Left-turn motorcycle collisions

[MarkB_MI]

Yet another biker killed by a left-turning vehicle.

Oakland County motorcycle crash

These accidents happen with frightening regularity, and the left-turning driver is almost always at fault. But being in the right doesn't make you less dead.

There are some ways to mitigate the risk, such as trying to cross the intersection alongside a larger vehicle. Note that this biker wasn't wearing a helmet. Would he have survived with a helmet?

 

[MarkB_MI]

I should have posted in T-Tales. Sorry about that.

 

[Steve in IL]

Yet another biker killed by a left-turning vehicle.

Oakland County motorcycle crash

These accidents happen with frightening regularity, and the left-turning driver is almost always at fault. But being in the right doesn't make you less dead.

There are some ways to mitigate the risk, such as trying to cross the intersection alongside a larger vehicle. Note that this biker wasn't wearing a helmet. Would he have survived with a helmet?

Mark - You are so right about being right, but being dead. As a kid, I rode a MC everywhere. But after multiple friends dying or getting hurt, I just realized how the odds are stacked against the MC. They lose in every situation, and often with dire results Perhaps that’s why my friends in the medical community call them “donercycles”. And as much as I’m a helmet advocate, I think that perhaps it’s really just the difference between an open casket or closed casket funeral.

To keep it tractor related, we use several tractors to keep the trails open for riding off road.

Be safe out there!

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Yet another biker killed by a left-turning vehicle.

Oakland County motorcycle crash

These accidents happen with frightening regularity, and the left-turning driver is almost always at fault. But being in the right doesn't make you less dead.

There are some ways to mitigate the risk, such as trying to cross the intersection alongside a larger vehicle. Note that this biker wasn't wearing a helmet. Would he have survived with a helmet?

Mark,
I rode a MC for 50 years.
20 years ago I sold my Goldwing because it was too ruff on my back.
I never looked back. The risk to reward riding a MC is more than I want at my age.
The risk of being in a wheelchair for the rest of my life or being killed isn't something I'm not willing to take.
My parents rode an Indian

My late wife and I rode motorcycles.
My son had the fastest 1985 Honda.
I'm glad he sold it to buy his first house.

 

[plattman]

Mark,
I rode a MC for 50 years.
20 years ago I sold my Goldwing because it was too ruff on my back.
I never looked back. The risk to reward riding a MC is more than I want at my age.
The risk of being in a wheelchair for the rest of my life or being killed isn't something I'm not willing to take.
My parents rode an IndianView attachment 71659
My late wife and I rode motorcycles.
My son had the fastest 1985 Honda.
I'm glad he sold it to buy his first house.

Fine looking couple. Yes my dad rode an Indian, I had Hondas. Sold the bikes a few years ago and bought a Mustang convertible. Have nearly the same open road experience with much better risk/reward calculation.

 

[Russ from MN]

We still ride our motorcycles, we try to go someplace for lunch once a week, 50-100 miles round trip. We have a lot of nice paved county roads in our area where there is less traffic, but then we have deer to contend with. We have always worn helmets ,my theory about helmets is, If you don't have any brains to protect, you don't need one!

 

[Old Ford Mechanic]

An older fellow worker who i discovered later lived through a bad motorcycle accident in the 1940s gave me some good advice 45 years ago. We were standing in the shop door one Monday morning when a young mechanic came into the parking lot on a motorcycle he had purchased over the weekend. I commented on the nice bike he was riding. The older fellow looked me right in the eye and said son, don't ever get on anything you have the prop up when you get off it! I took his advice and have never been on one.

 

[dpendzic]

Fine looking couple. Yes my dad rode an Indian, I had Hondas. Sold the bikes a few years ago and bought a Mustang convertible. Have nearly the same open road experience with much better risk/reward calculation.

My first bike was a 1947 indian scout--have had Hondas ever since

 

[chris142]

I cant ride 6 miles to work without a car trying to kill me. I rode a few months and had enough of that.

 

[1948CaseVAI]

I should have posted in T-Tales. Sorry about that.

Diverging diamond interchange should eliminate that where installed and we are getting about 7 of them in a couple of years in Wichita. YOu can google diverging diamond for details. Basically the traffic flow switches sides prior to the interesection and reverts bak after.

 

[wrenchere85]

I have had motorcycles for 60 years, I am well aware of motorcycles well driving cars, But I have had and seen near miss's when turning left. When sitting at a light in the left turn lane and facing on coming traffic also in their left turn lane, it will look clear to turn left. When suddenly there is a motorcycle hugging the left side of his lane and obscured by the cars in the left turn lane. When I come to an intersection like that on my bike I make sure to hug the right side of my lane so I'am more visible sooner to oncoming traffic. But that's just me. anymore you have to ride so defensive it takes the fun out of it. Ride to live and live to ride.










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[jimg.allentown]

Not to turn this into a helmet debate, but when I rode, I always wore a helmet. However, I personally think that helmets only have limited protection. In general, they just move the trauma just a bit farther down the spinal cord. Still, I would wear one.
But, getting on a motorcycle these days with the way people drive? Not happening. Not even remotely interested. Takes too long to heal!

Looking at coroners' reports on causes of death in motorcycle crashes, it seems the most common cause of death is blunt force trauma. No helmet will ever protect you from that.

 

[old]

Diverging diamond interchange should eliminate that where installed and we are getting about 7 of them in a couple of years in Wichita. YOu can google diverging diamond for details. Basically the traffic flow switches sides prior to the interesection and reverts bak after.
View attachment 71680

Back when I was 15 years old I totaled a 1965 Chevy Belair due the fact the guy made a left turn right in front of me and he did so so close I hit the car center line of the front axle and the bike took out the right side of the car. I got lucky and walked away from that with a broken arm and a scare on my face. AND yes I was legal at the time to be one the road. I was riding a 1967 Honda 90

 

[bc]

It happens with cars and tractors too. I had a 70 Honda 450 back in the day. A helmet and face shield doesn't help with a big flying grasshopper or locust hits me in the neck at 80 mph. Having a rear tire go flat on the highway is manageable. Having a front tire go flat on a sand road is a little tougher. Mine must have had a target on the front, side, and back. I don't know how many points I was worth but it seemed like cars would go out of the way to make me take evasive action. When a car ran a red light trying to get me going through an intersection I knew my days with a motorcycle were numbered and I've been happy without it although another one is kinda tempting but not likely going to happen. Had a friend who bot a Harley in his advanced years and he tried to make a uturn in a highway and learned that turning the wheel and leaning in the right direction had to be coordinated at the same time. It didn't turn like when riding a bicycle. Anyway he ended up in the ditch with a broken leg.

 

[NY 986]

Lot's of reasons not all due to archaic intersections and right of ways. More vehicle operators on the road now versus previous generations. More bikes on the road. More events involving bikes. More older people who have had their driving skills decline. In general I am glad that for the most part I am off the beaten path for bikes and declining operators. Just a couple of years ago an older driver knocked in the wall of a local Denny's.

 

[Blackhole49]

Yet another biker killed by a left-turning vehicle.

Oakland County motorcycle crash

These accidents happen with frightening regularity, and the left-turning driver is almost always at fault. But being in the right doesn't make you less dead.

There are some ways to mitigate the risk, such as trying to cross the intersection alongside a larger vehicle. Note that this biker wasn't wearing a helmet. Would he have survived with a helmet?

52 years ago, when I was 28, I was going 45 thru an intersection when a car turned left into my front wheel. I went over the car and the bike went backwards. The only reason I'm here today is because of the helmet, it broke my fall. Bike was towed to a gas station and I signed the title over to the station owner. I decided then motorcycles were for someone else. Only long term complaint is my neck has never had the same flexibility.

 

[Heirloom H]

I rode dirt bikes for many years when younger. Always kinda wanted one, but never had a street bike. In the dirt, it's just me I have to worry about. Fast foreword a few decades, my youngest brother died unexpectedly, not motorcycle related, and I ended up storing his Road King for 6 years, and working on it for 1. It's ready to go now. Actually just finished it this morning. Working on getting the title transferred. I've ridden it a few times, got my permit, took a motorcycle safety course last weekend, and now have my license. I'm 58. I know the risks. People are idiots, more-so nowadays. I live in the country. Less idiots, but more deer. We'll see how it goes.

 

[NY 986]

I rode dirt bikes for many years when younger. Always kinda wanted one, but never had a street bike. In the dirt, it's just me I have to worry about. Fast foreword a few decades, my youngest brother died unexpectedly, not motorcycle related, and I ended up storing his Road King for 6 years, and working on it for 1. It's ready to go now. Actually just finished it this morning. Working on getting the title transferred. I've ridden it a few times, got my permit, took a motorcycle safety course last weekend, and now have my license. I'm 58. I know the risks. People are idiots, more-so nowadays. I live in the country. Less idiots, but more deer. We'll see how it goes.

Drivers on average are much more aggressive than even 10 years ago. Intersections that were designed for maybe a dozen vehicles per minute now have several times that during peak hours and the people are far less patient. More people driving in their late 70's and 80's when skills start to decline. Here in the NE most intersections do not have room to modify without knocking a building down. Who pays for that?

 

[old]

I rode dirt bikes for many years when younger. Always kinda wanted one, but never had a street bike. In the dirt, it's just me I have to worry about. Fast foreword a few decades, my youngest brother died unexpectedly, not motorcycle related, and I ended up storing his Road King for 6 years, and working on it for 1. It's ready to go now. Actually just finished it this morning. Working on getting the title transferred. I've ridden it a few times, got my permit, took a motorcycle safety course last weekend, and now have my license. I'm 58. I know the risks. People are idiots, more-so nowadays. I live in the country. Less idiots, but more deer. We'll see how it goes.

Year ago I knew a guy who hit a deer while riding a motorcycle and he broke his leg and his arm and I don't think he ever rode one again

 

[dhermesc]

Watched one just happen near Emporia. The rider - older than me and should have known better was in a hurry. He was on his bike turning left and tried to do a slick quick left turn after a pickup went by and before the car following the pickup made him stop and put his foot down. Problem is the pickup was pulling a trailer and the biker turned right into the side of the trailer. He was so lucky the car following the pickup didn't run over him after he dismounted over the handle bars and landed on the road as his bike caught the trailer.