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Almost got rearended

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gtbigup01

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Apr 2, 2010
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Columbus, GA
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So today I was riding down I 185 (GA). Three laner, changed to two then to one (construction) So I'm hauling arse and I see the big Orange arrow pointing to the left meaning right lane closed ahead so I move over. Suddenly as expected traffic comes to a crawl, all this time I'm aware and slowed down well before. Next thing I know the honda civic that was behind me, is now sharing the lane with me and passes on my left, Next thing I hear is Blam! The chevy silverado that was behind the civic was heading for me but pulled to the left to avoid rear ending me and ploughs down two of those big orange drums/cones that is lining the side of the road during construction :wtf:
This is what I look like from behind. Am I not visible enough? This was at aroung 1:43 PM bright and sunny 77 Deg today. I thought about pulling over and thanking him but traffic was still moving but slow as it turned to one lane. The construction is no suprise to anyone as it's been going on for over 2 yrs now.

I know the pic looks crazy I just pulled my gear back on and had my 6 yr old daughter take the pic haha
 
I'd imagine that you could have been dressed in "Neon Green" and he wouldn't have seen you. Some drivers unfortunately are too busy doing other things instead of paying attention to the road and much less motorcyclists. Thank goodness that your okay and that they happened to look up when they did.
 
I agree with Billy...it wouldn't have mattered what you were wearing. Cars get rear ended all the time in those situations so the fact that they didn't see you is not surprising at all. Glad to hear that nothing serious happened to anybody...
 
Yeah it was mind boggling. I got home and sat outside and thought of how it could have had a different outcome had that truck plowed into me pushing me into the vehicle in front of me, which happened to be the same civic that decided to share lanes instead of hitting me.

Right now I am suffering from an injury (torn ACL) from being rearended in 1991 on a bicycle by a police car in my home country (Guyana). I've had the reconstructive surgery in Dec 09 (failed) hence the removal of the graft in Jan 2010.
 
Obviously you are a good rider. You were awake and aware what was going on around you and ready to take action. That's what saved your skin. Something I learned on the Triumph RAT forum about riding gear/colors of your helmet/bike, etc. When we are a collage of different colors, we blend in as part of the background. Even our lights blend into the scenery because they don't necessarily stand out as different from the rest of the puzzle. A study that was done about what stands out in traffic came to the conclusion that one bright color, yellow, orange, bright green, etc. will be seen and identified beter, especially when everything is one color. Todays helmets, with their flashy paint jobs would seem to be visible but when traveling down the road in traffic, they actually become invisible. From in back of you, if you look at the colors, white, back, orange, and the multi colored helmet, it's a little easier to imagine why, in a bunch of traffic, that is also a bunch of different colors, you, can also blend into the scenery and be unseen. The problem is, none of us want to look like an orange or a pickle or tomato running down the road so the best we can do is exactly what you were doing. BE DAMNED WELL AWARE OF OUR SURROUNDINGS. You are also a bit closer to being a tenured rider now.
 
One of my biggest fears in Motorcycle riding is being hit from behind. I just picked up a new to me 2002 FZ1. The owner when showing me the bike said, "I like to be seen" and proceeded to show me the tail lights where he had replaced the bulbs with some that circles and looked different when brake applied.

My first thoughts were that I didn't like it. But, I rode with a group this past week end, and they all commented how noticeable the tail lights were. Well, not all, but the one's that were behind me.

Then, I noticed that cagers seemed to almost back off of me when they saw it.:confused0024: I'm not sure, but I believe this really helps me be noticed. Not very cool looking in my opinion but hey, I remember when the high mounted center brake light first came out on cars. Today, a car looks strange without them...so, The quirky rear changed light bulbs are going to stay.
http://www.chromeglow.com/catalog.asp?prodid=467492 Here is a link to what I think he installed.[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-clUZflmIZ4&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-clUZflmIZ4&feature=related[/ame]
 
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i wonder if those bulbs are the ones that are readily available at Autozone or Advance? Glad to hear you're ok ,I did get hit from behind last year butkept the bike up and i was moving! Cop gave me a ticket which I had to fight in court and eventually won,go figure
 
No doubt, the visibility issue is real. The spinner brake light seems very effective. All this is helpful in getting someone's attention and can certainly make a difference. Driver's being inattentive is a tremendous problem. By the time they wake up and realize that traffic patterns are changing or slowing, they are out of time to react without doing something drastic as described in this post.

I do not know what the answer is, however I make a practice of watching my rear view mirror frequently, and especially if I am slowing down or something is changing in the traffic pattern. I am evaluating the rate at which cars are gaining on me to anticipate whether they are slowing down soon enough. For example, if I am slowing for a right turn, but see someone not also slowing behind me, then I will abort the turn, rather than have some goose hit me from behind. I also am constantly looking for an escape route, when somebody does the wrong thing. This really takes attention and quick decision making on my part as a motorcyclist. I have read a number of books on motorcycle safety and will be glad to pass along the titles and authors if anyone is interested. Jus t food for thought.
 
^ All valid points. However in my case once I slowed and stop I failed to look to see if the person behind was stopping. Not sure if I'd had enough time to react anyway. If I did I would have opted for the shoulder (left) and considering thats where she went to avoid hitting me, well in this case I guess I was safer doing nothing at all. Phew!!!!
 
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