I'm lucky to be alive to tell this story.......

[jerpinoy]

If you were a USPS rural carrier like I was I still have ??????? when USPS claim that all accidents are preventable... Great you made it safely.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

If you were a USPS rural carrier like I was I still have ??????? when USPS claim that all accidents are preventable... Great you made it safely.

That's true, I would say. But many times it's the other person who needs to do the preventing cause you can't!

 

[HankD]

If you were a USPS rural carrier like I was I still have ??????? when USPS claim that all accidents are preventable... Great you made it safely.

Yes, this a lot of the "Behavior-Based Safety" crud that most major companies train with. I know, was forced to do some of the training :gaah:. The decision-tree for any accident or near-miss always comes back to...."It was your fault", no matter what the circumstances.

Like someone else said earlier, the only way to totally prevent this accident would be 1) for me to not ride, or 2) for Law Enforcement/DMV to pull Granny's drivers license before she creates a major disaster.

 

[CA Railwhale]

really.

If you were a USPS rural carrier like I was I still have ??????? when USPS claim that all accidents are preventable... Great you made it safely.

I spent thirty five years with AT&T. Their policy was exactly the same. In their view any accident was preventable even if you had to take a different route. The rule was to make three right turns rather than one left one. Always if possible park in a pull through space. The list was endless, but it boiled down to any accident being the employee's fault.

 

[LateLifeCrisis]

Thanks for taking the time to write about the experience and add a few reminders at the end. As a newbie, I have appreciated all of the suggestions and tips provided by the forum members and they have certainly helped me to enjoy and feel safe and confident on my Spyder. :2thumbs: Two thumbs up for not nailing the land-barge!

 

[WA5VHU]

I spent thirty five years with AT&T. Their policy was exactly the same. In their view any accident was preventable even if you had to take a different route. The rule was to make three right turns rather than one left one. Always if possible park in a pull through space. The list was endless, but it boiled down to any accident being the employee's fault.

Maybe it has changed but I've heard that story in the company too however a talk with our regional safety guy and his vehicle accident reports says otherwise. If it is indeed our fault it is noted as such but if not our fault it is noted as not our fault. Things we have no control over such as being rear-ended while sitting at a red light, collisions with deer and such are put on our record as not our fault.

 

[WA5VHU]

They would have been picking pieces of me from Granny’s left rear quarter panel...

So glad your swerving skills saved you!

You can bet that if I can't avoid someone in a situation like this I won't be hitting their left rear quarter panel. They would be picking pieces of me from the driver's area.

And given the choice of hitting something else just as damaging as their car or another innocent car I choose their car so they don't just drive away unscathed like nothing happened. In a worst-case scenario hopefully the police can then figure out who killed me!

 

[JerryB]

Hi Railwhale,

Re: I spent thirty five years with AT&T. Their policy was exactly the same.

I spent 30 yrs with the federal gov't. and it was the same way there.

1. One of the guys in the office was over in Utah on a project. About 8:30 PM he was heading back to the motel to clean up & get something to eat after a long day. He was sitting at a red lite when someone rear-ended him. At first, they tried to blame him for the accident; when that didn't work, they tried to hang him for being out late. Fortunately, the plant manager wrote a letter about the long day's work & saved his bacon.

2. I was in Tyler, TX on a project and the car I had rented got hit in the motel parking lot while I was taking a shower before going out to get something to eat. At first, they tried to blame me for the accident & and I fought back that I was not even driving, it was parked. Then they tried to hang me for renting a Thunderbird. I had to get a letter from Hertz that they had given me the T-Bird at the gov't rate & it had been the only car that they had when I had arrived.

Their position was that any accident could be avoided; it had to be your fault.

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

Jerry Baumchen

 

[classicvw]

Glad you were able to maneuver out of harm's way and are OK. But, I gotta ask you, if the two right lanes were clear of traffic, why were you in the left lane?

 

[HankD]

Glad you were able to maneuver out of harm's way and are OK. But, I gotta ask you, if the two right lanes were clear of traffic, why were you in the left lane?

I was planning on making a left turn at the light about a half mile up the road

 

[OKey]

Most of you probably won’t read thru this very long post, but I figured I would post this in the odd chance it may help even ONE of you stay alive….because I came very close to taking the “Forever Dirt Nap” on a recent ride.

On Sunday 9/24/17 I was taking a morning ride just to enjoy a short spin. All my riding friends were busy, so I decided to just do a quick solo before it got nasty hot/humid. I was traveling Southbound on HWY US 231 out of Huntsville, AL. This portion of the highway is 3 lanes each direction with a large grass median strip (more like a ditch), lots of U-turn spots on the left, and business entrances/exits on the right.
I was cruising along in the fast lane, about 55 mph, traffic was light to moderate. Suddenly about 4 seconds up ahead, I spot a huge white Buick “land-barge” pulling out of a business on the right. I saw a very little Granny in the driver’s seat, so short she was actually looking through the steering wheel instead of over it. She had to be at least 90 years old as I recall. My Spydee-Senses immediately started to blare out major alarm bells.

I then watched her proceed straight across all three lanes of traffic to get to the U-turn spot on the left, going at about 5 mph…..directly into my lane…where she stopped sideways in the road…. right in front of me!! Since there was a median strip ditch on my left, I had only two choices: slam on the brakes, or, perform an almost full-speed S-turn (right and then left). Since the closing speed between Granny and me was almost 60 mph, I had to go with the S-turn. Also, since she was taking up almost the entire left 2 lanes with her land-barge Buick, I had to S-turn from the Fast Lane 2 lanes over to the Slow Lane, then correct back left. Luckily I am a constant mirror-checker, and I knew the two lanes to the right of me were clear for me to maneuver.

My beautiful, wonderful, fantastic Spyder RTS acted almost like it had a collision avoidance system. I jerked thru that S maneuver at near full speed and the Spyder performed brilliantly, missing Granny’s rear bumper by about 4 inches. Yes, even with the “crappy” OEM Kenda tires and the stock sway bar. I might have seen the VSS light come on (I was a little too busy to really notice). I pulled over at a nearby business to collect myself and a car pulled up next to me. The driver rolled down his window and said…”Dude, I was behind all that, I can’t believe how you avoided getting killed”. All I could do was nod and wave. It took 20 mins sitting there for my hands to stop shaking (and for me to stop cussing).

I rode a HD Fatboy for about 12 years prior to getting the Spyder. I know for sure that if I was on the HD, I would have been road-putty in this situation. They would have been picking pieces of me from Granny’s left rear quarter panel. No way could I have pulled off that maneuver on 2 wheels, and I was a decent rider.

So to those of you that are still awake and reading this, I have 4 things that maybe you want to keep in mind:

1. Scan ahead, do frequent mirror checks, and always be prepared for the most insane, crazy crap to happen….because it WILL happen, and it will happen at the worst possible time and when your attention is at its lowest. It always seems that way anyhow.
2. Keep your Spydee-Senses keen to driver warning signals….like land-barge Buicks driven by very very old people, or teenagers speeding and jerking thru traffic, or that pickup truck driver that you know just has to be drunk….you know the kind of stuff I’m talking about.
3. Do some periodic avoidance maneuver practice with your Spyder. I have a local church parking lot that I go to occasionally just to do some 15-min drills. It’s sorta fun actually, and it may have saved my life.
4. Have a little peace of mind in knowing that in a real pinch, your Spyder can do some pretty incredible things to get you out of a jam.

Safe riding to all!

Hey.....good to be able to be responding to you....you're here.

Thanks for taking the time to share your story. As a new rider of a Spyder, I have learned to respect and value what it is capable of doing. All your points are important especially Number 3 since we need to really know with confidence the maneuverability of what we are controlling. The only way we can build confidence is to test it in a test situation like a parking lot etc.

I hate riding on a highway in traffic. My lady and I live in the country and have the benefit of rising in the rolling hills in farmland. Very little traffic, but Deer, Turkey and wildlife cause constant awareness since there are no rules for roaming animals.

Hank, after your experience you must be an advocate of why spiders are the safest you can be in an open air vehicle on the road.
safe riding (and look out for big buicks ).

 

[Mr. White]

As I putt along on Mr. Cognac, I scan the vehicles ahead and those entering the road. I don't look at the drivers, I look at the front tire of the vehicle. If it is moving, be aware. A driver will look you in the eye and pull out in front on you. Watch out for those old folks...... :yes:

:spyder2:

 

[mavrik]

Glad all turned out well....obviously your practice session helped !!!:clap:

 

[ARNIE R]

As I putt along on Mr. Cognac, I scan the vehicles ahead and those entering the road. I don't look at the drivers, I look at the front tire of the vehicle. If it is moving, be aware. A driver will look you in the eye and pull out in front on you. Watch out for those old folks...... :yes:

:spyder2:

I always watch the front tires, too. It seems easier to detect vehicle movement by watching the very slightest movement of the wheels than the entire vehicle.

 

[Mr. White]

I always watch the front tires, too. It seems easier to detect vehicle movement by watching the very slightest movement of the wheels than the entire vehicle.

Yes, exactly. :spyder2: