Food for thought

[Louise]

As a few of you know I'm new to biking and only been out on the road for a week. Im carefull, check mirrors blah blah blah.
Yesterday I had to do my first emergency stop on a side road.
Some kid ran in front of a car, he slammed his brakes on, so did I.
Back end of the Scoot came round the front.
I somewhat panic and didnt release the back break to re-apply I took a second to get back to normal and from then on took it extra carefull on the road.
I see pictures on the net of Bike crashes but you just dont see the 'true' damage.
Coming home, saw blues and twos with a scoot on the pavement (what was left of it) Bike V car crash, and there is always only one winner. Car hardly any damage, Bike by looks of it un-repairable. How the hell it happened I dont know, theres only one side road on this road where it happened.
Anyway, made me think, felt a bit sicky too that id seen a bike mashed by a car. Now on, for me I will just take it with ease.

Just makes me think how easy a crash can happen

[jonboy22]

hate talking about crashes personally but as its about scoots I do have something to add.

Two weeks ago at a T-juntion I saw this rather nasty two car and a moped accident that shook me a bit. The car at the front of the lights had pulled off fairly sharpish but then slammed on its breaks having cleared the junction due to another set of pedestrial crossing lights. The moped rider having been focused on ragging away from the lights from the far left of the road, was too busy trying to pip infront of the second car to notice that the first car had stopped. The rest is fairly self explanatory, moped goes into the back of first car, then second car follows up into the back of the ped.....

What shocked me the most was the way the ped just crumpled. The lady rider was pretty much standing upright between the two cars proerly wedged. The handlebars were round her chin, and the seat was vertical so the tail of the seat was right up her back, so she was sandwiched so to speak, didn't even look anything like a ped to be honest, couldnt even see the front wheel anywhere.

So its occured to me that peds have very little structural integrity so don't stand a chance, even at low speed crashes, I imagine a motorbike in the same situation might not have been as bad (still bad but not quite disintergration bad)....WATCH OUT girls and boys on scoots.

[yambabe]

You did Ok Louise.

You didn't drop or slide your bike. You had time to react and brake without hitting the car so you were obviously a safe distance behind him. You now know how your scoot reacts if you have to brake REALLY hard - not quite the same as they show you on the CBT is it? (fond memories of my first proper emergency stop on the H100 and the rather stunning stoppie that ensued..... )

The road is a dangerous place to be, that's a given. You just have to trust your own instincts and ride in the way that seems appropriate for you.

Don't let this incident (or the sight of someone else's accident) put you off. Just keep your wits about you and stay alert, you'll be OK.*



*probably..........
____________________
Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[dainesefreak]

Front brake for braking, back brake for fun.

[the grim reaper]

[GearboxGeezer]

Louise, The accident probably happend due to the ped trying to keep going thinking there was enough room, and the car doing the same, and one wasnt concentrating or somthing and moved over a bit.

You just gota look after yourself. And from the sounds of it , u are. Most peopel may of dropped the bike when you didnt. Your new to the road, and if thats your first proper emergancey stop then the only thing you should be happy about is you didnt hurt yourself or anyone else. You watch, next time you have to do an emergancy stop youll do alot better.