Unseen Dangers

[qwerty killer]

Well I thought it was about time I come and posted something for all of you to read, as I have been a noob to biking and now have about 4-5 months worth of riding e.x. points. Not that thats anything worth saying to anyone BUT I must say the number of stupid people driving cars and bikes (thats right I said it "bikes" although bike riders are not that common) is shocking.

What I would like is how you experienced riders/drivers deal with the situation that I have come across so I will list a few with how I reacted to it.

This is the main error that happens to me about 3 times a day - Ok so i'm coming up to a roundabout with 3 exits left, forward and right. I want to go strate over 2nd exit. There would be a car in front of me. The car in front enters the roundabout and drives in to the far right lane, me going to the second exit stays in the left hand lane and by the time we have both past the first exit we are both level. I then go on and indercate left as i pass the first exit the car that is now on my right wants to take the same exit as me. Now this has a number of endings but most of the time the car would try to cut me up or beeb at me e.c.t.

I have also found that cars just dont use there signals on roundabouts I dont think there is any excuse for this as they put peoples lifes at risk.

As I am writing this I realise there are just so many to say so I will skip to the worst one and to be frank this was the first time I had seen red to a car driver.

Coming to a cue of traffic at a roundabout so I filter through to the front and make my way out of the roundabout 2 min down the road there is a car right behind me so what ever i just carry on as normal. I come to a car in front of me and wait till its safe to overtake so I do. Next thing I know the car just about overtakes the same car before a blind corner and is still up my arse this winds me up a bit so I just drop a gear and lose them on the twisty road. A bit down the road I go to take a right turn so I stop to let some cars past, as i'm waiting the same car almost knocks me off by speeding past me and beebs at me. So as you can gess im a bit pissed off, I turn round to go have a talk with the driver. I wanted to know why they was being such a twat and almost killed me.

I caught up to them at the next lights, drove past them and as I did I could see that it was a very young woman. So I took the high ground and thought forget it and started to just ride off. Well at the lights I needed to go right and its a cross road. So I am sitting there waiting to turn right and gess what she then thought t was a good idear to drive next to me drive very slow and edge just in front of me and as i'm about to make my turn right she speeds and almost knocks me off again!!! Me being very pissed just now burns past her smashes her wing mirror off and go about my way.

To be honest if i didn't knock her mirror of i prob would off draged her out of the car because i was so pissed off at her. I can be a right mean bast##d is i have to but i try not to let other people determining how i drive.

So how do you deal with obvious twats.

SSDD
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Arbeit macht frei!!

[Clanger]

Nobody indicates, that's a fact...it and those gits that race to get in front of you then - slow down REALLY irritate me...and I will say some things outloud, but generally to get it out and stop it making me angry.

Everyone who uses the road experiences what you have, it's something you'll get used to.

No point getting angry cos there is sod all you can do. Shout it out, and then forget it is the best advice.
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

[TheDonUK]

Be faster than them through the roundabout, assuming the first exit you are passing is clear give it a little and be off the roundabout before the car is even at its exit...
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]

[Mr T]

Trouble? I don't start no trouble. I mind my own buisness.
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I pity the fool

[yandy_yay]

Roundabout lane discipline is one of my pet hates. I'm thinking that the govermnt / plod ought to put scameras on every island and automatically ' Do ' people for poor lane control, they would soon behave if face with fines and points for something so tediously simple. I mean its not hard to follow a lane is it ?

just my 2P

Andy
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past bikes: (20 years ago) cg-125 (wriiten off), C-50 (thrashed n' finnaly scrapped), CZ-125 (nicked - never recovered, insurance payout was more than i paid for it !!!)
Current bikes: GN 125(now sold), Divvy 600s.

[andi]

You have to try to rise above these things. However well justified, retaliation will only escalate the situation. The driver for whatever reason justified or not, already feels agrieved with you. Its in the interest of your own safety I say this
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Before: Suzuki GT 185. Honda Superdream 250. Yamaha RD350LC. Suziki RG250. Yamaha FZS600. Honda CBR600F3
Now: Honda Fireblade 929

[yen_powell]

On the roundabout thing, you know what's going to happen so stagger your position either behind or in front of the other vehicle, so both of you exit seperately. If you decide it's going to be you first, keep an eye on him and your finger over the horn button ready to warn him. If you can't match his speed, let him go first, it's not a race.

If you're in the inside lane of a roundabout and you're going to exit, you need to watch for cars in the outside lane who are going right round whilst on the phone. Again, hand ready on the horn, but be prepared to stay on the roundabout if necessary and do another circuit.

Cars up arse? Use your brake lights, you can do this without putting your brakes on, brake lights tend to frighten tailgaters (how does you heart go on a dual carriageway at night, in the rain when all the brake lighst come on in front of you. Imagine the vehicle is 2 feet in front of you when they come on). If they haven't got the idea after two or three lots of brake lights then just start going slower and slower, especially if you're going to be turning right ahead.

You can control their speed by defensive road positioning. If it's a narrow road and you move to the centre line, they are going to try and fly past your nearside. If you use the middle of the lane to block him, you can bring his speed down with yours, even cause him to stop whilst you wait to complete your right turn. Much safer than you worrying about him squeezing past whilst trying to watch approaching traffic.

At the traffic lights turning right, if there isn't a decent right turn lane, then again you have to try and make your self take up the same room a car would and keep more to the left, this makes you harder to squeeze past again. You don't want to go round causing an obstruction all the time, but at the end of the day, it's your life and bike that will suffer if you let cars take liberties.
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Blackmail is a nasty word........but not as nasty as phlegm!
XT1200Z and a DR350 in bits

[Itchy]

[Seb]

Ride defensively and never put yourself a situation where your at risk from someone else's stupidity on the road, if someone's likely to cut you up coming off the roundabout just give way, at the end of the day your going to come out a lot worse if you collide and for the sake of a couple of seconds worth of progress its never worth it.

Blasting off from the lights and twisties probably wasn't the best idea in that case, just let them clear off and have their victory, 'racing' has a time and a place, but it most definately isn't when your pissed off and angry with the other person as your making yourself as likely to do something stupid as they are
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2010 Triumph 1050 Sprint ST

[bmwsport]

[pyx_e]

Some twat in an huge Audi deliberately twitched his wheel as if to pull out as I was filtering passed him yesterday. Three things different from a year ago: I noticed, I didn't care, I got home 15 minutes quicker than him (which is why for all his dosh he was so pissed off with me).

All I can say is I am sadly no longer outraged. Bad drivers, malicious drivers, idiots; after a while you do both get used to it and start to spot them a mile off.

He did get the obligatory finger though.
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Shiney!
Kawasaki: ER5, Versys, VN900.

[wristjob]

qwerty you need to stop for a minute and think about your own safety.
being in the right while sliding down the road on your arse is small comfort.
the roundabout situation you mention is an easy fix, never let yourself be in the situation where you are along side someone near an exit.go faster go slower but accept that most people on the road have no idea how to negotiate a roundabout and will try to kill you.
The woman driving close and beeping is just another idiot who will kill you then happily go about her day,the only fix for this is if you spot em keep away.
the fact you say this sort of thing happens to you alot suggests you are putting yourself in these places to be a target of some idiots rage.
when on a bike its better to avoid the idiot than try to educate them.
example i know a guy who only uses the left lane on roundabouts no matter what exit hes taking.he thinks its ok to do that.
i know another guy who indicates right while in the left lane to show he is going straight on,he thinks this is ok.
i know a woman who indicates left when entering a roundabout because due to the clockwise direction she is ,she then meanders round going from left to right lanes till she finds the one she wants then exits all the time with the left indicator going.she thinks this is ok.
all people are shit.you will live longer if you accept this

[Skudd]

There are so many points raised it is hard to know where best to start.
Firstly though. If you are finding that the same issues raise their heads time and time again you may want to look at your riding. As you say, you haven't been on the road for long and so may be inconsistent in your riding or may not have all the skills required yet.
Secondly, with round about there are several correct ways in which to deal with round abouts and many more incorrect ways. Most people mix and match the correct ways to make an incorrect way.

The best way in which to deal with the round about is to be aware of all vehicles around you and try to predict their actions and routes. This is a skill that developed with time and practice.
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Famous last words of Humpty Dumpty. " Stop pushing me "
Petty Anarchists look at "1984".............. The Visionary looks at "Animal Farm".

[neil.]

A lot of it is to do with attitude. Read Roadcraft. Best tenner you'll ever spend. Be better than them.
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

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