I saw a stupid biker get pwned today

[draggar]

First, I have nothing against motorcycles or their owners / riders - as long as they are being responsible. They have as much right to be on the road as I do. I just have an issue with ones like I'm about to mention.

I was driving home from work today as I came up to a red light - I was about 10-15 cars from the light (on a 3-lane road). Then, i see in my right mirror someone on a sport bike going fast in between the stopped cars. I always roll my eyes when I see this and think "this is why they call them donor-cycles". As he goes past me I think "I hope you get caught".

Karma was out today.

As he was approaching the front of the line (and the light was still red) the door to a car opened up, rather quickly as the motorcycle hit his brakes to stop. But, I guess he didn't intend on stopping that soon.

He dropped his bike..

Onto the car that opened the door. I couldn't stop myself from laughing. This is something I would love to have done, open the door in the path of one of these people to teach them a lesson (give them enough time to stop, I don't want to kill anyone).

Why do I think it was so great?

- He WILL Get caught since both pulled over - the driver of the car was smart enough to take a picture of the motorcycle's license plate as he got out of the car. The police also don't take kind to motorcyclists pulling stunts like this.

- Other than rattled nerves, no one was hurt (visibly). Damage to the car was minimal (maybe a few small dents)

- The motorcycle was clearly breaking the law so his insurance will not only have to pay for all damages but they will also know the driver was being reckless by driving in between cars (even if they're stopped - it's still very dangerous). Can you say hello high rates?

Even though I do feel bad for the driver of the car (being held up, late getting to where he was going to, etc..) I'm glad it happened this way - imaging if the light turned green and the motorcyclist accelerated a lot? He could have gone over the door and into traffic. What if he made it though and someone on the street to the right wanted to make a right on red? it could have been a lot worse. I hope the motorcyclist got a wake up call from this.

[RetailWorkhorse]

As he was approaching the front of the line (and the light was still red) the door to a car opened up

I was hoping this would happen. That's way too dangerous for people to do.

Glad no one got hurt, though.

[Andara Bledin]

I was driving home from work today as I came up to a red light - I was about 10-15 cars from the light (on a 3-lane road). Then, i see in my right mirror someone on a sport bike going fast in between the stopped cars.

I don't know about your area, but in mine, it's perfectly legal for a motorcyclist or scooter rider to come up between a line of stopped cars. And, honestly, why should it matter to anyone in a car if a bike does that, as long as they don't hit anyone on their way by?

As he was approaching the front of the line (and the light was still red) the door to a car opened up, rather quickly as the motorcycle hit his brakes to stop. But, I guess he didn't intend on stopping that soon.

What possible reason, other than to commit mayhem, would a person waiting at a red light have to suddenly open their door?

As much as I feel irked when motorcyclists do this, it's a notably irrational reaction firmly rooted in pure jealousy. Jealousy that we in the cars have to wait in line while he doesn't (speaking purely about ability, not legality).

It's actually much more dangerous for a person on a motorcycle to wait behind a line of cars than for them to go between them. This is actually the first time I've even heard of this sort of thing happening (and this sounds like it was premeditated, not accidental), but I've heard many, many tales of bikers getting trapped between two cars because the one coming behind only ever saw the car ahead of the biker, and not the biker at all.

Unless the car owner really did have a good reason to be popping his door open while stopped, I hope he gets flattened by the biker's insurance policy.

^-.-^

[Stormraven]

Yep. I'll admit to not being fond of them doing so, but here it's perfectly legal, as long as traffic is stopped.

That, and it sounds very much to me that the car driver deliberately sought to commit mayhem.

[draggar]

We have many bikers who don't just do this when traffic is stopped. Even when driving at the speed limit (45 - most cars will go 50-55) you see some bikers speeding (much faster) inbetween all the cars. Driving between the lanes, when traffic is stopped or moving, is dangrous. What if a person is crossing the street? What is a car opens up their door? What if a car decides to start to switch lanes?

As for the driver opening his door, I don't know why he did it. Maybe it was premeditated, maybe he had a bee in his car and he was trying to let it out, maybe he wasn't feeling well and was about to vomit.

[MrTim]

And, honestly, why should it matter to anyone in a car if a bike does that, as long as they don't hit anyone on their way by?

Because it is very dangerous and reckless.

What possible reason, other than to commit mayhem, would a person waiting at a red light have to suddenly open their door?

Ever have a wasp or hornet fly into you car and try to sting you? Ever have someone in the car that was allergic to them? I witnessed this when a guy in a BMW started moving from a stop, only to slam on his brakes, fling his door open and jump out of his car to avoid a wasp. I almost hit his car , and he was almost run over by a F150 pickup.

That is just one reason, i'm sure with time I could find many more. Also, the OP mentioned that the biker in this case was going very fast and could not avoid the door. It's just like tailgating - if you follow another car to close and they need to make a sudden stop, you need enough reaction time to stop as well. If you hit the car you were tailgating, you get the ticket almost always. It doesn't matter why they had to stop, if you fail to prevent the accident because you were following too close, you lose.

I have seen people on motorcycles kinda walk/ride their bikes in between cars and I didn't really care (even though it is illegal here.) The ones who are going 55mph in a space that is roughly 3-4 feet wide are putting their own lives in danger to save a few seconds on thier ride. Legal or not, it is definetly dangerous.

[bainsidhe]

I'm glad no one was seriously hurt. And this is legal in some areas? Even without premeditated douchebaggery, this seems to be just asking for trouble and damage to other vehicles. I've seen it, I've hated it, and I've seen the biker (both motorbike and regular bicycle) hit surrounding cars because there wasn't enough space between them and the biker didn't even try to stop.

And I hope there was a bee in the car, because opening his door made it damn lucky no one was hurt. We all have driving pet peeves, mine happens to be people who merge without signaling as if it's their God-given right to squeeze in ahead of me. They'll just move right on over because they're sure I'll get out of their way. Every time I have the urge to play chicken with hundreds of pounds of fiberglass and steel, I always decide I love my car too much to total it. We all have decisions to make. Intentionally hurting someone is never cool.

[LillFilly]

Motorcycles and scooters over a certain CC have plates, therefore they're motor vehicles and have to obey all the laws a car would follow. A car wouldn't be allowed to weave between stopped traffic, so a cycle/scooter isn't allowed to either; at least I don't think they should be.

My pet peeve is people parking their cycle/scooters on sidewalks, in fire lanes, etc. YOU'RE A MOTOR VEHICLE! USE A PARKING SPOT!!!

[protege]

Because it is very dangerous and reckless.

That's exactly why they're not supposed to do it. Nobody *expects* to have a motorcycle zip between stopped cars. What if someone is going to turn right on red (which is legal in PA, as long as there's no sign saying you can't), does the normal thing--stops, then makes their right turn. What if, as they're making the right, some dipshit in a bike plows into the side of their car? It's things like that, along with speeding, that make insurance companies charge enormous rates to insure motorcycles and scooters.

[morgana]

What possible reason, other than to commit mayhem, would a person waiting at a red light have to suddenly open their door?

^-.-^

The aforementioned bee/wasp
Untangle a malfunctioning seat belt
Get a purse/briefcase/whatever out of the backseat
Change drivers
Retrieve something that flew out of the car by mistake
Reposition floor mat
Take off pinching shoe making driving difficult
Take off jacket without painful contortion
Inform driver in front that his passenger-side rear tire is flat
Passenger seat is on fire
Smoke/steam is coming out from under hood
Cat has escaped from carrier and is clawing driver

And before you tell me I'm really reaching for these , I've done every one of them.

[JambaBamba]

It's legal in California to share lanes. It's not legal in a lot of other states but I know motorcycles still do it. I ride a motorcycle. I don't split lanes while riding or when traffic is stopped even though I legally could. I don't think my skills are good enough yet and it makes me nervous that someone would do exactly what happened in this story.

At the same time, ever time I'm in a line of stopped cars and I see someone coming up behind me I pray that he sees me. There have been many accidents where cars didn't see the motorcycle stopped in front of them and hit them, never even touching the brakes. If you take a safety course from the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) they tell you that a bike is able to maneuver much more quickly than a car; in fact they recommend swerving around cars rather than hitting the brakes in most cases. They also warn you to keep the bike in first gear and check your side mirrors when in traffic to make sure you're able to get out of the way if a car doesn't see you.

I'm not saying what the motorcycle did was correct; if the law doesn't allow lane splitting or sharing in the state then yes he was breaking the law. But I do truly hope that the guy had a genuine reason to open the car door, and didn't just want to screw with the motorcyclist. Being an ass because someone else is an ass doesn't make anything better.

[DeltaSierra]

The aforementioned bee/wasp
Untangle a malfunctioning seat belt
Get a purse/briefcase/whatever out of the backseat
Change drivers
Retrieve something that flew out of the car by mistake
Reposition floor mat
Take off pinching shoe making driving difficult
Take off jacket without painful contortion
Inform driver in front that his passenger-side rear tire is flat
Passenger seat is on fire
Smoke/steam is coming out from under hood
Cat has escaped from carrier and is clawing driver

And before you tell me I'm really reaching for these , I've done every one of them.

Adding..

Dropped cigarette (my Dad was nortorious for this)
Car sick passenger/driver
Readjust driver's seat without banging elbow on door
Chinese fire drill

[Andara Bledin]

Also, the OP mentioned that the biker in this case was going very fast and could not avoid the door.

Actually, it looked like the biker didn't hit the door, but did lose control when the door was suddenly opened.

I do agree that in this case, the biker was obviously not driving safely, but that doesn't make the action itself wrong, just the manner in which it was performed.

A car wouldn't be allowed to weave between stopped traffic, so a cycle/scooter isn't allowed to either; at least I don't think they should be.

The law in California is that if two vehicles can share a lane without either vehicle crossing over into other lanes of traffic, is it perfectly legal for them to do so, regardless of what type of vehicle they are. This is referred to as "lane sharing" and is seen most often with a pair of motorcyclists riding side by side.

This is also exactly the same thing I'm pretty certain each and every one of us who has driven a car is doing when we pull up on the right of stopped traffic to make a right turn.

Sure, you have a different reason for doing what you did, but that doesn't change that the action itself is the same.

What if, as they're making the right, some dipshit in a bike plows into the side of their car?

Then the person attempting to make a right turn is going to be cited for not looking first. It's up to the person merging/changing lanes/turning to ensure that their path is clear prior to doing so.

I suspect the same goes for opening a car door while in a driving lane, regardless of whether traffic is currently stopped or not.

^-.-^

[Magpie]

Then the person attempting to make a right turn is going to be cited for not looking first. It's up to the person merging/changing lanes/turning to ensure that their path is clear prior to doing so.

I'm not sure if I understood Protege the same way you did. To my reading, this implies that if I am on a motorcycle, that I am not obligated to slow down if someone in front of me is turning, that they are, instead, obligated to wait and let me pass on the right. If that is the case, your neck of the woods would appear to be the reason that idiots do that here all the time. (You're allowed to pass in the lane, but the person passing would be at fault in that case).

[draggar]

We all have driving pet peeves, mine happens to be people who merge without signaling as if it's their God-given right to squeeze in ahead of me. They'll just move right on over because they're sure I'll get out of their way

and let me guess, most of the time they'll hit their brakes so they back off the car that is in front of them?

Cat has escaped from carrier and is clawing driver

My wife has a funny story about that one...

Actually, it looked like the biker didn't hit the door, but did lose control when the door was suddenly opened.

Correct.

The law in California is that if two vehicles can share a lane without either vehicle crossing over into other lanes of traffic, is it perfectly legal for them to do so, regardless of what type of vehicle they are. This is referred to as "lane sharing" and is seen most often with a pair of motorcyclists riding side by side.

It's legal in California to share lanes. It's not legal in a lot of other states but I know motorcycles still do it. I ride a motorcycle. I don't split lanes while riding or when traffic is stopped even though I legally could. I don't think my skills are good enough yet and it makes me nervous that someone would do exactly what happened in this story.

Many laws (I think all do, in fact) will allow motorcycles (and similar) to ride 2 wide next to each other on roads and highways. This I do not have an issue with this if they are being responsible.

Double check the laws - see if it is for just motorcycles or includes cars / trucks.

At the same time, ever time I'm in a line of stopped cars and I see someone coming up behind me I pray that he sees me. There have been many accidents where cars didn't see the motorcycle stopped in front of them and hit them, never even touching the brakes. If you take a safety course from the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) they tell you that a bike is able to maneuver much more quickly than a car; in fact they recommend swerving around cars rather than hitting the brakes in most cases. They also warn you to keep the bike in first gear and check your side mirrors when in traffic to make sure you're able to get out of the way if a car doesn't see you.

If you thought a care was going to rear end you I highly doubt you'd floor it and go to the front of the line, you'd go ahead one maybe two car lengths ahead. I'm also sure that any motorcyclist here is the type of person to do what I mentioned in the OP.

Also, I've seen many motorcyclists, when in a line of cars, will go to the far side of the lane (I'll assume the lane that has a stopped car in it already) thus lessening their chance of getting hit.