Originally Posted by
urbanknight
Busses in CA are some of the few vehicles exempt from the smog laws. School busses at least, I don't know about public transportation. I wouldn't motorpace those.
Wrong.
Buses are not exempt from the smog laws they just satisfy them in different ways than most anything else. I have never seen a bus that runs on regular mogas (unleaded) and the smog laws you speak of only deal with gas engines. Buses are either diesel or natural gas. While diesel is nasty looking exhaust and natural gas is pretty clear both pass the smog requirement by nature and don't need smog inspections.
I wouldn't motorpace a diesel bus because the exhaust is nasty but natural gas buses are another beast. As an added bonus I have warmed up in the exhaust of city (natural gas) buses when I lived in Sacto on cold wet winter days.
If you decide to motorpace with such a opportunity just be real attentive to the road ahead and to the driver's actions. If they seem really uncomfortable to are just a bad driver then stay clear.
The OP story is kinda disturbing as the soccer mom clearly was uncomfortable and distracted by the cyclist on her bumper. All the rest of us need, whether on bike or in another car, is another soccer mom on the road with a ton of killing power distracted to the point where she is swerving and honking (harmless but annoying). Most drivers are barely competent as it is, add anything distracting and they become really bad drivers. Stunts like these give us all a bad name and endanger others. Thanks.