I was sitting at a red light in the left turn lane waiting for my turn to go and happened to notice a motorcycle sitting in the straight lane of the other road also waiting for his green light. I turned away for just a second and looked back at him and wondered why he was putting his kick stand down while all the other traffic was beginning to move through the light. It didn't take long to figure out what had happened when he walked to the back of his bike looking for damage to it, then turning to the car behind him and checking their front bumper for damage. He did not walk back to the driver, he just stood there with his hands raised high in the air as if to say "What are you doing????" He just kept looking at the woman through the front windshield and waving his arms in the air! Then to my surprise, he just got on his bike without even speaking one word to the woman who had just bumped him, and took off!!! I was thinking if it had been me, I would have had a talk with the woman! It wasn't like the driver of the car was some big burly guy who might have jumped out and beat him up!!! She looked about 25 or so.

Without "actually" seeing what had happened, I believe the light changed, traffic ahead of the bike rider moved and she just followed suite without paying notice to the man on the bike since he was not "straight" in her vision! He was a little right of center. As I watched it all, I felt nothing but fear knowing just how quick that could happen to me!!! I do not ride alone very often, but that made me think that if I "do" ride alone, I am going to be more in front of the person sitting behind me at a red light! I don't know how she missed seeing him, his bike was bright blue and his helmet was white and blue, but she did!!! It all just creeped me out!
(And just so you know, she was already "stopped" behind him when I saw them the first time. So I know for sure she did not roll into him while trying to stop for the light.)

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~Riding Miss Daisy~

"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."

Not that it's any guarantee the driver behind me will take any notice of me and/or my bike...but I have brake light modulators on both of my rides. My brake lights keep flashing so long as I have either brake lever engaged. And I always try to leave at least a car's length ahead of me open, so when the one behind me moves up onto my bumper, I can hopefully catch their attention by moving forward, brake lights flashing. And if they just slowly move up with me when I do, when they stop, I will sometimes turn and give them a *big* wave, just in case they try to forget I'm there before the light changes.
That space also gives me room to plan a getaway route and move if I see the car behind me isn't slowing down as fast as I think they should be. I know that the LA Police Dept. motorcycle officers are trained to not stop expecting to have to make a quick getaway until the third car behind them has stopped.

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Patriot Guard Riders of WA State
Ride Captain - Peninsula District
"...for those who man the battle line, the bugle whispers low,
and freedom has a taste and price the protected never know..."

I fear not being seen. It's one of the reasons I want a new helmet. Mine is black and red. I don't want a neon yellow, I think they are easily mistaken for street signs (I have done that on the highway, thought a helmet was a sign ) I am having trouble finding one that a) isn't black b) isn't full face but has color and design that isn't skulls or flowers.
My full face is TOO hot for summer.

Miss Daisy - That must have been horrifying! I saw something similar happen to a fellow on a motorcycle on our busiest street in Victoria. Some nut in a car changed lanes erratically and wasn't expecting the motorcyclist to stop at the crosswalk for people who were crossing and rear ended the dude. Motorcyclist went absolutely ballistic, parked the bike, pulled out his cell phone, took a picture and called the cops, while he was waiting for the cops to come he was giving they guy what for, arms flailing and generally making greatly aware of his poor driving. The cops were there in a nano second and presumably gave car doofus a ticket. I didn't hang out I wanted to get as far away from that as possible.

When I am on my motorcycle I was trained to I leave the bike in 1st gear with the clutch engaged and my hand on the throttle and ready to zoom off if I have to. I am constantly scanning what it going on behind me and I always leave a good size space margin in front of me and look for my escape routes.

dawgyah - white helmets are easily seen at night. I am thinking of getting one myself.

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Dar ~ I was born to ride!

my blog: Princess Scooterpie http://scootermayhem.blogspot.com/

This is why I am glad California allows filtering so we don't have to sit in the back of the line waiting to get nailed by the next inattentive driver.
When I can't move up I position myself slightly to the side of the car behind me. Hopefully I am watching and can move up between cars if the car behind me does not stop. Worst case at least I won't get pinned between two cars!

I like to watch the person behind me in my mirror. that way I have the chance to move if they get itchy.

Be aware is all you can do.

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Glad to hear it was just a love tap. Did they also have a turn lane on their side? I've seen cars in the center lane, which was supposed to stay stopped, lunge ahead, and even go through the red light, when the turn lane arrow went green beside them. Hey, cars rear-end other CARS every day, too. It's not just motorcycles they don't see. We're just a lot more vulnerable.

Walkers, runners, cyclists, scooter riders, motorcyclists...we all fear cars!

I know it is not always possible, but I try to ride the back roads whenever I can.

"Ride like you are invisible."

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2009 Monzo Honda Met "Squirt"
My scooter blogs:
http://www.49ccscooterlife.blogspot.com
http://www.ohioriverramblersscootin.blogspot.com

They had a turn lane but that traffic had already went through the light. There was two lanes going straight and it was when the cars in the other straight lane was moving through the light when he got off his bike. That's why I was curious why he was doing that instead of moving through the light with the rest of the traffic.

I honestly believe that we have to ride believing everyone is a potential threat to us. I am on guard to every thing that moves around me. Some might say that kind of thinking takes the fun out of the ride, but I can tell you that I am having fun every single second I am on Miss Daisy!

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~Riding Miss Daisy~

"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."