another accident

[ANDYVH]

Hmm,...my company car is a white 2010 Ford Fusion. I rarely, if ever, have anyone not yield to my right of way or path of travel. Interesting.

My 2001 Dakota pickup though, is dark green.

I may become more observant between the two, to see if I do get different traffic reaction results.

[bikerfish1100]

I believe at the time I bought the RT, I had seen an article somewhere that said that silver was one of the better colors for a car.

Here's an article that references a study to that effect:

http://www.grandsportautobody.com/bl...st-car-colors/

...a study at the University of Auckland in New Zealand linked car color to rates of injury causing accidents. The study showed that those who drove brown cars were at the highest risk of sustaining an injury in a car crash. Colors such as black and green also showed a higher risk of involvement in injury-causing accidents. While darker colored cars were linked to the highest risk for drivers, those who drove silver cars were shown to have the lowest risk. It was found that those who drive silver cars are half as likely to be involved in accidents leading to injury than those who drove dark colors such as brown, black, or green.
Harry

okay, interesting data. questions around that study might be: were accident rates distilled to take into account time of day? Dark colored cars with no lights on during low light conditions might/would be expected to have greater crash rates than during bright mid-day conditions, etc. Also- is this study valid to draw the comparison to motorcycle colors and crash rates?
don't know the answers, nor do i have a particular axe to grind with their conclusions; just some thoughts that could alter interpretation of data.

[ANDYVH]

Most cop bikes are white, or a color similar to it in visual perception.

[flyrider]

Most cop bikes are white, or a color similar to it in visual perception.

Not here...they're black.

[ncstephen]

Was this study measuring the frequency those colored cars were involved in multicar accidents only? Or.. was it measuring how often those cars had accidents when the driver was injuried, multicar or single car. It could be that the data shows that drivers of silver cars are perhaps a bit more cautious in driving style than say a red car.

I do think silver is much harder to see against grey and such of building and daylight.

NCS

[bikerfish1100]

Not here...they're black.

same here. there's go that theory.

[AKsuited]

If I had a choice, I'd buy a white bike. I agree with police agencies who prefer white fairings on their bikes for visibility.

When I bought my RT, there were 3 available on the showroom floor, a charcoal gray, a dark blue, and a silver. I chose the silver because I thought it would be more visible than the other two. I'd say the study would agree with that choice.

My wife bought a dark gray car. I encourage her to run her headlights to make it more visible in traffic.

Harry

[dkjkwood]

[QUOTE=ANDYVH;814189]Tragic. Wish that every rider had the full range of awareness we all need to hopefully avoid these crashes (there are no accidents in my opinion).


Andy,

I disagree completely with your opinion that there are no accidents and that all situations can be avoided.

I am a long time rider and a long distance rider. I've averaged 25,000 miles a year since 2007 and I to fooled myself into thinking that I could handle any situation by just being aware and staying away from other cars, yada, yada, yada.

May 26, 2012 I was following my best friend and my father in law on our way to meet family for breakfast. It was 9:10 am on a Saturday morning. The road was clear, the weather was perfect, no blind spots the situation was as close to perfect as possible. We were on a two lane road, speed limit was 55, we approached the intersection at about 45-50 mph. A car was stopped at the intersection, another car was coming towards us.

Sixteen year old boy in the stopped car not only didn't yield to us, he didn't yield to the 19 year girl in the car coming towards us (from his right). He drove right into the side of the girls car, causing her to spin counterclockwise and slide thru our lane sideways. My friend drove into the passenger side of her car as she slid thru our lane. He never even hit his brakes, there was absolutely nothing he could do, and no place for him to go. From beginning to end we talking maybe a second or two. My friend died instantly.

The collision was so violent his bike (ST1300) exploded into a ball of flame. When I left the scene 1/2 hour to an hour later it was still simmering and unrecognizable. My father in law hit here rear end but did not go down. Neither one of us has any recollection of how we got thru safely.

I didn't ride for about a month, not because I was afraid, because I was sad. The sadness is still there but the pull motorcycling has on me is stronger. I'm back to riding and have no intention of quitting. It's just that every time I go out, I realize I may not come home. The risks are worth it to me.

[BCKRider]

[QUOTE=dkjkwood;815447]

Tragic. Wish that every rider had the full range of awareness we all need to hopefully avoid these crashes (there are no accidents in my opinion).


Andy,

I disagree completely with your opinion that there are no accidents and that all situations can be avoided.

I am a long time rider and a long distance rider. I've averaged 25,000 miles a year since 2007 and I to fooled myself into thinking that I could handle any situation by just being aware and staying away from other cars, yada, yada, yada.

May 26, 2012 I was following my best friend and my father in law on our way to meet family for breakfast. It was 9:10 am on a Saturday morning. The road was clear, the weather was perfect, no blind spots the situation was as close to perfect as possible. We were on a two lane road, speed limit was 55, we approached the intersection at about 45-50 mph. A car was stopped at the intersection, another car was coming towards us.

Sixteen year old boy in the stopped car not only didn't yield to us, he didn't yield to the 19 year girl in the car coming towards us (from his right). He drove right into the side of the girls car, causing her to spin counterclockwise and slide thru our lane sideways. My friend drove into the passenger side of her car as she slid thru our lane. He never even hit his brakes, there was absolutely nothing he could do, and no place for him to go. From beginning to end we talking maybe a second or two. My friend died instantly.

The collision was so violent his bike (ST1300) exploded into a ball of flame. When I left the scene 1/2 hour to an hour later it was still simmering and unrecognizable. My father in law hit here rear end but did not go down. Neither one of us has any recollection of how we got thru safely.

I didn't ride for about a month, not because I was afraid, because I was sad. The sadness is still there but the pull motorcycling has on me is stronger. I'm back to riding and have no intention of quitting. It's just that every time I go out, I realize I may not come home. The risks are worth it to me.

Do I understand you correctly? The 16 year old kid had stopped for a stop sign, then proceeded across the near lane of the three riders, hit the rear end of the car driven by the 19 year old girl which caused her car to spin back into the path of the riders? So the 16 year old's pull out was safe from the riders' point of view (plenty of room for him to pull out so the riders didn't sense any danger or need to brake) and then the sudden surprise was the car in the opposite lane spinning into the riders' lane? Oh, now I get it. The back end of the girl's car was knocked at a 90 degree angle to the road and HER power pulled it into the riders' lane.

My guess is that your friend died because he indeed didn't have time to react. Your father in law DID have time to brake almost to a stop, hence didn't drop the bike after the collision, as did you - though I understand not remembering what you did correctly.

I think it is too much to expect your best friend to notice that the car pulling out from the stop sign COULD collide with the oncoming car, much less expect it could impact him. I agree with you: there ARE accidents. We can do our best to minimize them, but we can never reduce the risk of riding to zero.

[BCKRider]

Quote from August 29 local paper: "A Lower Mainland man died in a crash on Westside Road Monday.

A 30-year-old Surrey man was driving a motorcycle southbound in the Fintry area at 5:52 p.m. when he crossed the centre line and collided head-on with a northbound SUV.

'The motorcycle driver was thrown from the bike and suffered fatal injuries upon impact,' said Const. Kris Clark, with the RCMP.'

'According to witnesses, the motorcyclist was speeding, passing vehicles illegally and crossed the centre line into oncoming traffic.'

'The man was also found to be prohibited from driving and was not wearing an approved helmet.'

No charges are anticipated against the driver of the SUV and investigators continue to assist the coroner in his investigation,' said Clark."

This road is close to home and I know it well, as do many other riders. Call it "The Dragon" of the north Okanagan: narrow, lots of curves, few places to safely pass. Even at sane speeds it is the quickest route from my home to south of Kelowna, avoiding two cities. The real dangers for riders are deer, and other riders who treat it as a personal race course. Every year there are rider deaths on this road and I expect the above account is more typical than a deer collision.

These roads ARE fun, but they are also dangerous. Just glad that idiot killed himself hitting a SUV rather than me on my bike. You may want to re-think when you ride this type of road to avoid not only the motorhomes but also your more idiotic fellow riders.

[ragtoplvr]

I am always aware of when I pass the point of no return. The point where a cage can get you and you will not have any way to avoid it. I try to make that time as short as possible. It always exists.

Godspeed to your friend, good thoughts for his survivors, including yourself. May his bike never need tires, maintenance where he is now. Oh, and no inattentive drivers.


Rod

[sedanman]

I think the "everything that happens to me is my fault" mentality is a good mindset to be in even though there ARE situations we cannot predict or prevent. Attitude has a major influence in the success rate of our daily rides. I was talking with a few guys at work about the "I had to lay the bike down" comment we hear too often. We were stressing to a new rider that the chance of a crash is a far better option than the guarantee of one (laying the bike down). Just two days later the new rider was faced with a surprise that resulted in him sliding with the rear wheel locked ( new rider not a lot of experience). He told us that our words ran through his head and he never thought about anything other finding a way out. Crashing was simply not one of the choices. He stuck to staying on the brake and riding the slide to find an opening and avoided the crash. Not saying it's possible every time but mindset does make a difference.

[PGlaves]

Most cop bikes are white, or a color similar to it in visual perception.

And most motor officers wear half helmets, unpadded trousers, short sleeve shirts, etc for riding gear.

I doubt the color choice of the bikes had much to do with visibility. But, now in Germany and the Netherlands ...

[dkjkwood]

I am always aware of when I pass the point of no return. The point where a cage can get you and you will not have any way to avoid it. I try to make that time as short as possible. It always exists.

Godspeed to your friend, good thoughts for his survivors, including yourself. May his bike never need tires, maintenance where he is now. Oh, and no inattentive drivers.


Rod

Well said, thanks

[ANDYVH]

What I said earlier is not this, "there are no accidents and that all situations can be avoided."

I did not say that ALL situations can be avoided, but I DO feel that MOST can be avoided. And by MOST I mean a high percentage.

I DO feel there are very few real "accidents", and that most situations are crashes. I say this, because it speaks to the "attitude" we have about riding.

I say these comments not as all encompassing, nor as applicable to EVERY situation we encounter. But I do feel that MOST instances we encounter are far more in our control than simply accepting it as "fate, its just going to happen someday, nothing you can do about it, whatever." Kind of like a racer, "seeing the race in his head" before going on the track, or a fighter pilot mentally playing out fight strategies before getting in the plane.

I see it more as a guiding attitude. A guiding principal. An attitude that puts the rider is the foremost position to do something about his/her riding, rather than simply accepting whatever comes along and then react to it. It is about proactive riding rather than reactive riding. I have found that taking on this attitude has done a lot to reduce my on road risks. Decades ago I would evaluate my riding season, good or bad, by the number of close calls I had. Finally it dawned on me, "why am I having close calls?" I changed my attitude and my riding habits, upgraded my skills, improved my visibility, honed my traffic strategies, and since then I have very very few instances that could be close calls, even though I now ride four times the miles annually that I used to ride.

Again this morning, a local add for Hupey and Abraham Law Officea, came on the TV, with claims of "aiding riders". Right there in the ad, is a quote for a "rider" that he "had to lay the bake down." What a line a crap, perpetrated on the unknowing, thinking "laying the bike down" is actually a conscious, split second choice and action taken as a defensive move? BULL! The rider screwed up and dumped his bike, period. Yet, these lawyers perpetrate this myth on TV ads.

But that "had to lay the bike down" also speaks to the rider attitude. He felt he had the skills to ride and react to traffic issues. My bet is he has never really studied his traffic strategy skills, never practiced braking or evasive maneuver skills. Rather than admit he is not the rider he thinks he is, he passes it off as "had to lay the bike down." My bet is he'd never use any of his insurance claim money to take some real riding courses that would help him to avoid laying the bike down in the first place.