Headed home from work on Thursday, riding my normal route, normal lane position  in the left of my lane. Up ahead I see a postal delivery truck drifting over the center line. I move right, at least to the center if not right of center and start waving my left hand to get the drivers attention. As we passed, I obviously thought I was in the clear until my left hand starting stinging like I have never felt before, I had actually caught the trucks mirror! I stopped up the road a bit, my hand was stinging and already begining to bruise, but I could move it to operate the clutch. I decided to go back and get a report filed in case anything was broken. the postal truck was not at the scene so I went to the post office , called the police and did all the paperwork etc.. The trucks mirror was folded in against the body of the truck and shattered. She said she never saw me and was in her lane the whole time. She also said she went back to see what happened to her mirror. She may have, I'm not sure if I could see the impact spot from where I stopped and I lingered for a few minutes. She was cited for left of center.

Clearly this could have been o LOT worse. I'n no daredevil and was not trying to "buzz" other driver. However, I still ended up a lot closer than I wanted to be, so either I messed up or the other driver came further left of the line at the last moment. I'm not a big user of my horn, favoring movement to get the other drivers attention. Help me learn from this so I don't end up here again.

By the way, my hand seems ok, I have not gone for x-rays, most of the swelling is down and movement is returning. I simply taped the 1 knuckle that is still a bit sore and swollen.

Ya spent the $$ on the louder horns...use them!! And keep yur damn hands and feet in for goodness sakes!

AVOID the obstacle.....don't b*tch slap it!

Ya spent the $$ on the louder horns...use them!! And keep yur damn hands and feet in for goodness sakes!

AVOID the obstacle.....don't b*tch slap it!

Ya spent the $$ on the louder horns...use them!! And keep yur damn hands and feet in for goodness sakes!

AVOID the obstacle.....don't b*tch slap it!

Words of wisdom right there!   

 

For some reason, postal trucks here stop, deliver mail, then without looking or clearing their mirrors, just pull out and drive to the next mail box. I've seen plenty of near hits and serious near crashes from trucks that suddenly pull into the path of a car who thought the truck would wait till he passed. They stop, they go, they don't wait, they don't watch, the don't look. Now, maybe a case could be argued that due to the fact that they may be in a "no passing" zone,but, they are a stopped vehicle on the side of the road, are we to just pull up in back of them and just follow them down the road, stopping and going without moving around them? Glad you are ok, that could easily gone the other way and we would not be here talking like this. Glad you were looking out for her. She was texting maybe?

This is a real "slap on the hand" for me, a wake up call for my "normal" response to a given situation. I wanted and  appreciate the feedback. It seems I take a stance as I would in a car, feeling entitled to my lane. I know I moved right, but clearly not enough. I use my horn, but it's rarely my first response. My response from when I first saw her is what needs to be questioned and discussed (exactly why we're here talking about it now). On the bike I need to fall back to a self preservation mode, I may be getting too comfortable on the bike and letting my guard down. I need to, and will, become more familiar with my horn and using it to get myself noticed, as well as taking a more defensive response with regard to lane position. Thanks all for the feedback.

P.S. I am signed up for my first formal training, BikeSafe NC, next week.

Glad to hear you are safe, and without major injury. As I am now on a C14, I truely understand the reasoning for that "flash-to-pass" convenience that came standard on my bike.
I, like you, feel visual attention by the opposing drivers as a means of better avoidance then a horn blow, seeing as most folks simply do not respond to the horn at all, when oncoming. I am all over the flash button when someone breaches my lane, flashing my dual lights at them like a laser beam, shooting at my enemy.....
I have also taken the further motion of once I get thier attention, pointing down to the centerline of the road, and while looking them squarely in the eye, rapidly draw a visual line back and forward repeatedly showing them the freaking line they crossed.
I know it's hard to comprehend for some, but for years while living in Va., where everyone crosses the center on the back roads, it was an excercise in futility educating the same offenders day after day, that I met on my backroad commute. I have had some repeaters that I had to do this to for weeks on end, before they got the hint, people that persitantly rounded blind curves in the road, only to meet me damned near head on, with me riding 3 feet from the right edge.
Sometimes I wish terrible things upon those people that were so stupid, and arrogant in their driving, to have them round a curve and meet a semi face to face, or maybe a huge farm vehical with a monster cultivator behind....
Many of those roads I travelled had hundreds of brake skid marks, fully in the opposit lane, showing that even when they hit the brakes, they were still travelling FURTHER INTO THE OPPOSING LANE....simply unexcusable.

I'm glad you took the time to go to the P.O., and force a ticket on that person, maybe they will need to be jobless, and try to get another job that doesn't require using the vehical for work, in order to get an "education", and wise up before someone is injured badly.

MOB, I too often feel compelled to try to "teach" others the rules. Unfortunately, they rarely learn and that attitude on my part may have been my downfall in this situation. I will still try to get the other drivers attention, but will gladly give all of my lane that I can without crashing myself rather than confronting an oncoming vehicle. Lesson learned for me. Horn, yes. Lights, yes. But from here on out if I don't have eye contact, my hands are on the bars and the bike is as far right as I can get to give the "sleepers" the room to safely pass me by. Hopefully they learn from a near miss instead of a colission.

+1, MOB, +1

I never ride the backroads here towards the center lane.  Too many numnuts, Sunday drivers, and gravel trucks.  Stay mostly to the right at all times unless I can see a good distance ahead of me.  But I suspect this is the case across country as well on the smaller roads.

Blaise glad you didnt go down. I have to ask; did you fold your own mirror over? Trying to visualize how you smacked your hand.

No, nothing touched the bike. I was waving my arm, probably near fully extended and must have caught the mirror as I came out to the side. I don't recall the momment I hit other than it stung a lot! I clearly never thought I was nearly that close to her...

Move WAY to the right and lay on the horn as you pass. Self-preservation is the key in all bike/car encounters. You don't want the lesson they learn to be what happens when they run over a motorcycle rider. It just ain't worth it.

Was out today on the backroads in the Northern Neck of VA and some cruiser rider came around a corner riding just to the left of center.  He waved at me.  I waved back with my fist motioning him to get back in his lane.  Glad I was riding to the right of my center portion of the lane.  No troubles with cages, just this idiot.

The turn signal cancel button will not sound the horn, no matter how many times you push it... don't ask me how I know... 

The turn signal cancel button will not sound the horn, no matter how many times you push it... don't ask me how I know... 

 

Been there done that.

I went camping to Montauk State Park one summer. The road was bit on the winding side. The drivers with their big rigs were crossing the center line all the time! Freaked me out.

The turn signal cancel button will not sound the horn, no matter how many times you push it... don't ask me how I know... 

And other drivers don't seem to hear the starter go "WHIRRRR", either.     (And I've also noticed that no matter how you set the enrichener, the bike won't start when you hit the horn button.)

And other drivers don't seem to hear the starter go "WHIRRRR", either.     (And I've also noticed that no matter how you set the enrichener, the bike won't start when you hit the horn button.)

+1