Man and teenage daughter killed !

[AlabamaNomadRider]

That is a true tragedy. Saved the ducks but killed two people, now that is stupid.

[timebandit]

Now every time we see "road kills", we should assume that human life as been spared!

[nomad561]

20 minutes for the ambulance to get there?????
Is it me,or does that seem like a very slow response.

[peterdarby]

Following to close is what it sounds like for the MC riders to me. Being an idiot and slamming on the brakes is what it sounds like for the car driver to me. The second rule of MC driving is to watch out for the crazy driver. I drive a lot on freeways here in DC and if you leave more than two car lengths between you and the car in front of you in heavy traffic you are asking for someone to jump into your lane about a foot off your front tire. So you learn to watch the car in front of you for bonehead moves. The one time I got caught was when a car pulled in from the right hand lane about five feet in front of me and slammed on her brakes at the same time. (The Police wrote her up for reckless driving) Luck, ATGATT and a lifetime of dealing with falls, martial arts and motorcycling kept me relatively intact. Didn't help my bike at all though. It was a crumpled mess.

[cactusjack]

Maybe here in the USA, where it's not against the law to stop suddenly for dogs, cats, lizards, birds, children, and anything else in the road, we have the expectation that someone may slam on the brakes at any time and conduct ourselves accordingly. Still, there's no excuse for not leaving a safe following distance between you and the vehicles ahead of you.

I know all too well that a safe following distance is an invitation to some cagers to cut in front of you. When that happens, I just slow down until there's a safe following distance again.

[dantama]

Originally Posted by cactusjack

Maybe here in the USA, where it's not against the law to stop suddenly for dogs, cats, lizards, birds, children, and anything else in the road, we have the expectation that someone may slam on the brakes at any time and conduct ourselves accordingly. Still, there's no excuse for not leaving a safe following distance between you and the vehicles ahead of you.

I know all too well that a safe following distance is an invitation to some cagers to cut in front of you. When that happens, I just slow down until there's a safe following distance again.

I agree.

I don't always do things right, hence my love of cops. But I know when I get into a close call what I could have done different. I've always been told, and therefore made it a pretty firm belief, that if you run into the back of someone, it's your fault and you get the ticket.

Their are exceptions, such as the "Duck and Squat" insurance scam. That's where someone purposely jumps their car in front of you with a sudden lane change and slams on their brakes at the same time. But in most cases, you simply don't hit the vehicle in front of you. On a group ride it is an imperative, you don't hit the bike in front of you.

In Catus' example, you read the other lanes. If the other lanes are slowing, and yours is still moving, count on some lane jumpers. Your ready for it. If they suddenly lane jump, and yours starts to slow at the same time, be ready for a lane jump and a sudden hit of the brakes.

If you are just going down a hiway, and a drunk walks out into traffic, and the car in front of you emergency stops, you better be watching and not hit the back of the car. It's the same for ducks as it is for a child as far as a vehicle suddenly stopping looks from the vehicle who is following. It's hard to picture that any of us would say that a car suddenly stopping for a child is a valid reason to hit the car and kill yourself.

It was a bad trade off to save some duck, losing two lives. But they would have been just as dead if she stopped for a kid. The proximate cause of the death was two bikes not stopping in time when the vehicle in front of them stopped. If they had been ridding within their capabilities, they would have stopped and there would be nothing to put on the other side of the scale that has ducks on one side.

For any who are not readily seeing this, here's a tip. Cars slow or stop suddenly for a lot of dumb reasons. Be ready for it and don't hit them. They don't have to have a "good" reason to stop.

[skiman]

Two people are dead the only question is WHY?????
The car could have just as well stopped for a wreck that was blocking the road and the result would be the same the bike following too close to safely stop end of story.
You can't really sugar coat it and I don't care if it's illegal to stop for ducks or not.
He was not in control of his bike period that's like trying to blame the ground when a pilot fly's a perfectly good airplane into it. They call it pilot error.

[skiman]

Two people are dead the only question is WHY?????
The car could have just as well stopped for a wreck that was blocking the road and the result would be the same the bike following too close to safely stop end of story.
You can't really sugar coat it and I don't care if it's illegal to stop for ducks or not.
He was not in control of his bike period that's like trying to blame the ground when a pilot fly's a perfectly good airplane into it. They call it pilot error.

[skiman]

Two people are dead the only question is WHY?????
The car could have just as well stopped for a wreck that was blocking the road and the result would be the same the bike following too close to safely stop end of story.
You can't really sugar coat it and I don't care if it's illegal to stop for ducks or not.
He was not in control of his bike period that's like trying to blame the ground when a pilot fly's a perfectly good airplane into it. They call it pilot error.

[skeeter]

Originally Posted by cactusjack

Maybe here in the USA, where it's not against the law to stop suddenly for dogs, cats, lizards, birds, children, and anything else in the road, we have the expectation that someone may slam on the brakes at any time and conduct ourselves accordingly. Still, there's no excuse for not leaving a safe following distance between you and the vehicles ahead of you.

I know all too well that a safe following distance is an invitation to some cagers to cut in front of you. When that happens, I just slow down until there's a safe following distance again.

Last month a woman stopped for a squirrel while I was following her. I had been behind her for a while with no recourse but to follow as we were in some nice tight turns with no safe place to pass ( hwy 16 near Koyote Ranch). The brake lights came on quite frequently for even minor curves. Very boring but I was giving her 3-4 seconds lead and was constantly adjusting. Even with the knowledge of erratic behavior, seeing the brake lights as the car entered the curve, seeing the squirrel dart out and do its mad dance, I used up half the distance while it registered that she was actually stopped for the fur ball. The extra lead and her letting off the brakes when she heard my tires screaming, saved my bacon....

I do give some credit to the new CT on the bike.

[skeeter]

Originally Posted by cactusjack

Maybe here in the USA, where it's not against the law to stop suddenly for dogs, cats, lizards, birds, children, and anything else in the road, we have the expectation that someone may slam on the brakes at any time and conduct ourselves accordingly. Still, there's no excuse for not leaving a safe following distance between you and the vehicles ahead of you.

I know all too well that a safe following distance is an invitation to some cagers to cut in front of you. When that happens, I just slow down until there's a safe following distance again.

Last month a woman stopped for a squirrel while I was following her. I had been behind her for a while with no recourse but to follow as we were in some nice tight turns with no safe place to pass ( hwy 16 near Koyote Ranch). The brake lights came on quite frequently for even minor curves. Very boring but I was giving her 3-4 seconds lead and was constantly adjusting. Even with the knowledge of erratic behavior, seeing the brake lights as the car entered the curve, seeing the squirrel dart out and do its mad dance, I used up half the distance while it registered that she was actually stopped for the fur ball. The extra lead and her letting off the brakes when she heard my tires screaming, saved my bacon....

I do give some credit to the new CT on the bike.

[skeeter]

Originally Posted by cactusjack

Maybe here in the USA, where it's not against the law to stop suddenly for dogs, cats, lizards, birds, children, and anything else in the road, we have the expectation that someone may slam on the brakes at any time and conduct ourselves accordingly. Still, there's no excuse for not leaving a safe following distance between you and the vehicles ahead of you.

I know all too well that a safe following distance is an invitation to some cagers to cut in front of you. When that happens, I just slow down until there's a safe following distance again.

Last month a woman stopped for a squirrel while I was following her. I had been behind her for a while with no recourse but to follow as we were in some nice tight turns with no safe place to pass ( hwy 16 near Koyote Ranch). The brake lights came on quite frequently for even minor curves. Very boring but I was giving her 3-4 seconds lead and was constantly adjusting. Even with the knowledge of erratic behavior, seeing the brake lights as the car entered the curve, seeing the squirrel dart out and do its mad dance, I used up half the distance while it registered that she was actually stopped for the fur ball. The extra lead and her letting off the brakes when she heard my tires screaming, saved my bacon....

I do give some credit to the new CT on the bike.