[FZR6Raven]

...LITERALLY, you see their head move to follow you as they stare at you approaching.....and then pull out in front of you?

Thankfully I was going a bit below the speed limit and there was no on-coming traffic, so I managed to do a quick left swerve around him. The cager literally didn't touch his breaks, just merged in front of me merrily in his little mini cooper. I tried to take a side-street so I could turn around and find the guy to give him the finger or something, but he apparently disappeared... Man was I mad.

:upyours :beer

 

[bumblebee]

I try to make eye contact in the mirror of every cage around me...and yes, they will look directly at you and merge in front of you

 

[LovemyKawiZX6R]

thats when i flick them off.

 

[FZR6Raven]

the whole event didnt shake me up much while it was happening. Only after typing it out am I feeling all freaked (a bit)

 

[teedubyaw]

thats when i flick them off.

Whoa there bad boy. That there finger is a powerful tool.

 

[bassjones]

watch their front tires instead of looking at their faces. you'll give yourself more time to react if they do something stupid. Also, make yourself more visible if you can: wear hi-vis colors, ride with your brights on during the day, give a little swerve to create movement and get their attention, etc...

 

[FZR6Raven]

watch their front tires instead of looking at their faces. you'll give yourself more time to react if they do something stupid. Also, make yourself more visible if you can: wear hi-vis colors, ride with your brights on during the day, give a little swerve to create movement and get their attention, etc...

white jacket, white helmet, white bike, highbeams were o,n and this is in the afternoon. just a very inattentive driver, I guess :-(

 

[Shamrock627]

inattentive? or jackass?

 

[Stick N Move]

Im usually on the horn pretty quick. But it happens. I actually really like it when they try to merge into me you see them quickly swerve back over and realize that they didnt look good enough. Usually I turn my head and then stare in their window at them to intimidate them a little but they always glace over and then quickly stare straight ahead trying to make as little eye contact as possible. Its always fun to do that and it makes you feel much less rage

 

[bassjones]

white jacket, white helmet, white bike, highbeams were o,n and this is in the afternoon. just a very inattentive driver, I guess :-(

yes, I guess so. Maybe too much white... break it up with a hi-vis vest and see what happens.

 

[LDS]

They're not malicious, just brain-dead.

They probably weren't raised right.

What do people tell their kids when they're learning to cross streets? "Watch for cars!"

They see us, but we're not "cars" so we don't register as threats. In the back of their tiny, shriveled up little car-people brains they're thinking "no cars, it's OK to go."

 

[Rhetorik]

I'm guilty of honking at cars I'm suspicious of douchebaggery from before anything has even actually happened. It's something I suggest motorcyclists consider doing more often. Maybe he knows you're there and you turn out looking like a goof.... but then again, maybe he doesn't.

 

[Scissors]

Yet again, just because someone's eyes are pointed at you doesn't mean they see you. People only respond to what's in their mind's eye, so if they're concentrating on a phone call, or a recent argument, or just daydreaming in general while they're basically driving on subconscious "autopilot," they probably aren't going to see you.

As an analogy, it's like a security camera that follows your movement, but doesn't transmit the image or record it because the system is busy processing something else.

 

[Scissors]

I'm guilty of honking at cars I'm suspicious of douchebaggery from before anything has even actually happened. It's something I suggest motorcyclists consider doing more often. Maybe he knows you're there and you turn out looking like a goof.... but then again, maybe he doesn't.

Bingo. People, and especially motorcyclists, should get on their horn early and often.

 

[qubert]

I try not to give people the opportunity to merge beside me, even if they are in the lane over. Just speed up or slow down to avoid them, its safer and easier IMO.

Yesterday I riding around, and this guy on a cruiser was in front of me(Maybe 500 yards up), in the slow lane. A white pickup was merging from an onramp into his lane. This is a 2 lane divided highway. There was no one beside him, so he could have moved over into the fast lane. He did not even acknowledge the presence of the pickup, it had to slow down and get in behind. Nothing bad happened, but from my perspective that rider is as good as dead. There are 2 possibilities there that I see. One being that he saw the truck, didn't care because he had the right of way. This will surely lead to his ultimate demise, we NEVER have the right of way. Or its possbile that he just did not see the pickup approaching. If that was the case, then that level of attention is simply not acceptable on 2 wheels, and again will surely lead to his ultimate demise.

Just to reiterate, he did not even look at the pickup. Gaze straight ahead.

You aren't this guy are you?

Don't count on others to make decisions to keep you walking, don't put them in that position in the first place if you can help it.

 

[Squid Killer]

There is no such thing as eye contact for motorcyclists. Dont even think that it has some kind of meaning. As stated above, there are many reasons someone is looking your direction and will never see you or your bike.

Depending on eye contact means you are expecting the other person to do the right thing and we are at too much risk to leave our lives to someone else.

 

[quikfix]

HAhaha. Yea man some people are horrible drivers. I hate oblivious drivers like that. Who actually look at you, acknowledge you and still drive terrible. You should've gave his car a little rear tap and he would've swerved out.....jk but not really...lol

 

[DaleCaliente]

I'm guilty of honking at cars I'm suspicious of douchebaggery from before anything has even actually happened. It's something I suggest motorcyclists consider doing more often. Maybe he knows you're there and you turn out looking like a goof.... but then again, maybe he doesn't.

Ditto. Id rather have them say "what the hell is he honking at, i see him"
than to run me over when i thought they saw me.

 

[jerome_oneil]

There is no such thing as eye contact for motorcyclists.

Exactly. If any other thought beyond "I am invisible" takes root in your mind, you will soon be street pizza.

The guy in the cage does not see you. It doesn't matter if he rolls down his window and says hello.

 

[Scratch33]

You might think you're making "eye contact" with a cager while you're riding but bear in mind you're (presumably) wearing a lid and in some cases shades or a tinted visor. In some cases, a cager might even interpret any looks or head/helmet move in their direction as a "go ahead" signal.

Bassjones' advice about watching the car's wheels is spot on.