| Its the weekend. Friday, to be precise. Well not quite | | | | be enough. He clips you mid bike, right where your |
| the weekend, but its such a great day, the weathers | | | | left leg is resting on the peg. Just before he hits you, |
| good, and you are just itching to get in the saddle | | | | he sees you and turns his wheel to the left, making it |
| and ride your Harley (or Honda, or Kwak, whatever) | | | | more of a glancing blow. |
| You decide to take a trip out to see an old friend, | | | | Your left leg is certain to be crushed, except for the |
| you haven't seen him for a while, it should be a blast. | | | | crash bars you fitted a month ago, which luckily take |
| A phone call is made, the arrangements are set, so | | | | the main force of the blow from the pick up. |
| you grab a few things and sling them in your saddle | | | | What happens next is a little like a blurry slow motion. |
| bag and set off. | | | | You feel a contact in your leg area, at the same time |
| You decide to take a route you haven't ridden | | | | you lose control of the bike. The next thing you |
| before, a rural two-lane, 55 mph highway and 35 mph | | | | register is the motorcycle sliding along the floor with |
| in the towns. Why not, there's no rush and you just | | | | you holding on to one bar, then you let go and roll |
| enjoy riding. | | | | what seems like twenty times but in in fact only four |
| Heading out of suburbia cruising at 60 mph in open | | | | times before you come to rest in the ditch. |
| country with bright, sunny weather, you look to the | | | | Your motorcycle helmet and jacket do their job. The |
| left and see a late model pickup approaching the | | | | gloves you are wearing will be trashed, but they |
| highway on a side road coming into the main route | | | | have saved your hands from serious damage. And |
| you are on, with a stop sign. The driver is slowing | | | | your boots and trousers save your lower body from |
| down approaching the stop sign so, as it is clearly | | | | anything more serious than bad bruising to your lower |
| open country, with no obstructions to the pick up | | | | left leg and a badly sprained ankle. |
| drivers view, you think, "He can see me, I'll keep on | | | | When you look back on the crash, after cursing the |
| going." Big mistake. He does a rolling stop to save him | | | | incompetence of the driver and your "bad luck", you |
| the trouble of the stop sign. After all he hasn't seen | | | | will come to realise that you broke the cardinal rule |
| anyone around least of all a dude on a motorcycle, | | | | of safe motorcycle riding. That rule is to never, ever |
| why should he stop? | | | | assume anything when on the road. Because of the |
| He keeps going. | | | | angle of the side road, your were actually in the blind |
| You are already going, its your right of way. | | | | spot behind the door pillar so the driver couldn't see |
| You know what is about to happen. No time to stop, | | | | you. You didn't anticipate there could be a issue, you |
| no real escape routes with ditches on the roadside, | | | | didn't slow down nor hit your horn to warn him. |
| so your options are very limited. | | | | Lesson learned. Never assume anything. You will |
| There's no time to think, so you instinctively rev the | | | | never put yourself in that situation ever again. |
| throttle up and try to go wide at the intersection. | | | | But hey, that could never happen to you, right? |
| As you start to get past, you know its not going to | | | | |