Near Miss

[2wheelMax]

Left my house this morning at 11am to see mom and a friend and took the FZ1. There is a posted S-curve on a two-lane road in a 30mph speed zone a few blocks away from the house as you ride out of the neighborhood that I always ride.

I know not to speed in the posted area because somebody could be pulling out of their driveway and not see me coming up through a curve and t-bone the bike. There is also plenty of landscaping and some cars parked in swales to obstruct one's vision too.

This morning coming up through the second curve an old man coming head on turned left just in front of me to pull into a drivewway where there was a garage sale going on. He never saw me as his eyes were fixed on the sale and his peripheral vision was restricted because he was pushing 70 years old.

Fortunately, I observe and video commercial drivers' work and driving behavior for a living. I saw the other car coming at me from a distance- meaning that I scanned the road well ahead. I also noticed that his head was turned and he was distracted. I also saw the wheels turn left and at that moment I locked up the front and rear brake on my FZ1.

I skidded just under two feet in a slightly wavy forward pattern and never lost control of the bike. He saw me at the time I applied the brakes which would have been too late if I was speeding and not anticipating his condition. He missed me by two feet.

I had two near misses in the prior two years and this is the first on this bike. Glad to be here.

 

[Hail]

Left my house this morning at 11am to see mom and a friend and took the FZ1. There is a posted double-curve on a two-lane road in a 30mph speed zone a few blocks away from the house as you ride out of the neighborhood that I always ride.

I know not to speed in the posted area because somebody could be pulling out of their driveway and not see me coming up through a curve and t-bone the bike. There is also plenty of landscaping and some cars parked in swales to obstruct one's vision too.

This morning coming up through the second curve an old man coming head on turned left just in front of me to pull into a drivewway where there was a garage sale going on. He never saw me as his eyes were fixed on the sale and his peripheral vision was restricted because he was pushing 70 years old.

Fortunately, I observe and video commercial drivers' work and driving behavior for a living. I saw the other car coming at me from a distance- meaning that I scanned the road well ahead. I also noticed that his head was turned and he was distracted. I also saw the wheels turn left and at that moment I locked up the front and rear brake on my FZ1.

I skidded just under two feet in a slightly wavy forward pattern and never lost control of the bike. He saw me at the time I applied the brakes which would have been too late if I was speeding and not anticipating his condition. He missed me by two feet.

I had two near misses in the prior two years and this is the first on this bike. Glad to be here.

Close call. Glad you are ok and so observant! I really appreciate when folks share these experiences as it makes others think about situations they may not have before. It may help someone else.

 

[Evitzee]

Glad to see you avoided a potentially bad situation but just because 'he was pushing 70' doesn't mean that was the cause of the situation. Peripheral vision doesn't necessarily degrade with age so you can't make the argument that that was why he didn't see you. As you said he was focused on the garage sale and was 'tuned' out. There are plenty of teens who would be texting and do the same thing. I just don't like 'younger' riders mindlessly assuming everyone goes to hell as they get older. There are bad drivers of ALL ages.

 

[super googan]

G Peripheral vision doesn't necessarily degrade with age so you can't make the argument that that was why he didn't see you.

Yes it does ! pure medical fact !

"Loss of peripheral vision. Aging also causes a normal loss of peripheral vision, with the size of our visual field decreasing by approximately one to three degrees per decade of life. By the time you reach your 70s and 80s, you may have a peripheral visual field loss of 20 to 30 degrees.

Because the loss of visual field increases the risk for automobile accidents, make sure you are more cautious when driving. To increase your range of vision, turn your head and look both ways when approaching intersections. You also can read more tips about vision, aging and driving safety."

I am with you though on trusting a mature driver as compared to a texting teen or soccer Mom. Getting old stinks !! but you can't kid yourself and not admit that reaction time and vision absolutely decreases with age . Simple medical fact ! The good part is experience and wisdom increase.