dobber

Situational Awareness

If you had been a car, would you have driven up along her right side?

If you ride on the road, act like a car. Don't ride into positions are car wouldn't normally drive.

Won't solve all the problems but it will perhaps diminish the number of instances.


And for my What The Hell moment:

Out for a ride about 6pm yesterday. Westbound down a two lane country farm road. I'm wearing a blazing yellow shirt, bright white helmet. I'm a big boy, you're not going to lose me in the background.

I've got a tractor pulling a combine approaching from the west, down a long sloping hill. Behind him in trail I can see a big dual cab pickup, he's got his lights on. I'm thinking it's a coworker bringing up the rear. No other traffic on the road.

The closer I get, the more I start thinking "what if" this pickup tries to go around the combine. I'm in the center of my lane, clearly visible. I reach down and flip on my 20w light and my flashing LED. We're closer now, maybe 100 yards apart. Tractors doing maybe 10 mph, I'm going 14-15.

The truck is clearly straddling the center of the road now, unless he's blind he's gotta see me. We're closer now, 50 yards. Truck is still back there.

25 yards and the truck slowly, and I mean slowly, pulls out around the combine. He's even got his turn signal on.

The guy is looking right at me, I mean I'm 25 feet away, bailing right now. I'm in the sand shoulder now, truck and combine directly to my left, the geezer in the truck just driving along like he's headed to church.

I keep it upright and regain the road, stop and turn around. Truck continues plodding along.

Blink, blink, blink