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Take responsibility

7K views 21 replies 12 participants last post by  shisoshin 
#1 ·
I ride a lot of miles. I read a lot of Motorcycles forums. I watch a lot of motorcycle helmet cam videos. I read a lot of posts about crashes. I find that many of the wrecks I read about could have been avoided if the rider had done something differently. But many of the riders who do get wrecked tend to blame someone else.
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"The road crew tracked sand into the road". "The guy in the next lane didn't know I was right beside him in the blind spot and started to merge into my lane so I failed to use the brakes or pay attention to the traffic stopped in front of me and rode right in to the back of the next car". "I gunned it to split through two lanes of stopped traffic at 40 mph as the light first turned green and got hit by the car that was still racing the yellow light from the cross street".
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Take responsibility for your own riding. Ride to arrive. Look twice. Save a life. Your own.
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https://rockthegear.wordpress.com/2014/01/15/look-twice/
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#2 ·
...I think that's just human nature; we don't fess up to our mistakes or think that we could do something wrong.

Everyone thinks that they're right (hence the arguments I get into with my fiance, lol), but were not... An accident is almost NEVER just an accident (no one's fault), it's usually ALWAYS someone's fault.

(you know what an accident is, when a deer jumps out in front of you, there's usually nothing you could've done differently with that... well, slow down around trees and use your brights)

The number 1 reason: you're NOT paying full attention!

you could have:
-been going slower
-looked around you
-slowed down before the intersection
-anticipate possible outcomes
-been more defensive
(all of these apply to riders and drivers)

^those are the things people should say when they get into a collision, "I'm sorry, I wasn't ________"
...obviously per your insurance company, don't admit fault ;)

BUT, in general, people need to own up to their actions, I and everyone else is guilty of that!
 
#3 ·
my wife and I both ride, every day, she laid hers down in key west last year, tried to stop to quickly because she came up on a car to fast and front wheel went out from under her, little road rash and bruise ego..tried to put blame on car in front...we had a little talk..I explained it is still her responsibility to be aware of everything around her...I try to stress the point that everything on the road it out to kill her and it is her job to prevent that

I raced from the time I was 16 until I retired at 45, I saw good friends get killed and crippled, I taken enough rides in ambulances to last me the rest of my life, I have hit guardrails head on at 140+ , that ******************** hurts....I do not want to crash anymore....I always assume everything is going to hit me or pullout in front of me or turn in front of me...I am not interested in dying because I was not paying attention
 
#4 ·
I agree 100% with the above. Sometimes an 'accident' occurs and the motorcyclist is not legally at fault. However, we are the ones who will suffer serious injury. As motorcyclists, we need to accept the vulnerability that comes with it. We need to manage risks as best we can. Slow down, pay attention, and anticipate erratic behavior. If you expect the oblivious and distracted soccer mum in the SUV to pull out on you, it wont be a surprise when she does.
 
#6 ·
I like this one from another forum.
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One of my instructors teaching at the MSF when I took it with my wife was a police officer.

He said "accidents" are when things beyond your control happen.... tire blowout, wheel falls off, deer hits you, etc... Everything else is a "traffic crash" and is avoidable.
 
#12 ·
I like this one from another forum.
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One of my instructors teaching at the MSF when I took it with my wife was a police officer.

He said "accidents" are when things beyond your control happen.... tire blowout, wheel falls off, deer hits you, etc... Everything else is a "traffic crash" and is avoidable.
I made a similar point in another thread here a couple years ago... I don't remember the title of that thread, but I recall that some of the replies to my post adamantly rejected the idea that they were "crashes" and not "accidents", while also rejected the idea that one or both parties involved could have actually done something to prevent/avoid the incident.

I'd agree with the scenario of a deer jumping out in front of a vehicle at the last possible moment as being a legitimate "accident"... there's nothing anyone could do to avoid that from happening, anymore than one could prevent a large boulder that breaks loose from a steep hillside and lands in the direct path of a moving vehicle (or worse, on top of the vehicle).

As for things like a tire blow out, a wheel falling off, brake system failure, etc. I think those sorts of incidents are a bit of a gray area when it comes to fitting the definition of an "accident"... while obviously freak things do occur from time to time, at the end of the day we all are very much responsible for the road worthiness of our vehicles. For example, if a crash is caused by a tire blow out at speed, and that tire happened to be worn down past the safe tread indicators, had significant weather checking on the sidewalls due to dry rot, was over or under inflated, or any combination of those factors, it would clearly be wrong to label such an incident as an "accident" and therefore not preventable.
 
#8 ·
Hindsight is clearest. Foresight applies it. Study these crash reports and aggressive riding helmet cam videos to figure out what could be done differently so you can learn from their mistakes to become a safer rider. Take responsibility for your own safety and for promoting motorcycling by riding safely and politely.
 
#9 ·
Unfortunately to many, especially newbs, promoting obedience to traffic laws and riding safely is usually garnished with hostile rebuttals, usually along the lines of "sportbikes are meant to be ridden sportily", or "that takes all the fun and spirit out of riding", or "You should just buy a minivan".

Short lives be fleeting. :/
 
#13 ·
taking responsibility, while riding on the roads
is similar to having responsibility for a group of
children, in that no matter how nice they may be,
any of them may take off or trip on something
of fall down steps, and so on..

in traffic situations other drivers are the children,,
likely to take off or change direction or stop
contrary to traffic flow, or your presence..

so taking responsibility while not 'fair'
must include making allowances for
and being prepared for, other drivers'
erratic behaviors..

one example of foresight..
 
#14 ·
From another forum regarding Lane Splitting in Cali:
[quote=rito Countless times watching the traffic portion of the morning news "motorcycle down in the carpool lane" and I just replay the visual of the guy zipping over the dashed white lines. quote

I'm all for legalizing lane splitting. It has been proven in studies to reduce traffic congestion for the bikes and the cars, by reducing the number of cars on the road and by letting more vehicles get through intersections quicker. The downside is that it seems to have created a "me first" selfish riding style that forgot everything about just following along when the opportunity for splitting isn't right.
 
#15 ·
From a quote from an article in another forum.
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Attitude also plays a part. Taking responsibility for your own actions is easy, but because you, the motorcyclist, will more likely suffer bodily harm in the event of a crash, then you, the motorcyclist, must take responsibility for everyone else’s actions as well. This means being tuned into not only your self, your bike, and your environment, but also being aware of other drivers, correctly anticipating their behavior, and effectively avoiding hazards before they place you at risk. Ideally, a skilled rider avoids hazards before they even become hazards.
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sportbikes.com Ezine: Reviews - Three Degrees of Separation - Pat Hahn' s book on Ride Hard Ride Smart
 
#16 ·
I really wish more people would think this way. I am about to turn 19 and have been riding on the road for 3 seasons and 3 years on dirt before that. I have yet to have a close call with another vehicle. I am always anticipating other drivers don't know I'm there. Keep myself where they can see me and not hit me. Just riding in the car with friends I can see they do think the same. They put the vehicle in positions that could lead to a collision, mostly passing vehicles and pulling out even though they can't know if the coast is totally clear. And when ever an incident happens its never their fault, its the other drivers.

Anyways, love the message of this thread and I really hope it changes peoples minds. :grin2:
 
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#19 ·
What if someone suddenly stops in front of you, makes an illegal u-turn, without signalling???? Causing a 3 vehicle pile up?
 
#21 ·
I agree with everything you said Sendler. Tonight I was riding home and this "older gentlemen" pulls into my lane, too close, from his turning lane. I was doing the speed limit and anticipated him pulling into my lane. What I didn't anticipate was he hit his brakes!! I still had enough distance to slow down and go around him. Yes, I gave the finger as I went around him. That driver should haven't a license. It's bad enough pulling out in front of a bike, but then hitting his brakes?! I'm still fuming over that one.
 
#22 ·
[longish response, for novices etc mainly..
experienced just scroll on bye :)

no filtering and responsibility,
given filtering is in accord with my states law
ie, 'slowly, between slow or stopped lanes of traffic'
what happens is you ride to the front of the pack
at lights, then take off into open free space
[motorcycle space].. until the next set of lights
where repeat that, and so on..

one rider responsibility is placing yourself
within the best position, including that open
road space after lights..
we are not limited to riding within car spaces,
especially not in the middle of then [the oil line]
and should position ourselves according to
ongoing changes in traffic flow and upcoming
changes or potential hazards [turns, crossings,
busstops, schools, lines of shops thus parks
[where they suddenly stop for a parking space
or take off into an opening, or do a quick U'y etc]..

riding thru traffic i see riders sitting behind stopped
or slow moving cars on the oil line, ie, mid vehicle,
ie, dead center of the target,, to be rear-ended..

you have the option of placement within road space..
ride as if a motorcyclist rather than a driver whose
car has only two wheels.. behind a bus etc,
drivers cant see up ahead, but we can,
by simply moving into position for a look..

using the entire potential of road space
is not being a bad road citizen [!]
we are not, riding, cars..
we do not need to sit behind them
like sheep going to the slaughter..

doesnt mean,, screaming all over the place
[attention seeking] for the sake of it..
it does mean using your common sense
and human intelligence in ongoing
assessment of your changing situation,
so as to give yourself every opportunity
to avoid the problem before it happens..

responsibility also means not forcing yourself
into situations which deprive you of opportunities
to control your motorcycle normally, such as
throwing away your potential braking distance
my speeding into it or ignoring it, esp in the wet..

your responsibility also includes enjoying riding,
any riding, as part of enjoying your precious life..
all these considerations for normal good riding
skills and controls should also be enjoyable,
as its your responsibility to avoid damage to
your body,, thus to general happiness etc..

very slow riding practice [imo] is one way
to tune your mind to the range of riding
skill/enjoyment, beyond merely slamming
the throttle open.. thus another responsibility..
 
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