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I'm on my last sales trip up here in Ohio to visit my customers prior to the holidays. Yesterday, I had just refueled my rental car (Chrysler 300 urban status car of choice these days)and was about 150 yards from the I-71 onramp in a line of 18 wheelers. Suddenly, a car in the opposite direction makes a left hand turn between the trucks in the inside lane into a gas staion. I braked, but not enough, and hit the other guy in the R/H rear knocking him (a '93 Buick Park Ave) into a guy in a newer pick-up then pinballed into the guardrail. No one hurt, but my rental car was pretty trashed on the R/H front fender. My thoughts were first 'WTF?!?!?!' and then 'Boy, am I glad I wasn't riding my Triumph!!'

The other guy got the citation for illegal left turn. He said the trucker on my side in the inside lane had signaled him that it was clear to make the turn between the trucks.

This was my first accident in over 15 years. If ya GOTTA have an accident, have one where no one is hurt, it's the 'other guy's fault,' you aren't driving your own car, and you aren't on a motorcycle.

I hope this one is my last for at LEAST another 15 years.

Watch out for left turners out there. In fact, look out for EVERYONE out there.

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The other guy got the citation for illegal left turn. He said the trucker on my side in the inside lane had signaled him that it was clear to make the turn between the trucks.

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If that guy jumped off the Brooklyn bridge would he jump too? Never trust someone else!!! The only accident I got into in HS was because someone waved me thru an intersection. Also a good lesson not to give up your right of way! Bad things happen. So glad nobody got hurt!!!

Had a similar one happen right in front of me. Idiot was in way too much of a hurry and was attempting to cross three lanes to turn into a strip mall. He'd already poked in front of me in the middle lane so I had no choice but to stop. As he's inching into the third lane, I can see this other idiot flying up that lane. I start beeping the horn and waving to the guy to stop. He flips me off, pulls out, and promptly gets T-boned by the other idiot. Glass, metal, and airbags are flying, both vehicles end up pushed into another couple of cars up ahead. Kinda like bumper cars, only with injuries. No one dead but three ambulances and one statement later, I am on my way. Idiots....

Funny part, I get a call from a lawyer about 3 weeks later who was going to represent the idiot who got T-boned. This guy wants to sue the guy who hit him!!! After I explained the scenario, he decided to drop him.

Bad luck JB

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'Boy, am I glad I wasn't riding my Triumph!!'

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Yeah, i can agree with that. Bet your glad you weren't in that little Beemer or yours either.

Man! You're so right Phil. I'd like to have a nickel for every time I've witnessed some guy coming up the extreme right lane while attempting to pass a line of cars stopped in order to allow some guy to make a left turn, with the result being exactly as you experienced.(okay...so I'd have a grand total of 15 cents, but that 3 nickels I'd rather not have)

This rental car story of JB's is a VERY GOOD REMINDER that you if come up to a line of cars going in your same direction that are stopped for some reason, but the lane you're in is open, SLOW DOWN TO A CRAWL(especially if you're riding your Triumph) before you procede any further, as there is probably a reason for those cars to be stopped.

AND...NEVER EVER pass on the right!

Cheers,
Dwight
(disclaimer: This rule is NULL and VOID in Ol' Brighty of course, as those Limeys over there drive/ride on the "wrong side" of the road, ya know...so for them, it's that extreme LEFT LANE that could be THEIR undoing)

Had a close call today...but Ct this time of year.Can expect a close call or 2 almost daly untill the shopping is over. Last night I almost ran some poor dumb bast***d over.
Dark out lot of oncoming traffic blinded by head lights.
All I saw was a pair of white sneakers standing in the road.
Just to my side of the double yellow line. Guess he was waiting for traffic to claer so he could finish his j-walk.
No time to break swearved hard to right then back to left.
Kinda pickup truck version of a counter steer. Missed him by about six inches I think. Musta scared the poop out of the guy on my right. Dont know how close I came to him. But i noticed he backed way off after my manuver.

By cracky, I remember way back in the 'olden' days, when we would wait for traffic to pass, then cross the street, figuring x-hundred or x-thousand pounds of metal in motion vs. my (then) bony arse was not a fair fight.

I miss those days, when common sense was a prerequisite to survival

I'm holding my tongue on this one, you're too easy a mark.

And the pot shouldn't call the kettle black,
Uncle Charlie

You talkin' to me, scow jockey?

You should address "The Skipper" with a little more respect.

Down here in Florida we have millions of old farts in fancy cars that have forgotten how to drive them. The other day I was leaving a parking lot getting ready to turn left onto the road. The car in front of me was a BMW sportscar with two ancients in it. He started his left turn out of the lot and stopped short! He either over clutched or freaked because he saw another car on the road. I stopped at the road entrance and waited for him to get going again. Instead of driving forward, this nut puts the car in reverse and starts to back up into the parking lot again, and would have gone right through me if I hadn't beeped (now I know why everyone needs louder horns on their Triumphs). I think he heard me screaming at him more than my horn to tell the truth. I was a little embarrassed by my epithets myself, but all I could think of was my bike with smashed front forks because of this idiot. Fortunately, he stopped just short of hitting me and started forward again. When I pulled out of the lot, I stopped next to them at the red light and gave them the evil eye for a solid thirty seconds before I was able to pull away and leave them to menace other people on the road!
I'm glad no one was hurt in your incident, and I hope everyone has a safe riding winter (at least those of us in the glorious south!)