GEEN
04-05-2007, 01:42 AM
I was riding on the 5-N, kind of in a rush because I was going to be late for a noon appointment (otherwise I wouldve taken the car).
I was in the far left lane cruising with the steady flow of traffic, when a little bit before the 56 freeway, the car in front of me braked really hard and swerved to the left into the shoulder. Turns out he swerved to avoid hitting a giant wooden crate the size of a BIG screen tv...
As I was slowing down, I realized I didn't have time to avoid the crate by braking so I had 3 choices:
1. Take the left shoulder and probably hit the car that swerved because he practically stopped in the shoulder.
2. Change lanes blindly and risk getting plowed by some car (I seriously had no time to correctly change lanes)
3. Hit the crate head on.
I chose to hit the crate head on. This crate was huge and I assumed it was heavy enough to stop my bike in its tracks, so I prepared to go flying and braced myself for a meeting with the asphalt. Pure adrenaline pumping through my veins...
I hit the crate head on slightly on the left at probably 30mph, and to my surprise, it moved to the right. I was absolutely shocked to realize that (1) I was still on my bike and (2) my bike was driving straight. I was lucky the crate was light/empty but was still unsure of the damage in front. As soon as I exited the freeway and stopped at a light, I inspected the front of my bike. No damage. Yes, I was very lucky. I was extra cautious the rest of my trip.
Lessons learned:
1. Don't rush.
2. Don't let your guard down. I'm usually very aware of traffic 2 cars up or super cautious about leaving enough space in front of me. I just unconsiously let my guard down because I was rushing. It's said over and over, but "prepare for the worst".
3. Wear full gear. Thank goodness I didnt need to crash test them, but I was as prepared as I could be with gear head to toe.
Ride safe, guys. You never know when a random huge crate might be on the road because some retard trucker didn't tie down his stuff right.
On a side note, are there any websites or articles out there that teach you how to prepare for a crash?
I was in the far left lane cruising with the steady flow of traffic, when a little bit before the 56 freeway, the car in front of me braked really hard and swerved to the left into the shoulder. Turns out he swerved to avoid hitting a giant wooden crate the size of a BIG screen tv...
As I was slowing down, I realized I didn't have time to avoid the crate by braking so I had 3 choices:
1. Take the left shoulder and probably hit the car that swerved because he practically stopped in the shoulder.
2. Change lanes blindly and risk getting plowed by some car (I seriously had no time to correctly change lanes)
3. Hit the crate head on.
I chose to hit the crate head on. This crate was huge and I assumed it was heavy enough to stop my bike in its tracks, so I prepared to go flying and braced myself for a meeting with the asphalt. Pure adrenaline pumping through my veins...
I hit the crate head on slightly on the left at probably 30mph, and to my surprise, it moved to the right. I was absolutely shocked to realize that (1) I was still on my bike and (2) my bike was driving straight. I was lucky the crate was light/empty but was still unsure of the damage in front. As soon as I exited the freeway and stopped at a light, I inspected the front of my bike. No damage. Yes, I was very lucky. I was extra cautious the rest of my trip.
Lessons learned:
1. Don't rush.
2. Don't let your guard down. I'm usually very aware of traffic 2 cars up or super cautious about leaving enough space in front of me. I just unconsiously let my guard down because I was rushing. It's said over and over, but "prepare for the worst".
3. Wear full gear. Thank goodness I didnt need to crash test them, but I was as prepared as I could be with gear head to toe.
Ride safe, guys. You never know when a random huge crate might be on the road because some retard trucker didn't tie down his stuff right.
On a side note, are there any websites or articles out there that teach you how to prepare for a crash?