San anonio highways are INSANE!

A few weeks ago i was driving south on 281 heading back to base, just north of the 1604 loop after a nice days ride through guadalupe river. enjoying the day and the nice weather. ... driving about 50 mph when the car in front of me slams on there brakes and LUCKILY i am able to stop for it just in time. but unbeknownst to me some behind me doesnt stop for me and side-swipes my brand freaking new kalamata brown 2013 F800GS on its right side and jolts me forward about 20ft. i am able to stabilize the bike for that length but as soon i am about to come to a stop it swings around 180 degrees and lands on its left side in the median of grass and gravel. the ***hole drives off before i get his plate number. but not before my right arm take his whole left mirror off. thankfully im ATGATT. so the pad protected my arm from being broken and the fall to not be too rough. i was extremely pissed

Click images to see them bigger. im still trying to play around with photobucket.



Now theres a giant white streak across my touratech zega pro boxes and its dented like crazy. and scratches and dents on left side. got as much as i could out of the dents myself. insurance is being unresponsive on occasion and could be awhile before i see any money from insurance to come in. gotta say without those zega pro boxes my leg wouldve been gone. he was hauling ass behind me.

btw if you ever drive in texas STAY AWAY FROM SAN ANTONIO HIGHWAY SYSTEM! if theres open space theres a unneccessary highway to replace it. and a turnaround right next to it. these highways are absolutely rediculous. no grid pattern at all. cant tell ya how many times assholes try to speed or bolt in front of you or merge into you.

I agree on the SA drivers. I nearly got ran over 2 times in about an hour there in June. First one a lady in a Mercedes just decided to change lanes without looking (this happens anywhere) but my extra loud air horn makes them move out of the way. The other time was a stupid ass taxi with a Mexican driving it......nuff said.

I lived in San Antonio for awhile, but in 2011, I just started riding on the street. I've gotta 2011 V-Strom 650, which is my first street bike.

I'm glad you survived. I always gear up, always, even on short rides to the store.

Anymore this behavior is not surprising. Now what surprises me is the absence of anyone aware or outraged enough to take his plate or follow him and turn him in. Did anyone stop to help or see if you were ok?

I was in SA visiting in June, just about got killed driving from the airport. The freeway system is frightening there. Makes you want to live way outside the city, perhaps in the Hill Country.

You think SA is fun, drive up 35 to Austin at 6:00pm on a Friday. Then try to pry your testicles back out once your ride is over. I did that on a Honda Reflex once - never again.

Totally agree, I thought that California drivers were bad. This place is crazy and the people here drive like idiots. They have no consideration for other drivers, always seem to be on a cell phone and don't pay attention. I have found that the safest place to be on the highway is the fast lane because they can only come at me from one direction! The problem that I find with the slow lane is that too many people decide to exit at the last second and cut across 2 lanes of traffic to do it.

to my suprise.... absolutely no one stopped. just drove on past and didnt even care. i cant wait to ride to Buckley AFB CO in February. and get the hell out of san antonio. in my home state people wouldve done the right thing. but then again that was indiana. not texas. it was probably some mexican with no insurance. freakin douche

Look as far ahead as you can see. Crank the throttle when passing. don't tailgate stay right when at any kind of stop. This world is full of shitty caged drivers.

In Austin, you damn well better look both ways before you roll into an intersection when you get a new green light.

I was hit two times while driving cars that way.

Having lived in San Antonio for a number of years now, I agree, the traffic here is out of control in certain areas of town.

I can't count the sheer number of close-calls I've had.

Acts of stupidity, compounded by a blatant disregard of traffic laws or common sense.

People on the cell-phone yakking or texting. Driving like their playing "Grand Theft Auto"..which in some cases is probably true. The "entitlement" mentality plays out daily.... "I have every right to speed, cut off others, drive like an idiot and basically do what I want because I'm special!"

Let me give you an example:

During the I-10/Loop 410 interchange construction, traffic heading west on 410 had to wait in the right lane to go around the ramp leading to I-10. Traffic would usually be backed up in this construction zone. Most folks knew this and would just patiently wait their turn...except for the self-entitled pricks that would zoom up along the left side of the waiting cars and then force their way in, horns blaring, at the front of the line.

Even better, and this one is amazing for it's sheer stupidity. Cars coming up on the line would move to the right...on the shoulder...then proceed past the line of waiting cars...turn right across the on-ramp that led up to 410 at Vance Jackson...to get on the frontage road and then follow that around to Callaghan so they could get onto I-10 there.

It got so bad, and so many people complained about this idiocy, that the cops basically set up on the frontage road, about six cop cars in a line waiting. As soon as some shitwhistle pulled the "drive down the shoulder, cut across the on ramp to the frontage road" stunt, the first cop would nail him, while the others moved up in the line...then the next cop would nail the next idiot....and so on and so on. I think they wrote over 30 tickets in two hours. The local news station was out covering the story, and showed car after car pulling this stunt. At one point, all six cops had someone pulled over, and people were STILL cutting across the on-ramp.

As the cops finished writing the tickets, the news team would approach and ask the driver of the vehicle why they were doing something so dangerous. Almost without exception, every driver was outraged they had been ticketed, and thought it was wrong! "I can't be waiting all day in traffic!" "I have places I need to go!" "It's wrong that they were waiting like that, this ticket is not fair!" and so on and so on. Only one guy they talked to owned up to it. "Yeah, I know it's illegal. I took my chances and I got caught. I'll pay the fine."

That is the mentality most of us have to deal with here in San Antonio.

The cops worked that area for about a week before people got the message. I'm not sure of the final total of tickets written. Let's see...driving on the shoulder...crossing an on ramp..construction zone...reckless driving...I bet those tickets were pretty steep.

you and i are gonna get along. i feel the EXACT same way about the entitlement mentality that not only drivers in san antonio have but alot of select americans have as well. but thats a whole other forum. i have had countless close calls in the month and a half ive had a vehicle in texas. no matter how safe i try to drive this place just has no rules and no consideration for others.

i didn't let him him leave without a mark though. i took his driver side mirror off with my arm. so he no longer has a mirror. i hate San Antonio. i cant wait to move to CO in February. less idiots from what i hear...

Reading hit-and-run stories makes me wonder if a dashcam setup would be a good idea. I already use the Hero3 every day for the commute, but its battery only lasts 90 minutes or so, making it unacceptable for long rides. It's also only front-facing.

Here's a bike dashcam setup for less than the Hero3 Black - http://ozreprap.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=55

Several years ago - on a Friday, around that time- we were traveling from San Marcos to San Antonio. We were literaly being pushed to do 85+ and there was no way to leave some space between us and the car in front before some frenzied driver took it. Then my wife says: look at the driver on our right.
There was a gal in her lower twenties, body forward close to the center rearview mirror, doing her eye makeup!!!!

I spend about six to eight weeks in SA every year and don't find it any worse that other big cities but then I stay the hell away from the busy roads at the rush. If I go anywhere its between 9 and 3. Its my understanding that many drivers don't have insurance there? How do they get away with that?

They do it the same way it's done everywhere else....until they get caught.

Yea extra loud horn is definitely a plus. i have the stiebel horn on my 800. people really get away from me when they try to merge into me. i cant even count how many times people cut me off or merge into me. i never ride next cars. always diagonally behind or diagonally in front. and always have an out both on highway and streets and stoplights/stop signs. nvr know when ur gonna get it in the rear

i dont see cops that often and theres way to many people for the number of cops. so its pretty easy for dirt bags to have no insurance. i hate san antoinio highways. if theres an open space for anything they say well lets put a highway right here.