Incomplete Pass

[louemc]

Excellent thread...All valid and critically vital situations for attention/observation.

Everything mentioned has come up in my experience....And I didn't fall victim to getting sucked into it. Changed my path, or location, or speed...to relocate myself to a safe space.

Something hasn't been mentioned...it can be a increase of safety-Or a reduction, depending on the rider...so I can see why it wouldn't get mentioned.
(if it is only though of as a reduction)
I find the performance level of My 05 ZX-10, to be the safest bike I've ever had...It will do everything quicker, and more securely, than anything I've had before.

That of course has to be combined with reading the situations and possibilities or What if's, of the traffic and road layouts, to work in your favor.

Someone mentioned you can't read someone else's mind....Granted You can't, but you can read what they could do...and what they can't do. And what You can do, if You have to.

 

[R1-Limited]

^

I agree, I was just doing my normal bathroom read and in the latest Motorcyclist, it was talking about playing the what if game to keep in the game. As your scanning you say, what if that car pulled across my bow?

So in essence your forcing yourself to stay in the game by observing all possible escapes. :thumbup

 

[louemc]

^^^ Exactly, an example would be...On Hwy 4 between Copperopolis and Angles Camp...the road is very turn intensive....so only a couple spots (very short to call a stretch) have a dotted line for passing if there is no on-coming traffic to prevent it.

I had been following three vehicles in front of me...which were going fast enough (about 40) but...if I hit the passing stretch and can pass, I will. Now these vehicles were spaced nice for 40 MPH...so this Obsicle is like a city block long.

Rounding the last corner, entering the stretch..I see It's clear, I pass the first two of the vehicles, (in the manner that a ZX-10 can do that) and as I'm closing on the front vehicle I see a driveway on the left side of the road, up ahead.

Knowing the possibility that the driver of the front vehicle could possibly say.."Oh that's where I turn"...I stayed back (stopped advancing) just far enough so I could dive behind him (yes I would have to brake as hard as that guy that brakes before turning to do that), and get on his other side If he did turn in...and when he had gotten far enough so it was a "No way, No How, can he turn, then I with the help of an insignificant rise in the road combining with the extra throttle to Get-R-Done..wheelied past him, carried the wheelie through the turn back into my lane, and the turn again to straighten into the lane, and just a little bit further, to set the front wheel down again before the turn in the road at the far end of the straight came up.


So two things happened here...that were subjects of this thread. One was don't put yourself in danger by actions or possible actions of others just going about their day...sure it would be nice if they were looking out for you...but it is silly for you to expect it. (and fatal when they don't).

Two..ride a bike that puts Rocket in the term crotch rocket. Then use it wisely, for your own safety.

 

[DataDan]

The Compound Curve--another example

In the OP of this thread, I mentioned the "Compound Curve" as one of the ways to crash while making a pass. It goes like this: The rider is passing on a straight that is followed by a left curve. He veers right to return to his lane, then, to terminate the maneuver, he swerves left to straighten out. But in this situation, the left swerve to resume a normal heading coincides with the beginning of the left curve in the road, so the steering input must be more severe than it would be to complete the pass or to initiate the left curve alone. He fails to steer hard enough, can't negotiate the curve, and runs off the right side of the road.

A rider who is caught out by the left curve or unexpected oncoming traffic, or one who doesn't possess a deeply ingrained countersteering instinct, is susceptible to this error. And high speed exacerbates the problem, of course.

I know of two deaths in SLO County crashes that occurred this way. In one, the rider hit a guardrail, lost a leg, and apparently bled out before help arrived. In the other, the rider hit a steel post and wire fence, with a cheese grater effect. In a turn with good runoff area (like on a racetrack) injuries would be much less severe. So outcome is highly dependent on luck.

Here's an example of a rider who was very lucky to have avoided crashing in spite of his Compound Curve error and extraordinary speed:

youtu.be/1epom6E_X8g​

 

[Whodat]

I witnessed a crash on 35 Sunday. Your description of the Compound Curve is almost exactly what happened.

 

[DataDan]

I witnessed a crash on 35 Sunday. Your description of the Compound Curve is almost exactly what happened.

It seemed like it might be when I read your posts in the thread Heal Up Rider - Hwy 35. Thanks for bringing it up here.

 

[day004]

One strategy me and my friends used was to have the lead bike act as a recon after making a pass. Lead bike would use his judgment to make a clean pass then get just far enough ahead to see down the road and give an arm up indicating safe to move. We understood this to mean 1 at a time ,not 2-3 to follow. Then the next guy would help the trailing bike. We developed this over a few years so the trust in the others judgment was implicit.

 

[Stormdragon]

One strategy me and my friends used was to have the lead bike act as a recon after making a pass. Lead bike would use his judgment to make a clean pass then get just far enough ahead to see down the road and give an arm up indicating safe to move. We understood this to mean 1 at a time ,not 2-3 to follow. Then the next guy would help the trailing bike. We developed this over a few years so the trust in the others judgment was implicit.

I've been doing this since I was introduced to the idea in the '70's. Unfortunately, I can't ever seem to get the idea to stick with people I'm riding with.

Another reason I don't usually do groups anymore.

 

[kongjie]

The Concealed Crossing

...But drivers in the two lanes on your right have opened space for a pickup exiting a driveway on the right, turning left. The pickup pulls out and crosses the center lane in front of you, and you T-bone it.

I have encountered this situation more and more when I'm splitting in heavy traffic and there is a "do not block" area painted on the road. Anytime one of the lead vehicles is a truck or something similarly tall, there is a big risk of not seeing a vehicle crossing in one of these zones. Slowing down to a crawl before crossing usually is the best approach.

 

[DataDan]

I have encountered this situation more and more when I'm splitting in heavy traffic and there is a "do not block" area painted on the road. Anytime one of the lead vehicles is a truck or something similarly tall, there is a big risk of not seeing a vehicle crossing in one of these zones. Slowing down to a crawl before crossing usually is the best approach.

Very sharp observation, and a good tactic for dealing with it. :thumbup

Look for a new 1Rider thread in a few days dealing with this and similar situations.

 

[planegray]

................The Compound Curve

With just one more car in sight on this high-speed rural two-lane, you're itching to get past it to enjoy the next 10 miles of moto-bliss. You wick it up to triple digits and pull ahead, but you're quickly approaching a left-hand sweeper with a poor sightline, so you're anxious to get back to your lane. You swerve right and cross the centerline, but you can't get the bike turned and run off the right shoulder.

To complete the pass you swerve right to get back to your lane. Then, to terminate the right swerve, you must swerve left to straighten the bike out. But at the same time, you're entering the left-hand bend and you must initiate that turn as well. Thus the left swerve requires a substantially harder steering input than otherwise needed to finish the lane change or enter the sweeper, and high speed increases the demand even more. Headed toward the guardrail at an alarmingly sharp angle, you fall victim to target fixation, undeveloped steering instinct, or sheer panic, and you hit it.

A mirror image of the crash described here (passing on the right approaching a right-hand bend) is seen in this video, which was discussed in this BARF thread.

Get your passing done on straight roadway, so you don't have to deal with unknown elements in a curve.


.........................................

As always Dan, I really appreciate the effort you make to present us with insightful information :hail


I'm pretty sure I've done all the other errors you've listed in this post ( and lived :banana ) but the one on "compound curves" got me thinking.

So.... on my commute home, I get to take 1 270deg , downhill, righthand cloverleaf sweeper. My typical ploy is to get upset and tailgate when stuck behind a slow vehicle, or make the "WHEEEEEEE" sound all the way around, on those rare occasions when I get to take it solo.

Since reading this post, I decided to make good use of my time and try some "S" turns when stuck behind slower traffic.


HOOOLLLEEE SHH*T !

It was not like any riding experience I've ever had. I'm still trying to figure out why it feels so strange, but I'm thinking that the front tire is getting loaded WAY more than I'm used to/ comfortable with.

Any insights on why the turn to get back on line feels so strange ?

 

[DataDan]

Sometimes a pass that looks safe at first glance really isn't.

It was from this vantage point that a Colorado Ducati rider pulled out to pass another vehicle Sunday...



But the hillside beyond the slight right curve ahead hid an oncoming Hayabusa. And to make matters worse, entering the right curve made it that much harder for the 1199 rider to swerve back into the right lane. The two motorcycles collided head-on, killing both riders.

When making a pass, carefully assess the roadway you're committing to and an equal distance beyond where you expect to complete the pass, in order to spot conflicting traffic.

 

[PorradaVFR]

The Ducati rider made a bad call, passing on a blind corner is never a good idea.

 

[latindane]

The Ducati rider made a bad call, passing on a blind corner is never a good idea.

The point is that it doesn't seem like a blind corner is coming up when giving a cursory glance. I'm fairly sure that the Ducati rider didn't think "oh look, a blind corner coming up, that's my opportunity to pass!"

The article just mentions excessive speed as a contributing factor; from both riders?

 

[DataDan]

Another error that can be made when passing is not paying enough attention to the road beyond the vehicle being passed. This rider got by the slower motorcycle but wasn't prepared for the blind turn ahead.

[removed dead YouTube link]

 

[DataDan]

Three incidents this week remind us to consider passes carefully. The motorcycle's maneuverability and speed can tempt you to gas it and go when another vehicle is in your way, but a hasty move can have serious consequences (as we have seen in BARF threads over the years).

In western Pennsylvania a motorcyclist following another vehicle took this exit...



...and initiated a pass where the offramp widens into a city street. But due to the combination of his left swerve to make the pass and a right curve in the road, he wasn't able to get the bike turned. He ran off the road on the left, went through a graveled parking lot, hit shrubbery, and died. This was a tragic example of a compound curve crash: the passing maneuver combined with a road curve created an unexpected steering demand.


Near Asbury Park, New Jersey, a rider attempted to pass two vehicles in this residential area...

...but failed to notice that the lead vehicle was signaling to turn left (diagram from the Ocean City Signal article linked above). The rider suffered broken bones but is expected to survive. Passer vs. passee is the most common fatal passing crash in the Bay Area.


Near Lawrence, Kansas, a rider attempted a pass in this curve...



...but failed to notice two oncoming motorcycles. The passing rider was killed and the rider of one oncoming motorcycle was injured. Pass only when you have a clear view to the distance it will take to complete the pass PLUS an equal distance beyond that point to allow for oncoming traffic.

 

[IAmA M0t0r Ridεr]

Interesting read. I don't get how two motorcycles can crash head on, on a small swerve could save both. Unless they swerve in the same direction? Really unlucky, I'd assume only in a really blind turn such a scenario could happen.

In Brazil, when in a group riding, as the guy in front passes a slower car in a difficult spot to look far ahead (say, a canyon rd), we'd all use our turn signals. If the leader completes the pass, he would keep himself on the LEFT part of the lane (or even on TOP of a double yellow if it's a really curvy road or if the car they just pass is a truck) with the blinkers indicating a left turn, meaning: DON"T PASS NOW, either because there's a car coming, or because he just can't see much. When he then accelerates and stay a few car lengths ahead, he would first turn his indicators right, meaning now it's safe to pass from my POV, use your judgment, I'm giving you room now. The following rider would do the same, never just disappearing from view and leaving the rider behind with no help.

 

[DataDan]

Interesting read. I don't get how two motorcycles can crash head on, on a small swerve could save both. Unless they swerve in the same direction? Really unlucky, I'd assume only in a really blind turn such a scenario could happen.

It has happened in all kinds of turns, including the one in Colorado in post #32. I think you overestimate the time it takes to occur and underestimate the time it takes to perceive it and change direction.

In Brazil, when in a group riding, as the guy in front passes a slower car in a difficult spot to look far ahead (say, a canyon rd), we'd all use our turn signals. If the leader completes the pass, he would keep himself on the LEFT part of the lane (or even on TOP of a double yellow if it's a really curvy road or if the car they just pass is a truck) with the blinkers indicating a left turn, meaning: DON"T PASS NOW, either because there's a car coming, or because he just can't see much. When he then accelerates and stay a few car lengths ahead, he would first turn his indicators right, meaning now it's safe to pass from my POV, use your judgment, I'm giving you room now. The following rider would do the same, never just disappearing from view and leaving the rider behind with no help.

I strongly recommend against using someone else's judgment when making a pass.

Pass only when you can see WITH YOUR OWN EYES that you have enough road to complete it safely.

 

[IAmA M0t0r Ridεr]

I strongly recommend against using someone else's judgment when making a pass.

Pass only when you can see WITH YOUR OWN EYES that you have enough road to complete it safely.

I disagree. It can help. Ultimately it's on you, but at least it tells you when it's a good time to take a peek.

 

[latindane]

Interesting read. I don't get how two motorcycles can crash head on, on a small swerve could save both. Unless they swerve in the same direction? Really unlucky, I'd assume only in a really blind turn such a scenario could happen.

In Brazil, when in a group riding, as the guy in front passes a slower car in a difficult spot to look far ahead (say, a canyon rd), we'd all use our turn signals. If the leader completes the pass, he would keep himself on the LEFT part of the lane (or even on TOP of a double yellow if it's a really curvy road or if the car they just pass is a truck) with the blinkers indicating a left turn, meaning: DON"T PASS NOW, either because there's a car coming, or because he just can't see much. When he then accelerates and stay a few car lengths ahead, he would first turn his indicators right, meaning now it's safe to pass from my POV, use your judgment, I'm giving you room now. The following rider would do the same, never just disappearing from view and leaving the rider behind with no help.

I guess this is a Latin-american thing; I used it in car groups back in the day. But I hope you got left and right blinkers switched wrong... Otherwise a colombo-brazilian group would be a deadly cocktail.