I had a guy on a Crotch rocket come around a corner and almost, and I mean inches, hit my 97000 pound CMI 500 road reclaimer. At least it would have been easy to clean up, just mix him and the bike in with the Sub base.
I know how you feel...
It works both ways L0nGb0w. As a driver for a city bus, I've seen more than a few bikes get DANGEROUSLY close to my bus on the freeway and the surface streets. My last encounter, some tard almost put his helmet into my Left Mirror while on the highway. I was doing 65 and he passed my like I was sitting still, riding the white strips. Had I drifted just a few inches to the left (which was possible as there was enough wind that day), he'd been scattered all in front of my bus, which would've likely just went over him. I will tell you right now that I would not have slammed on my brakes and I would not have been able to move into another lane (40,000 lbs don't respond well to slammed brakes). I had a car on my Right and he was with a friend, who was to my left. His friend was smart, and was completely in his own lane and not going as fast.
At the same time, I'm with you on that. My brother was hit by some dumbarse that was racing his GIRLFRIENDS car down a surface street. Struck him at his Right rear corner doing over 40 mph. The helmet saved my brothers life, but now he has to carry a card with him if he is to ever get on a plane. He's got 2 metal rods in his lower right leg now. Both the bones broke and were sticking out of his leg, and the docs said he was lucky as it was a clean break and did not damage any of his nerves. He's going to make a full recovery, according to the doctors. Right now, he's still hurting. It will be several more months before he's use to the rods in his leg.
All in all you MUST be careful around a large vehicle, such as a bus and especially a semi. We have rather large blind spots which is made worse if someone on a bike is riding in them.
My major peeve are tards who like to use their cell phones while driving. I nearly T-boned this wench who pulled out in front of me in her Honda CRV yesterday. 40,000 lbs traveling at 45 mph against a styrofoam cup? She not much more than a bump in the road to me. She was on her cell and was lucky that I was able to move onto the shoulder quick enough to avoid her. The street I was traveling on has a large asphalt shoulder on each side of it, but if it was farther down the street, where there isn't a shoulder, things would've gotten bad right quick. Later on that day, a guy driving a Tahoe, raced around from behind me, nearly rear ended a truck ahead of him, THEN cut me off. Guess what I saw him doing when he did this??? Yep...on the effen cell. I'm dreading the day when someone will cut me off, pull out in front of me, and I cream him/her, and the people in their vehicle. All because you have to use a cell while driving. The driver deserves what happens, the the people in my bus, in the car with the idiot, or me, don't need that.
And for the record, I don't even own a cell phone. So you can't bring that argument against me.
I'm not against cell phones either. They can save your life if something should happen.
