Yesterday as I was heading east along Highway 1 in BC and I saw it again, no not a motorcycle accident but what could have been one. When it was all said and done the biker was safe. He had given the trucker the one finger salute, and carried on to see another road. The problem is this was as much the bikers fault as it was the truckers, maybe more the bikers fault. It is imperative that the motorcyclist understands a semi’s blind spots.
On the motorcycle one of the first things you learn is you’re much harder to see than a car is. You learn that even if you have the right of way, it shouldn’t be taken for granted. While my daughter was learning to ride 6 years ago I kept saying over and over again to her The law says you have the right of way, but the motorcycle says you never have the right of way unless the other vehicle gives it to you. You also learn that defensive driving is a key to survival on the road. On this day the biker was far from being defensive.
As we were coming through the Abbotsford area the motorcycle was riding in the fast lane directly beside the truck. There was no car behind the motorcycle. The car in front of the motorcycle was taking its time passing the semi. The motorcycle was following behind the car, but then the truck flipped on his signal light as he intended to move over for the cars entering the highway. As the car that passed the truck cleared the front end of the truck, the truck started to move over. The motorcycle braked hard, and the semi then spotted the bike and swerved back into his original lane. The biker cracked open the throttle, and flew past the truck offering him his thoughts with hand signals.
There is several things wrong with that scenario for the biker. First I never pull along side a semi at any time other than to pass. I wait till I have a full clear path and then I proceed to get by the semi quickly. I hate the feeling of passing a semi, why would I want to spend more time passing the truck then I need to. More importantly though, the blind spots on the truck were either unknown to the motorcyclist or ignored by the motorcyclist. During the lane change, the rider was sitting in a difficult place for the trucker to see his motorcycle.
On this day nothing developed to a point of a motorcycle accident. Really it was not all that close other than the scare to the biker. Although, there was clear potential for disaster to strike. On the motorcycle we have to look out for ourselves and there is no better way than to do that then understanding your environment around you.