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Best way to react?

7K views 79 replies 38 participants last post by  smilie 
#1 ·
Hi All,

So I almost had an accident yesterday and have been replaying the situation in my head to make sure if I am ever in the same situation again, I make the right choices.

Only been riding for a few years so some advice would be greatly appreciated!

Was riding on the highway yesterday afteroon. Highway where I was riding was a three lane highway with a guard rail in between north & south bound traffic. I was sitting in the left most lane (as I normally do) which is the fast lane. Saw a car in the right most lane get into the middle lane. At this point his driver side rear door was about in line with my front wheel. He immediately throws his blinker on and comes right into my lane. His door is still in line with my front wheel with <6 inches of space between his car and my bike. His transisition from the right most lane to my lane happens in about 5 seconds or so. I hit the front brakes (a bit too hard) which locked up the tire for a second and then managed to swerve off the highway onto the 2-3 feet of space between the guardrail and the left most lane where he is driving. He knows he messed up as he took off as soon as I blew my horn at him.

Luckily nothing worse happened other than the closest I've come to an accident on my bike. Would not have been good going down at 75 next to those steel guardrails. Wanted to know what some fellow riders would have done as the initial reaction? I am wondering if hitting the brakes hard (both at the same time would have been better) to try to end up behind him would be better OR is it better to swerve left and get out of the lane completely until he passes?

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
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#2 ·
I wouldn't have touched the front brake at all...I would have hit the read break with a small touch on the front if needed. My initial thought (Obviously not being there and in the situation) I think I would have tried to let him go in front of me and if need be, swerve to the middle lane to then ride up next to him and pass him or simply stay behind.
Big question is, when you saw him on the far right lane and saw him coming over, did you not try and slow down knowing he'll probably cut you off??
 
#3 ·
Maybe you could have avoided the hard-braking situation by slowing down as soon as you saw him moving into the middle lane, since you were in his blind spot. Even if he had stayed in the middle lane you would have wanted to maneuver out of the blind spot. This is important even when driving a car, but critical when on a bike.
 
#7 ·
What he said^^^. Definitely wouldn't have gotten into the front brake first though. You're a pretty lucky guy. Pounding that front brake at speed could have been ugly. It's easy enough for us to tell you the right thing to do, but when it happens, it's happens so fast that your head and body just go on auto-pilot. At least that was my experience this summer when a cager ran a stop and almost killed my wife and I. You just react.
 
#4 ·
As soon as he moved into that middle lane with no signs of slowing down I would have scrubbed off some speed either by rolling off the throttle or lightly using both brakes. That assumes the situation behind you allows it. In hindsight, that one was easy to see coming, but unfortunately hindsight only help after the fact.

Immediately after the incident let the anger or fear go and get your head back in the game. The next idiot doesn't always wait for you to be ready them.

You are doing one of the most critical things to follow up the situation...looking at what happened and what to learn from it. That's just good information to have. :)
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the tips so far guys. Yeah I am normally hyper aware of when I am in someone's blind spot and promptly get out of it. This all happened very quickly though and luckily had just enough time to react. Just was trying to think about if speed or swerving are generally the best go-to's in that situation.

As far as the left lane driving, that is my lane of choice. Generally I am going 75ish and am normally the one doing the passing. I've noticed when I ride at that speed I have less cars cutting in front of me because I am going just a touch faster than most of them. At the same time, I only have the middle lane to keep my eye on for blind spots from cars. Realistically I could try out the slow right most lane as well!
 
#9 ·
I will agree with the above mentioned posts. But you really should rethink the whole "the left lane is just my lane" deal. The left lane is for passing ONLY, it's not just a fast lane, if you're going to pick 75 mph as "your speed" then you need to be prepared to pass people who are in the right lanes, but you should NEVER sit in the left lane. It is also illegal in many states and cops are actually writing tickets for it. It's unsafe! It also sounds like this guy was going faster than you, if you were in the correct "traveling" lane, this whole thing could even have been avoided...
 
#10 ·
Seems like everyone has covered this whole thing pretty well. However, I'm going to speak about the 'braking' thing. I believe that the best method for any braking is 60% front, with 40% rear. At least that's what my wife told me her MSF instructor told her, and it makes sense to me. Front brake will stop you quicker, but you need the rear brake for stability and so you don't go too far too fast on the front and have it go out from under you, especially on a corner. This is why combined braking is best; control, speed of stopping, and keeping you upright.
 
#57 ·
Seems like everyone has covered this whole thing pretty well. However, I'm going to speak about the 'braking' thing. I believe that the best method for any braking is 60% front, with 40% rear. At least that's what my wife told me her MSF instructor told her, and it makes sense to me. Front brake will stop you quicker, but you need the rear brake for stability and so you don't go too far too fast on the front and have it go out from under you, especially on a corner. This is why combined braking is best; control, speed of stopping, and keeping you upright.
I wasn't going to say anything but......yes, according to the MSF and safe braking technology its front 60% and rear 40%. If that rear brake locks up, in the pucker mode, your rear end is going to break free and come around on you. I personally use more like 75-25% and have been told many times that 80% front is not out of the question.
Other than that, the left lane is for passing although in the real world you wouldn't know that.
 
#11 ·
You can use either brake at any speed. You just have to control said usage. This will come with practice and experience.
I agree with everyone who told you that it's dangerous to stay in the left lane.
My concern is your situational awareness. People sometimes change lanes for no apparent reason but more often than not they DO have a reason and it's up to you to anticipate it. I wasn't there but odds are he had a reason to change lanes and there were clues that maybe you could have picked up on.
 
#12 ·
I would have avoided the brakes and used the throttle to get ahead of the problem if the lane was clear ahead of me. In fact I would have started my acceleration(escape) as soon as he started moving into the middle lane. Hitting the brakes could cause another dangerous situation and that would be getting rear ended going 75 mph. I was taught to have a route of escape and to always anticipate and has served me well for 40+ years. Glad the OP made it through this one, maybe the scare will change your mind and your riding habits on multi-lane highways. Ride safe!
 
#14 ·
There are some good opinions here. Best to stay out if left lane if possible and use it for passing. Learn to read the traffic conditions around you. Don't let someone put you in their blind spot. Anticipate what and where each car is going and counter there moves. Just like playing a live game of chess but always have an escape route when riding. It doesn't matter if your stopped at a traffic light, at a train crossing or flying down the left lane.
It's up to you to watch out for the idiots. I ride everyday in the NY metro area so I know idiots... They can appear at any time, anywhere.
 
#15 ·
It is generally accepted that 70% front and 30% rear braking is optimal and that is what they will tell you in MSF courses. They also tell you in the MSF course that when you are on a congested multi-lane road to use the left lane because a driver to your right is more likely to see you in his side view mirror or out his window; they also say to make eye contact with the driver if possible.

Don't believe me on the left lane thing? take an MSF course or do some google research.... here is an excerpt:

It's much better to not be in the wrong place at the wrong time. You can accomplish this by analyzing the interaction of the traffic ahead and anticipating potential conflicts. Choose actions that will keep you away from these conflicts in space and time. To do that, you need to see and focus on the road well ahead of you.

Out on an interstate highway, conditions are considerably different...........Once you're up to speed and in moderate-to-heavy traffic, the best place to be is in the left lane. In this lane, you limit your exposure to traffic conflicts on all sides. In the left lane you can essentially eliminate concerns to the left -- a significant reduction in area that you must monitor. In less congested traffic, just go with the flow. Follow the basic, and generally ignored, rule of the road and stay to the right except to pass.



Reading traffic and being prepared for bone head moves on the part of other drivers is key. And remember that being a bone head is not restricted to those on 4 or more wheels.... lots of boneheads on 2 as well.... everyone makes mistakes.
 
#16 ·
It is my understanding that the 70/30 rule is not so much apply 70% of your front brake and 30% of the rear. From the MSF class, my take away was that 70% of your stopping comes from the front brake and 30% from the rear.

I would have to agree with everyone else that "rider radar" is a must here. I wasn't riding there at the time, but I'd like to think that I would have rolled off on the throttle a bit so that the driver was not intersecting with me and I would not be in his blind spot. I am very conscious of blind spots and stay out of them all the time. I also flash my brights when I am about to pass just to get a little more attention.
 
#17 ·
It is my understanding that the 70/30 rule is not so much apply 70% of your front brake and 30% of the rear. From the MSF class, my take away was that 70% of your stopping comes from the front brake and 30% from the rear.
^^^This^^^ is correct.
 
#18 ·
Thanks guys, appreciate all the tips. As some of you mentioned it was a lot of split second reacting, I was a bit disappointed at myself for only hitting the front brake and a bit too hard at that. I'm guessing this comes from my standard braking procedure which admittedly is almost exclusively front brake unless the situation calls for the rear. I will start adjusting to a more 70/30 split.

It is funny how you think you have great situational awareness, untill something unexpected happens. Will continue to be more vigillent on the roads.

Cheers and many thanks!
 
#23 ·
But the thing is you can be more aware and this would not have been a split second decision.

Something doesn't make sense to me...if this car was ahead of you when it was in the far right lane, you should have immediately slowed down because you were in his blind spot at that point. If it was behind you and passing to your right.....why were you in the left lane? Lane of choice my @ss.....if you're getting passed on your right you are in the wrong lane and in a dangerous position on your bike.

It is not about what brake to use or what percentage each brake contributes to stopping....it is 100% about avoiding this situation in the first place. If you look hard enough and really think about a developing situation it does not happen in a split second; they often evolve over 8 to 10 seconds or more and that is a lifetime in which to make a decision that eliminates the need to worry about locking up your front wheel.
 
#19 ·
Everything above is great advice especially staying out of the left lane unless passing and staying out of the other drivers blind spot all the time. the braking part is something that needs to be practiced so that when a situation comes up it becomes natural for you to do. As you said everything happened very fast, when you have practiced these things over and over your reaction will be very fast also and the situation will not happen. I stay in the right lane unless i need to pass regardless of how fast i'm going and I always stay out of blind spots, hang back make sure they see you and if they don't you have plenty of room to react.
 
#22 ·
I feel when riding you must always be observant and proactive/reactive.

I do not allow any approach towards me from the side. I've had cars merge onto the freeway and make a B-line to the left-most lane without looking anywhere else than their rear-view mirror. I've been driven into the shoulder that way before too. I feel it is better to move out front of them so they can see you rather than drop back.

The same thing, and even worse, will happen when you're in the right-most lanes and someone wants to get off. The ones that are late and make that last ditch attempt at the shoulder will wipe you out if you let them.

There are no lanes, just unused pavement waiting for you.

Your specific question seems to be more about panic braking, and that is something that should be practiced so it is second nature. There is no time to think about metering your braking in that situation. If you skid the front tire, then use less front brake and more rear. You'd have to find the balance on your bike to get both tires to lock at the same time, and then never brake to that point. If I had to quantify the F/R braking it is about a 1:2 ratio, but it just feels that way to me.
 
#26 ·
Pretty easy here in Texas.

Keep Right

Watch for signs on Texas multi-lane highways that read "Left Lane For Passing Only." These signs let you know that the left lane on a divided highway is not a "fast" lane; it is a passing lane.

After you pass someone, move into the right lane once you've safely cleared the vehicle. Impeding the flow of traffic by continuing to drive in the left lane is punishable by a fine of up to $200.


Now, admittedly, I haven't driven my bike on our freeways much yet. But I know from a lifetime of driving my cager. If you want to stay in the LH lane, you will get run over. That is the "bat shat crazy" lane!
 
#27 ·
I usually assume someone that is in the right lane going to the middle is just going to keep going into the left lane. It has worked for me so far.

about the left lane, I usually sit in that lane for one reason, I am always passing because I feel if I am moving faster then traffic I am safer because I am not sitting next to an idiot that could murder me in a matter of seconds. If I see someone coming up from behind I move over to let them pass then fall in behind.
 
#31 ·
RyanUpstate, although I agree with most of what has been passed on to you here, I think you did what many of us would have done in that quick lane incursion. I think you reacted just fine. You apparently corrected your (too) hard braking just in time to avoid a spill and moved over just enough to avoid a sideswipe. I know that was an uncomfortably narrow place to be in at speed, but you escaped a bad situation that you'll never forget, and learned from it.

The "left lane is just for passing" is not true on a lot of interstates, and like you I do ride a lot in the left lane. Not always, but a lot, usually traveling just a little faster than most traffic. Two lane, three lane, doesn't matter, sometimes that's the best place to be, especially if there are many right side merge lanes that constantly have you moving over to make room. There's always going to be that guy (usually in a large black vehicle) going 20+ faster than everyone else and using any lane available to pass. You know the type, the ones who always cut it close.

It's just dicey out there. Ride careful.
 
#32 ·
not reading every post so sorry if this has been said. when I'm on the highway on my bike i stay out of the far left. i like either the middle or far right if a 3 lane. for 4 lane i bounce in-between the middle two. when on long trips or highways i dont know i tend to stay in the right unless passing. but i always like riding 60-65mph. i also like riding close to a white line incase i need to split to avoid.

my advice would of been "when in doubt throttle out" i would of massed on it and zoomed pass. but not knowing what his speed was i can't say that would of been best. so if that was not an option i would of let off the throttle used the rear brake and slowed and let him pass.

on a side note glad your ok.
 
#35 ·
This actually has been a pretty good discussion and, it just goes to show ya, you put ten motorcyclists in a room and ask a question, and you'll get eleven answers ;)
 
#34 · (Edited)
Using just a rear brake is highly inadequate for stopping or slowing since the front brake does most of the braking. The correct answer is to use 'both' of your brakes at the same time in 'any' situation except for slow (under 5 mph or so mph) turns...then you may want to drag your rear brake while clutching in the friction zone. Learn how much brake pressure to apply. It's really a bad habit to get into using your rear brake only because someday it won't be enough and you'll be in trouble. There are times when you don't want to use brakes at all...gravel, high speed curves, oil spots, ice, steel grates, sand, dirt, etc.
 
#37 ·
Common sense should have prevailed no matter what the law is..

You see a vehicle coming up fast behind you and you only have two choices..speed up, or indicate that you are pulling over to let him get past you..

Hogging a lane is just asking for trouble..

John.
 
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