Sunday, August 08, 2010

For Bluekat

This is probably the reason for the officers you saw. It wasn't green Ninja day. For the rest of us it's a reminder of the drivers we share the road with.

I ran a simple errand today after changing Elvira's oil. Looking for something to throw on the grill. A very fat lady in a white minivan tried to take me out. She must have smelled the beer sausage in the saddlebag! Actually, she screwed up and got into the wrong lane. Instead of being inconvenienced by her mistake, she tried to go straight instead of turning. Only thing is, her lane on the left and my lane on the right were both left turn only lanes. I guess it was all right to endanger other people as long as she wasn't put out any. No harm, no foul. I have a much superior brain to whatever the stuff she has in her head. I noticed the eddy in the current and didn't commit to the turn based on my sixth sense. We need to use our brains and all our senses as we ride. Most people don't use theirs while driving.

Here's an article about a local law enforcement effort. The sad thing is the number of citations in a four hour period with four officers.

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20100806/NEWS/8060335/1001

Head ups and stay alert out there!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

14 comments:

norcalbarney said...

Ain't it the truth. In CA, I get out of the way when someone's tailgating me. Often they've got Oregon plates.

I suspect they like to tailgate in OR because of the slower speed limits.

The officer also states a 2 second following rule. In my driving class (25 years ago) they recommended 1 second per 10MPH, so 60 mph is a 6 second follow rule.

Dave said...

Dan

Some of the comments on the story are down right scary.

Some of throes folks need to put there drivers license back the box of Cracker Jacks were they got them.


AKA Old F

Balisada said...

My sister drives a minivan, and she said that she has gotten away with some stunts that really should have gotten her a ticket.

I think that minivans get some kind of mental "get out of jail free" card.

Balisada

Gary France said...

Being that size she probably had too much cholesterol in her brain, which according to some, causes lane blindness.

RichardM said...

I also remember the 1 sec per 10 mph but that was recommended. The 2 sec rule is recommended absolute minimum and double that in foul weather.

Bluekat said...

Very scary. It was probably a smash and grab...smash the moto and grab the sausage...all without leaving the minivan. I'll stop before I get too snarky.

Interesting article and video. I didn't see the guy up topside...sneaky fellow. I'll have to scout out his hideout. The four motor cops were very busy when I went by.

I often wonder about the trucks following one another so closely. Still, it seems to me the worst behavior comes from cars/suvs. I'm no angel. I have a leadfoot, but I try to be reasonably good.

Today when I went to make a right turn an armored truck passed within a couple feet of me, crossing the yellow divided highway as he whizzed by. I didn't care that he passed in a double yellow, in an intersection, but it pissed me off that I could practically have reached over and touched his truck. My rant for the day.

be safe out there!

redlegsrides said...

Irondad, I admire your self-restraint....I think in your shoes I would have lost the battle to keep the "inner demon" bottled up...

Anonymous said...

No excuse for tailgating. That being said, the powers that be in Oregon have, for the past several decades, a very real anti-road/anti-personal transportation agenda that includes the lack of building more roads in favor of mass transit. Kuebler Blvd. in Salem where this sting took place is a prime example. As originally designed it was to have another lane in each direction, this would have alleviated the current congestion that seems to make people tailgate. 'Course I could be wrong and said tailgaters are just jerks.

Dean W said...

Anonymous- Go read the article again, eh?

The spotter was on Keubler, but the enforcemenet was on I-5.

irondad said...

norcalbarney,

Thank you for gracing my blog. I tend to let tailgaters go by, as well. My experience is that the freeway tailgaters will keep doing it at 15 miles over the speed limit. Not that I would actually ride that fast, mind you. Somebody told me about it!

Two seconds is for totally ideal conditions. When does that ever happen? More is better. If you can keep the cars from diving into the space, of course.

Take care,

Dan

irondad said...

Dave,

I totally agree. It's too easy for everybody and their spawn to get a license here.

Balisada,

So, is that some sort of vehicular profiling? Now that I think about it, I believe you're right!

Gary,

That and the fact that her chins kept her head from rotating for a look around her.

Take care,

Dan

irondad said...

Richard,

It's interesting how things change. I remember being taught in Driver's Ed that we needed one car length for every 10 mph. Either way, I remember the number one rule. "Always leave yourself a way out.

Bluekat,

That's the secret. Have the spotter hide.

As to the smash and grab, I can buy that. The getaway would have been tough for her, though!

Ford Explorers have always seemed the worst tailgaters to me.

If you would have touched the armored car they would probably have tried to shoot you for robbery. No winning with them.

Take care,

Dan

irondad said...

Charlie6,

I'm no angel. Let's leave it there, okay?

Anonymous,

Thank you for commenting. Just wish I had a name to attach to you. The part that gets me is how drivers can casually do something so obviously dangerous no matter the road conditions.

I do have to agree with the road situation. We are using roads designed for traffic from 20 years ago. Then again, we'd gripe if taxes were raised to pay for it, wouldn't we?

By the way, the cool thing about Kuebler is that it leads to such great country roads!

Take care,

Dan

BeemerGirl said...

Thanks for writing this up! Been on my mind lately too. In addition to the motorcycle I drive a big truck. One, to pull a trailer, but more important when that idiot tailgator hits me they will go under me and not over or through. Being an EMT taught me those lessons.

As for the bike? Hit them with the Hyperlights. That will work 90% of the time. Otherwise, as said, move over and let them cause the accident with someone else. -Lori