusa]

My immediate gut response to riding and where the true dangers lie stems from the fact that cagers do not see us, so I ride as if they are out to kill me.

Having said that, as a new rider over a decade ago, the dangers in my mind were my inexperience and a powerful bike (OMG, the number of people that would tell me I shouldn't buy the Busa because I'd kill myself). It's a sad truth that far too many do get hurt on a fast bike because they don't respect it enough, don't leave the speed for the track, etc. And new riders, well, mistakes happen. That's how I wrecked a brand new Harley, complete inexperience and boom, crash...

Not sure what the statistics show, but I still think most incidents involve cagers causing incidents...newman, your rundown of accidents seems in line with what I think holds true for most riders...

via Samsung Galaxy SIII

 

[E Zurcher]

I strongly believe the vast majority of motorcycle accidents could have been avoided by the rider. Not to mean they caused it but more like they allowed it to happen. Regardless of what other drivers do, if you are not anticipating, observing and taking actions to make yourself safe nearly every moment you are on the road you are eventually going to get whacked. Just about every close call I have had has been due to not doing the above or moments of taking chances where I shouldn't have. Fortunately, I have been lucky and gained experience and therefore I am safer. Granted, there are rare accidnets that are out of our control but we should do all we can to be vigilant and smart on the road. Ultimately it's our butt on the line.

 

[VaBusa]

I strongly believe the vast majority of motorcycle accidents could have been avoided by the rider. Not to mean they caused it but more like they allowed it to happen. Regardless of what other drivers do, if you are not anticipating, observing and taking actions to make yourself safe nearly every moment you are on the road you are eventually going to get whacked. Just about every close call I have had has been due to not doing the above or moments of taking chances where I shouldn't have. Fortunately, I have been lucky and gained experience and therefore I am safer. Granted, there are rare accidnets that are out of our control but we should do all we can to be vigilant and smart on the road. Ultimately it's our butt on the line.

I agree...defensive riding at all times.

 

[mynewride]

I agree with EZ completely. I can think of only 1 get off on my street bikes that was somebody elses fault.

first crash was on my 96' Kawasaki 600R (first street bike) I was power sliding around on a curvy country dirt road. (bad idea) was so much fun till i got overzealous with the throttle. - My Fault

Next I was following a farmer on a paved road about 3 sec or so behind when he dropped an alph alpha bail out of the bed. I had no time so i just leaned back and pinned it to try to get weight off the front tire. Not sure it could have been avoided. I did not go down, but the hay packed in all of my bike and took a lot of time to get pulled out and cleaned up.

The last crash was my fault. I pulled out into traffic in 17 degree weather. salt and sand was out and I knew it, but I still pulled out and got on the throttle too early. The sand caused me to slide...so what do i do? I try to power out and give it more throttle in an attempt to bring the now powerslide on pavement around. DID NOT work....lol. The bike high sided, but luckily I was able to catch the bike and damage was very minimal. Only thing harmed on me was my ego. I still went on my "chilling" ride.

I have had many close calls from head ons to being ran off the road. Most of those incidents could have been avoided if the cager had been paying attention. My bike is bright frickin orange for goodness sake. All of the incedents im refering to that I avoided were during daylight hours.

Just the other day a guy in a nissan sentra totally pushed me out of my lane and into the barrier on the canal route (I-135) here in wichita. I hit my brakes and moved out of his way. Later I passed him and gave him the fingers to the eyes to indicate to pay attention next time. No harm no foul. But if that had been a new rider, I would probably have seen it on the front page as a hit and run. One of my friends dad was killed on the same road and same conditions. The driver was never found.

 

[GsxrBots]

Closest I ever came to a total accident was test driving a ZX14R a couple summers ago...


I ALMOST liked it! Whew, close one...

 

[skydivr]

The real key is knowing beforehand that the other person isn't going to do what they are supposed to, and avoiding the situation in the first place...sorta like a 'sixth sense'...

 

[Gpmo]

I can say all my accidents have been my fault, ran outa skill long before gas.

Oh and one cause i wasn't wearing a helmet... i know go figure.

 

[dadofthree]

My fault. Iran out of skill and was following some of the things posted here . Therearesctually to.es toputyuor feet down and use your rear brake. Avoiding at I 20 in the rain during rush hour would have been helpful too

 

[E Zurcher]

It's pretty freaky when that sixth sense kicks in. Anyone have any experiences where the hair stood up on the back of your neck while riding and what you thought could happen did? Or maybe you took some action for no particular reason that saved your butt from a wreck? Heres one of mine.

I was riding home along I25 through some pretty heavy traffic. I ride with headphones plugged into my IPhone and usually keep the volume very low in traffic. For some reason I had them up pretty loud that day, must have been a really good song. I'm in the far left lane and traffic slows way down in the right 3 lanes. There's an accident on one of the off ramps up ahead and I am frustrated with the rubber necker up in front of me slowing down when the lane in front of him is clear. I just start to pull over to the shoulder/breakdown lane to go around him on the left and something tells me to look behind. Just as I do a huge Fire Truck comes blasting through in the breakdown lane trying to go around the traffic jam. I mean not 6 inches between me and his front bumper. Scared the crap outta me. I still use the headphones but the volume is ALWAYS kept low.

 

[dadofthree]

My fault. I ran out of skill and was following some of the things posted here . There are actually times to put your feet down and use your rear brake. Avoiding I- 20 in the rain during rush hour would have been helpful too

Now that I'm not on the phone I guess I'll get use to it or just aggravate the piss out of everyone in the restaurant by talking to my phone instead of typing

 

[Tufbusa]

Motorcycles are inherently dangerous. In order to throw a leg over one for the first time we show the willingness to take risks.

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety says you are 39 times more likely to die in a motorcycle crash vs car crash.

Is it a dangerous sport? You decide!