Tailgating Safety

[dui546]

It is safe to say that the motorcyclist in this picture violated the following too close statute. You ask..."Where is his bike?" It was located about a mile behind this photo. He got stuck and was drug a mile before the truck driver was made aware that he was even involved in a crash!! The rider was pronounced dead on scene.

[unwind2]

Oh My Gosh! Did he die instantaly? Broken Neck or massavie head injury? ETOH on board?

[ringadingh]

Looks like a quick end to his day, hopefully it didn't hurt

The more I see people drive the more I'm convinced they don't even realize they are following too closely. I saw a lady a while back on I-15 in the lane next to me rear end the car in front of her that had rear ended the car in front of that car (3 car accident). She wasn't even tailgaiting but she had nowhere to go when the middle car came to an instant stop.

[dui546]

This did not occur in our city Unwind2 but the story was given to us in a forum with other law enforcement agencies where we share unique data and situations. Alcohol was not a factor. The guy was dead on impact...or shortly thereafter and, based on my experience investigating accidents and the way he is simply hanging, I would say broken neck. Believe it or not, autopsies have shown that a good portion of people who die in a crashes usually die from their aorta being torn near the heart. The other external trauma contributes but is normally secondary.

[socwkbiker]

I would figure it would be from crapping their drawers so severly their heart stopped. I know I would if I was coming up fast on the back end of a rig!

[dui546]

GOOD POINT Wolfman! Many people do not understand the forces and dynamics involved with a vehicle in motion. I give traffic safety presentations to military commands and companies in our area. Below are a couple of slides we use to show the amount of distance traveled and required stopping distance for speed based on mass (cars and trucks). It takes the average driver 1.5 seconds to react to a problem (seeing to taking action). A Nascar Driver would be faster and an intoxicated or old driver would be slower. The distance in the perception/reaction block is the distance the vehicle travels during that time. We also compare the speed in "yards" required to stop using a football field as the reference point. Two things to keep in mind; (1) these are based on dry concrete and flat road surfaces free of loose material and (2) the vehicle in good mechanical working order. We calculate the minimum speed after we inspect the roadway and vehicle(s) and use formulas to correct variations such as the actual roadway's coefficient of friction and incline or decline (uphill/downhill). I think this information is important for a motorcycle rider to consider when making the decision to enter into a roadway from a side street.

Thanks for the charts DUI....very interesting...surprised there aren't more accidents w/people following behind so close on the crowded freeways!!!

[blowndodge]

Thanks for looking out for us DUI !! Everyone please ride safe and pay attention out there! "Ride like your invisible".

Thanks for the charts DUI....very interesting...surprised there aren't more accidents w/people following behind so close on the crowded freeways!!!

People usually get away with tailgaiting because they end up braking while the car infront of them is braking. The problem/pile-ups happen when one car comes to an instant stop from hitting somone. I try to always leave a 4 second following distance. The only problem is that 4 seconds is A LOT further than most people leave so people usually cut in front of me and take my gap. I guess they see a big gap and they assume because I'm not tailgaiting the car in front of me I MUST be going slower - when in reality I'm going the EXACT same speed as the car in front of me I'm just leaving a safe distance. If you can't see whats going on in front of the car in front of you - you are putting YOUR safety in the hands of the driver in front of you. Not that anyone needs any driving tips from the youngest person on this forum its just that safe driving is something I do take seriously. (one of the few things) If any gets a chance to learn the SMITH system DO IT!

[dui546]

YOU are wise Wolfman! AND...as a professional truck driver, you have lots of experience with the pitfalls of traffic.

[Todd]

I am on the road constantly during the week with work...up and down the interstates, highways, and even rural roads. One of the things I notice is that, while drivers in general are unsafe and discourteous....the ones that get out on the road on the weekends are horrible for the most part. I can only guess that they just dont drive that much during the week, refuse to follow a safe distance, and if they do, another idiot will quickly fill in that spot taking up the safe distance a vehicle was following in the first place.

The bad part is that the majority of us are on our bikes more on the weekends.... :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

[unwind2]

autopsies have shown that a good portion of people who die in a crashes usually die from their aorta being torn near the heart. The other external trauma contributes but is normally secondary.

Interesting....I feel like (no autopsy) that's what happened to a good friend of ours (Bob).......that or a heart attack triggered by the trauma/shock.

At age 62 he started riding again after approx 25-30 year hiatus. He bought a goldwing. Shortly after he got it he went on a ride with me and my hubbie. He was bringing up the rear and I noticed he was going wide on curves and turns. I told my hubbie and he tactfully got our friend to ride behind him and let me bring up the rear after they chatted. We kept the pace down for our friend's riding experience and comfort.

Sadly.....about a month later he was out riding with his young nephew who is a very experienced rider.....our friend was trying to keep up and took a curve way to wide and hit a car coming from the other direction. Nephew said Bob was talking on the scene but complained of chest pain. Helicopter called to scene. He died in the helicopter before ever getting to the trauma center. It broke our hearts. Everybody loved this guy at his funeral everybody could not get in so they put outside speakers. People his wife had never met kept coming up and introducing themselves and telling her about how he had helped them - financially etc...lots of deeds nobody knew about. The nephew was so torn up he did not ride for a long time and almost sold his bike.....but Bob's wife told him not to that Bob would not want that. She said Bob died doing what he wanted to do.

Sorry.....I went on so much....it's been 2 years and I still miss him so. It makes me still tell people to ride in your own comfort zone not someone else's. I know one time I pulled out from a group after I looked down and saw 93 mph on my speedo I told them that was enough for me. Two others pulled out with me and admitted they had got caught up in the adrenaline.

[Idaho]

That is why someone coined the term "defensive driving". No matter how crazy other people drive we must resist the urge to "get even" or "show them a thing or two".

My heart goes out to the family of the biker in the pictue. I wonder what his full story is. Bullet bike, crazy on the throttle thrill seeker, or just a poor schmuck who got caugth in a tight spot.

This afternoon after work I had a green light for a block before I hit an intersection. Driver on the cross street with the red light gave one of those instant stops. He was in a hurry. Don't even think that he saw me. I had him pegged and grabbed brakes and gears and mashed my air horn button. His window was down and I think that he crapped his drawers, I know that he hit the curb trying to get out of the way of the bus that he thought was bearing down on him. Bet he thinks twice before pulls that stunt again. Glad I was watching and thankful for the Stebel air horn.

I don't care too much for large group rides unless you know the people well and everyone is committed to riding in their comfort zone. If one goes down it can be disastrous. I learned my lesson soon after I got my first bike. I was following my brother-in-law on his BMW. We entered a curve and he made it look easy and so I just followed blindly. When I got into the curve I panicked but was able to ride it out. Now I would probably go through the same curve a lot faster and not even think twice but at the time I was a brand new rider on a brand new bike. My philosophy is that I let him ride his bike and I ride mine. I don't watch what he's doing I watch what I'm doing. That goes for whoever I ride with. Its good to push yourself a little at a time to improve your skill though. I'm a fairly conservative rider though. I've gone through some really twisty roads really fast and I've never scraped my floor boards so I know the bike is capable of going faster than I feel comfortable going around blind corners.

Glad your ok idaho! What gets me is that 1/2 the time they look right at you and still pull out!