Close Call on a 15 mph residential street

[Cajunrider]

While riding back up a "dead end" residential street Wednesday morning I caught a glimpse of a vehicle beginning to back up toward the street out of a driveway on my right hand side. The reason for only catching a glimpse was because of a large camper trailer (RV) parked in the yard blocking my view of the driveway and the driver's view of the street. I saw it for just an instant before the camper obscured my view of the driveway and the vehicle. I immediately pulled in the clutch lever and slowed to a near stop anticipating that the vehicle would stop before entering the street. It was a Nissan Titan that came out from behind the camper and backed into the street full tilt without checking to see if anything was coming from the dead end. Had I not caught sight of him in front of the camper and come to a stop he would have T-boned me. He was backing up at least 10 mph or more when he entered the street. I thumbed the Stebel to let him know I was there so he wouldn't back into me as he was heading in the same direction I was when he entered the street. The windows were tinted so dark that I couldn't see the driver until we met again on the state highway. He knew what he had done as he avoided eye contact with me. The moral of the story is riders don't always get maimed or killed on highways. Parking lots and residential streets are just as bad with some of these dumb cagers.

[kenb]

Residential streets are probably more dangerous than city streets or the hiways. I bet more people speed (20% over the limit) in residential areas than anyplace else. No better place to make sure your head is on a swivel.

[nomad561]

Paying attention like you did is what prevents those type of accdents.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

Glad you noticed the vehicle Mitch. When I ride my attention is always on everything going on around me. Constantly checking my mirrors and my eyes are scanning ahead of me and to each side. I don't miss much but you have always got to be alert.

[cactusjack]

Unfortunately, we have to be extra attentive to make up for the inattentiveness of others. Glad you saw the potential for danger and successfully avoided it, Mitch.

Just last week, I was riding to work in the center lane of 3 lanes of traffic. Just passed through a large intersection, right lane disappears after maybe 1000'. I am always watching for cagers in the right lane coming into the center lane after they ignored the signs stating "Thru traffic merge left" until it was almost too late. Well on this day, some old coot in a beat up Pontiac station wagon with UTAH plates came from the left lane into the center lane. Problem is, he didn't look before he moved over and if I wasn't paying attention to him and slowed, he would have knocked me over. Gave him a blast of the Stebel and it just squeaked. That's when I decided the Stebel had seen its better days. That old SOB never even acknowledged that I was there. If I wasn't on my way to work, I'd have followed him awhile and had some fun.

[cheriann]

WHEW! Glad you were able to catch that glimpse of him around the camper!!!!
These are all good tips for me to remember