Text 16357, 83 rader
Skriven 2005-11-15 22:30:28 av Raymond Yates (1:3613/48)
  Kommentar till text 16271 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
Ärende: Fog lights
==================
 MV> Hello Raymond,

 >>>> One of my students had an incident where the car, traveling on
 >>>> a cross-street, went through the intersection because he did
 >>>> not see the biker. The biker had the right of way, but hit the
 >>>> car in the front door.

 MV>>> Then I'd say, your student was inexperienced and had not yet
 MV>>> learned the lesson that having right of way does not mean that
 MV>>> you will actually get it.

 >> Well he /was/ a student...<g>  even so the circumstances were
 >> such that the error was not entirely his.

 MV> Oh, I am not saying that. Surely the driver of the car was more at
 MV> fault. But a biker should not think in terms of "fault" or "blame". A
 MV> biker is very vulnerable and "Here lies Mike, he had right of way", is
 MV> not the epitaph of my preference. People make mistakes and if one
 MV> wants to survive one should take into account that others make
 MV> mistakes.

That's what I was trying to drill into his pointy head. I used to teach "drive
like everyone's out to /kill/ you..." because, they generally are..

 >> It was at low speed, and the car shot out in front
 >> of him, he was doing less than the speed limit

 MV> Sometimes less than the speed limit can be far too high...

 >> and being cautious, but even so..

 MV> Let's say he was lucky to survive and learn a lesson.

 MV>>> An experienced and carefull biker will not assume that he has
 MV>>> been seem and approach the crossing at such a speed that he can
 MV>>> always stop before he intersects the path of the car if the car
 MV>>> driver suddenly pulls up. he will only accelerate if he has
 MV>>> advanced to the point where he can pull out in front of the car
 MV>>> no matter what.

 >> Whne the speed limit on the road is, say 45, like it was in
 >> this case, you can only slow down so much before other traffic
 >> hits you from behind...

 MV> Hmmm... Is that a serious danger? I suppose it is, but I have a bit of
 MV> a problem with such a situation.

Some highways here we even have minimum speed limits.

 MV>>> Have you ever run headlong into another unlighted car because
 MV>>> you did not see it and if you did, would you have seen it in
 MV>>> time had it carried lights?

 >> Actually I have in the distant past, a driver in front of me
 >> that was making a right turn onto the main road. he moved forward,
 >> and I was looking to the left for oncomiing traffic and thought he
 >> had gone ahead. He hadn't. So I was going forward and hit his
 >> bumper. I was surprised, I thought he had already left..

 MV> I can see how that happened as it once happened t my mother too.

 MV> But that is a different situation. You had already seen him. Plus that
 MV> it was not an oncoming car, you hit him from behind, so the "I didn't
 MV> see him, but I would had he carried lights" does not apply.

It was different for sure. All I could say was, "he was there, but I thought
he left..." that excuse didn't fly. I will say that the trooper was
understanding, the car had to be towed, as the radiator was punctured, and the
tropper drove me to the state line where we were met by a marlyand trooper who
took me to the house, the funny part was I was in the Pennsylvania
Harley-Davidson shop as it was the only place that had the rear-wheel nut that
I had lost on the Harley. I put it on and was on my way to see about the car..


 >> that was one of the few accidents I have ever had..

 MV> Let's hope it stays that way.

Me too ! I'd really hate to prang the Jeep.. I drive that extra careful, it
has to last a long time..

---
 * Origin: Ray's Rocket Shop - Out to Launch (1:3613/48)