So, you’re in a somewhat uncomfortable traffic situation, and you don’t make space for a car driver to merge into your lane. As a result, she ends up cutting you off as she runs out of space. What do you do?
In this rider’s case, he curses roundly at the cager, then hustles off to find a cop, and convinces him to chase down the car driver. Internet reports claim he handed her two tickets for the incident, although we can’t confirm it.
But, here’s what we’d like to know: If you were the rider, how would you have handled the situation, and if you were the cop, what would you have told the rider after reviewing the footage?
It is an offence under the Highway Traffic Act in Ontario to actively block someone from entering your lane. If a driver signals properly and there is space and you speed up to block you can be charged. I would have charged the rider for gross dickatude. It’s the rider who needs a lesson in merging.
I’ve seen motovloggers on youtube who encourage and film this kind of idiocy just to try to create some conflict to attract views. (Canadian motovlogger slushcat I’m talking to you) This rider has obviously watched too many of those videos. It’s a self-limiting trend though as this kind of rider won’t be around for long. Idiocy and motorcycles don’t survive well together.
Q) If you were the rider, how would you have handled the situation?
A) I would have either sped up to get in front of the car (but that darn truck was slowing too fast) so…I would have ended up letting her in front of me, cursed her in my helmet and maybe give her a wave….(like hi stupid, I’m here) I WOULD not go running to a cop, the situation didn’t warrant it imho
Q) If you were the cop, what would you have told the rider after reviewing the footage?
A) I would inform the car driver that she was in the wrong for not (at least) acknowledging that the bike was there.., I would then lecture her on sharing the road and behaving etc… I would then turn to the rider and explain that he was just as wrong as the car driver for feeling entitled to that road space and for aggressively trying to claim that space, I would then explain how easy it would have been for the rider to get injured whether he was in the right or not, I’d tell him to be more defensive and not so aggressive. I’d let them both go with a warning. (geez I’d make a nice cop;) )
Glad no one was hurt
… And then everyone wonders why cagers hate riders
I’m not sure what he would he could have done to be less cooperative. Both are being dick heads.
I have mixed feelings about the whole “I have it on camera/video” thing. Obviously it means we can use what we’ve filmed to show what happened during an incident. But does this mean as bikers we now no longer need to use COMMON SENSE? Like Rob said, being dead right isn’t the better outcome in this situation. Use common sense to get yourself out of the situation as safely and quickly as possible.
As I sit here in my wheelchair with two broken legs and broken arm. I see the riders point. The woman in the car didn’t look when merging and actually maintained her speed. The person that did an illegal U-turn from the right lane in front of me didn’t look either. Plus I’m so sick of people that ride the merge lane to get ahead of traffic. Merge as soon as you can people not at the last possible second. And do no one thinks of picking on the cagers as a motorcyclist, I’m also a transport driver and see the same habits.
Rider was a true dick in this instance – he easily could’ve sped up or been courteous enough to let her in. Guaranteed, if that was a guy driving the car, he wouldn’t have done any of that.
That wasn’t a zipper merge. In a zipper merge, neither lane has priority.
In this case, the right lane ended and vehicles in that lane were obliged to make a lane change into the left lane. Left lane has right of way.
The car was in the wrong, but the rider was being a dick. For both courtesy and safety he should have let the car in.
The guy riding is completely misguided in his own thinking. He will someday be killed being “in the right”.
Besides which, it appears to me he accelerated to PREVENT her from merging when she was pulling ahead; why not just let her merge, there was lots of space and he wasn’t going faster than her until he decided he had to be in front. And there is no “left, right” rule for merging, right of way is determined first by timing.
Two bad drivers; they deserve each other.
Very poor rider skills.
One quick twist of the throttle would have had him in front of her. A tap on the brakes and he’s behind her. It’s better to avoid the issue than to risk being dead right, as in right but still dead.
I agree with Rob. However, I’m also thankful that there are riders who will hold cagers accountable like this guy did.
Exactly. Get yourself out of any bad or potentially bad situation which ever way you can. Always leave yourself an out. Oh and leave the cursing out. It COULD be construed as aggressive behavior. This guy should definitely leave it out. He doesn’t do it very well.
A case of entitlement on part of the rider; neither is be wanted to give. You are right, better to give in and live than be dead right.