Near miss...

[The Disapproving Brit]

Coming home tonight, I came down the rat run that myself and many other drivers usually take to cut out an otherwise far too long one-way system. Basically, this means cutting across a car park and taking a few back roads before rejoining the main roads.

I'm at the front of the queue, indicating to turn right back onto the main road. There are two cars coming. The first starts to indicate left to turn into my junction, and flashes me to show that he's turning. I pull out, to be faced with the second car, going for the overtake. We both slam the anchors on, the bike slides but my slow speed and decent grips on my boots mean I manage to stop it hitting the tarmac. I stare at him, wishing it was daylight so my tinted visor would make me look threatening, instead of like I just shat myself. He gives me a sheepish hands-up before reversing back to let me recover. I paddle into a side street and he drives on, as witnesses head over to see if I'm OK. Obligatory paint diagram is, of course, attached.

https://img219.imageshack.us/img219/2127/nearmisshl0.th.jpghttps://img219.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif

So...analysis. I say 50/50. He shouldn't have overtaken at a junction, I shouldn't have assumed that he wouldn't. I take the same route into work, and never overtake at this junction for exactly this reason - there are always cars pulling out, and they are invariably turning right. I don't usually pull out on people indicating left either, because it's often hard to tell whether they're indicating to turn, or just coming off the roundabout at the bottom of the picture. This guy didn't indicate until he was off the roundabout and also flashed me, which is why I made the assumption that he was definitely turning. Which he was, but I then reacted by pulling out without noticing the potential hazard behind him.

Once again, I escaped with no damage, a little light bruising to my ego (but at least I was wearing hi-vis, so my street cred was already as low as it could go), and the bike still in one piece.
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Current Bikes: 1983 Honda VF400FD / 2003 Honda VT750 Shadow
Bike Test Passed 18/03/09, Car Test Passed 14/05/13

[Jacob]

Its that classic "someone flashes to let you out" and its easy to then want to get on with it and miss the potential hazard.

A very precarious situation and I don't think I would have been too keen to pull out on the strength of the car driver turning left although hindsight is a wonderful thing!

The car driver overtaking at the junction was a total plank, trouble is there are plenty of them out on the roads

Bruised egos don't take too long to heal in fact they generally turn into valuable experience. Glad you were not badly hurt, thats the main thing!

[Wozza]

I like your diagrams - you got the colours the wrong way round though! Poor observation by the car driver by the sound of it. Did he go to overtake as late as it implies in the diagram, ie started pulling out as you were right in front of the front car, and you met head-on alongside the front car?

[The Disapproving Brit]

well, he was quite close behind the car when I started the manoeuvre, and right in my path by the time I was actually turning. I was still mid turn when I had to brake, hence the slide. So yeah, he pulled out pretty late.

It is a dangerous corner, since the road is almost always clear heading towards the roundabout, so there's a lot of potential for drivers to go for the overtake. In that sense, poor obs on my part for not anticipating it, but lesson learned with no damage, which is always the best way!
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Current Bikes: 1983 Honda VF400FD / 2003 Honda VT750 Shadow
Bike Test Passed 18/03/09, Car Test Passed 14/05/13

[st3v3]

Sound to me like he was more interested in getting somewhere and rushing past whatever was holding him up when he should have been looking for anything hidden like a child running out in the road as it was a residential street. Driving without due care attention?
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Roger wrote: Women don't get damp for clingy puppies. Get some better happy pills, hit the gym & buy a medallion the size of a dinner plate. Job done

[The Disapproving Brit]

primarily commercial on that street actually....but he was a taxi, so yeah, more interested in getting to his next fare than driving properly.
____________________
Current Bikes: 1983 Honda VF400FD / 2003 Honda VT750 Shadow
Bike Test Passed 18/03/09, Car Test Passed 14/05/13