Punched my left turn ticket

When riding at night I will flip my headlight on bright whenever there is a car waiting to turn that will cross my path. I like to do it maybe 3-5 seconds before I get into the zone where it would be really bad if they did decide to pull out, and I like to do a little swerve to point the headlight at the threat and then flip it to high beam so hopefully they can't help but notice me.

During the day I run my highbeams all the time.

Great line.

I also participate in a tractor forum and believe it or not cars making left turns into tractors is a big problem. You would think a large tractor with flashing lights and headlights on would be pretty obvious even to the most oblivious, but at least the car usually gets the most damage.

I guess their position would be that the bike will stop quicker on its wheels than sliding, so if you slid and didn't hit him, then you could have stopped under control and not hit him. I'm not saying I agree, but that will probably be what they argue. As the others said, get professional representation - state farm has been to this dance before, and you haven't.

Good info. here from shaddix.

I flip my low beam to high beam and back quite a bit in traffic. I believe it really helps folks wake up and focus on me ............ I also have been careful not to be too busy with the light .......... I believe that some folks may take it as a signal that means "who knows what" to them.

"But officer, I thought he WANTED me to pull out in front of him! He was flashing his light at me."

This is where lane positioning and not following too closely comes in very handy too. In a situation like yours I'll swerve side to side a little to give oncoming traffic a chance to see me better. You know, sorta' peek-a-boo out from behind the drivers side of the vehicle in front of me. Seems to help.

Hope insurance works it all out, and glad you weren't hurt.

Happy Holidays, Rob

LOL! Pretty much what I envisioned. I'm going to ask the DMV to include this picture in their vision testing..."Do you see anything unusual in this picture sir??

That just sucks...I'm glad you're alright. Tell your sob story here when you're ready to buy parts. I bet one of us can help you out very cheap.

I know this has been covered elsewhere in face plant. I too have had some close calls where I thought I made eye contact with the cager and then they proceeded to pull out in front of me or merge right into my space. Having a high vis. jacket and orange moto I was totally amazed they did not see me.
I learned about Motion Induced Blindness from the face plant forum and did the test on the wikipedia site and was surprised how the dots became invisible. It was a wake up to actually think that I could for a short period of time become invisible to a driver. I don't know how to deal with this possibility except to be a very defensive driver and expect no one sees me. Try out the test and see if you experience MIB. I do but my wife says she doesn't. She credits her stigmatism. I don't know.:eek1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_induced_blindness

Do you have anything on paper where the driver admits fault? Take the driver to small claims court for the full cost of the damage. Let him deal with his insurance company.

Modulating headlights must not modulate after dark by law.

All you can do is to be ready to take evasive action and dress for the slide, not for the ride. Drivers see us but do not NOTICE us. There is a big difference. Eye contact is not always brain contact.

Half or more of the drivers will think that flashing high beams are you giving them permission to proceed. Maybe keep the high beams on during a warning period, but don't flash them.

The DOT C2 red & white retroreflective tape you see on truck trailers is the most reflective over a wide angle. SOLAS retroreflective tape has brighter reflectance, but on a narrow angle.

Practice emergency braking. Buy your next bike with ABS brakes.

Yup. The insurance company will say their driver did not contact you, so it's all your fault. Sadly enough, if you're in a car, you're better off nailing the person that caused the accident. At least from a liability/getting your car fixed/injuries paid for standpoint. I'd like to see no-fault insurance in my state.

On SMIDSY: I once was SMIDSY'd. Not on a motorcycle. A Hyster H360HD2, which is a forklift with a 36,000 pound capacity. Airhead in an industrial park got lost. I was going from one building to another, the other had the fuel pump. A woman rolls up to a stop sign, looks one way, and pulls out in front of a forklift the size of a small house that is lit up like an xmas tree front and back, flashing strobes, several 75 watt lights, 36"+ tall tires, curb weight around 44,000 pounds, and oh yeah because it's a Hyster it's BRIGHT YELLOW. Slammed the forks down and nailed the brakes, but bringing it from 15 MPH to 0 wasn't going to happen. Put a fork in front of the back tire and hit the side of the SUV at about walking speed, and drug it another 10 feet. There was a very real fear of the little Ford Explorer going under the left side drive tires. Somehow nobody was hurt. First words out of her mouth when I get to the side of her truck: "I'm so sorry! I completely didn't see you!"

Which would be about as hard to miss as the green rhino driven by the pink penis guy.

"I'm so sorry! I completely didn't see you!"

^^^ Payback. ^^^

--Bill

Know where I can get one of those? Would love to roll up to church wearing that.

Alright after reading a few of the tonight I am officially converted. Recently I have been riding ATGATT but it is time for a high vis jacket. Glad the OP is OK and hope the insurance works out for out. Off to the flea market.

This is what I immediately thought when reading about people flashing their headlights at cars waiting to turn. I would be very, very careful that your actions are not misinterpreted. (E.G. in the U.K., where I grew up and learned to drive, flashing your headlights at a vehicle that is about to turn does indeed mean, "Alright mate, I see you - go ahead and I'll make sure I leave you enough time/room to make your turn") You never know how someone else will interpret your signalling, far better to slow down a little and ride defensively in this situation, I would think.

Hi-Viz isn't all that hi viz after dark. Once dusk settles in, it's not much better than gray and you're relying more on the retroreflective components. Riding to Portland one year, I was being followed by some friends who were trailering their bike. They noted that the hi-viz became nearly invisible after dark. My riding buddy was wearing a Sea-bak reflective vest and was infinitely more visible than I was.

I am suspicious about drivers seeing my 3M stuff from the front because of headlight glare. I use a Sea-bak vest after dark now, and I'd be surprised if it makes a different at all from the front.

Got a witness to contact the other guy's insurance. Starting to look like insurance might cave, but they are sending a guy out to time the lights at the intersection.

Here is my one regret: I didn't get the guy's current address off of his driver's license. If I had, I would feel it was very easy to sue the guy in small claims court. Right now it would be a pain to serve him process... I would need to call him and demand his address or that we meet in person to serve him or else ask for some kind of relief from the courts if he is evading process service.

I shall do this and post pics of the result.

i mean...like...you say that...but how are we supposed to know it's true?

this needs to be scientifically tested.

They guy WAS wrong for turning left across a motorcyclist's path. His action contributed to the cause of the crash and would have earned him a "failure to yield" (or something like that) ticket if a cop had seen it. However, the OP lost control and crashed, when he SHOULD have been able to perform a quick stop. He might have also received a ticket for "failure to maintain control" had a cop witnessed the incident.

In this instance, as pointed out by another poster, the OP is only asking for part of the resulting cost. That seems reasonable as the car driver was partly to blame and the courts would probably see if that way. I imagine State Farm could be persuaded along the same lines although if the driver has any sense and is not impecunious, he will try to persuade State Farm that the incident never happened and just pay up from his own pocket - probably too late for that now.

To the OP: Think about how you could have made yourself more visible - not by brighter lights and colors but by where and how you ride, lane position, following distance, etc.; Practice your braking in a controlled environment; Keep wearing your safety gear; Oh yeah... and practice your braking - a lot!

Practicing braking is really good advice that everyone should take! I think if I had had more braking practice I could have potentially avoided locking up the front wheel. Then again, maybe not...