... A close second was fine-tuning of lane positioning...
Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE
Hi SlimJim,
Would you post something you learned about lane positioning?
Thanks
Bill/KZQ
Gladly.
This is slmjim. I was Ridin' north to look at a '73 Z1 in Martinsville, IN we ended up buying.
The Lovely Z1BEBE just happened to not accompany me on this trip because she was a little under the weather that day. In hindsight, that was
extremely fortunate, as her not feeling well probably at least saved her from injury, and may well have saved her life. Fate?
It was a sunny, warm & dry, early afternoon. I'm alone on The Lovely Z1BEBE's '75 Z1-B, northbound on a very lightly-traveled stretch of US-31 in southern IN between Crothersville and Seymour. Smooth, dry, two-lane blacktop. Speed limit 55 MPH, I'm probably running 55 ~ 60 as usual, no faster.
I'm lane-left as usual, and on a straight stretch. Far line of sight in both directions. Don't remember if there was a double yellow or not. As I approach a structure's parking lot entrance that's on my right, I observe a car stopped in the oncoming lane with it's turn signal flashing, waiting for me to pass before turning left across my lane and into the parking lot to my right.
Critically, I also note that the front wheels of the car were already sharply angled across my lane in the direction of said parking lot.
As with any situation involving a scenario where a vehicle threatens to turn left across my path, I move lane-right. At that same time, I notice a large SUV approaching behind the car that's waiting for me to pass. In that same instant I also note that the SUV is in a
seriously nose-down stance. In the next instant the SUV rear ends the waiting car
HARD,
launching the car at me because it's wheels were already turned toward my lane.
I hear the sound of the impact
and, as if in slow motion, then, and even to this day, I see the left corner of the car's front bumper coming at me, and then passing behind my rear wheel by maybe,
maybe three feet and a tiny split second in time. The next instant I ride through a shower of very hot antifreeze and I'm blasted with bits of hard debris knocked loose from the impact. I remember the antifreeze covering my helmet shield, its odor, and the sound & feel of small hard bits hitting my helmet, shield, arms of my leather jacket, chest, left knee & shin. Can't see through the antifreeze & crud. Hot antifreeze that got through the chin bar vent is on my lips.
I'm still rolling lane-right now, off the throttle, close to the white fog line. I raise my shield 'cause I can't see through the antifreeze & general crud, brake & stop on the right shoulder. Turn my head to look behind me & I see the car that was rear-ended sitting well past my lane and probably 15 ~ 20 ft. into the parking lot entrance it was waiting to turn into. Rear end was crushed into the back seat. I turn around & carefully ride through the debris & antifreeze to the same parking lot entrance, 'cause there's no safe place to park on the right shoulder. I enter & park well out of the way. Seems like the parking lot was for a repair garage, maybe a feed store, don't remember exactly. People were already running past me out of the building toward the car.
I dismount, shed my helmet & observe the scene. Car askance in the entrance. Main roadway wet with antifreeze, and scattered debris both large & small from damaged vehicles. That's when I notice the large SUV that had rear-ended the car so hard sitting probably 25 yards out in a plowed field the other side of the road. Front end was crushed back, steaming from broken cooling system. A few guys running toward it. I turned my attention to the car that had been struck. Driver & passenger were clearly injured.
The rest is kind of a blur. For some reason, I very clearly remember one of the first EMS responders looking straight at my bike for a few seconds then me, asking if I was OK. I say 'yes'. He turned his attention to the car's occupants. In a short time there were ambulances, fire engine, multiple police. Gave my statements & contact info to all involved.
Occupants of the car were seriously injured. SUV occupants, not so much. All were taken by ambulance. That's about all I know. I continued on my trip & returned home safely late that afternoon. Z1BEBE opened the front door when I got home, not knowing what had happened. I hugged her on the front porch, shed a few tears & told her I'd been involved in an accident, but was unhurt. Gave her the details a little later after I'd shed my Ridin' gear.
A few years before this happened, a close friend of ours had been killed in a traffic accident. He left for work that morning, never came home. Ever since, Z1BEBE and i always say "I Love You" to each other any time we part ways, and any time we don our helmets together. That's the last thing I want her to hear and, the last thing I want to hear if anything unfortunate happens.
My takeaways:
1) Moving lane-right as soon as I noticed the car waiting to turn left across my lane very likely saved me from serious injury. Might have saved my life.
2) A critical mistake was not looking past the waiting car to see if anything was developing behind it. Like playing chess, I only looked one move ahead.
But, and this is a
BIG but, If I
had noticed the SUV as a developing indirect threat, my first instinct would have been to brake at the same time I moved lane-right. Had I slowed, I suspect I would have been in the car's path as it crossed into my lane after being rear-ended, instead of it passing behind me. Sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. Fate?
3) If Z1BEBE had accompanied me on this trip, she likely would have been lane-right on my five, as per usual. She probably would have been struck by the car. Unfortunate timing.
3) ATGATT protects from more than road rash & weather. Hot antifreeze & various airborne hard bits are a threat too. Of note, had I been in an open face lid, simple sunglasses likely would have proven to be ineffective in protecting my eyes from very hot antifreeze, and face from hard bits. I had to replace that shield because of the nicks, scratches and a small crack that were caused by the impact of hard bits. As it was, my face & eyes remained dry behind a full-face lid & shield, except for a splash of hot antifreeze got through the chin bar vent. Tastes yucky...
4) Just 'cause it wasn't your fault doesn't mean it's any less deadly. Hug your loved one(s) when you leave. Say "I Love You." Do all that before you don your helmets if you're Ridin' together. It might be the last thing they ever hear from you. Or you from them.
Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE
