When waiting at traffic lights.....

[Diesel]

When stopped for traffic lights or other traffic reasons - being hit from behind is a waaaay more common accident than you'd think it is.

Some riders don't trust other motorists and fit modulating tail/brake lights - others (like me) flick the brake lever a few times to make the brake lights flash to gain attention - and a few more do nothing but hope the cagers see them.

After 'flashing' the brake lights a few times, I leave it in 1st until I am sure they've seen me - then shift to neutral once I know they're stopping.

Have you been knocked off your bike from behind? Any of your mates?

Here is an example (although flashing brake lights might not have helped in this case)

http://jalopnik.com/5502266/dump-truck-driver-in-massive-motorcycle-crash-fishing-for-papers-before-accident

Be very vigilant out there villains - especially when stationary with traffic approaching from your six.

Cheers, Diesel

Edit: I should have added that I also use the "STOPPING" hand signal just for another attention grabbing visual reference - so far so good!       

[Maverick75]

I nearly was once on my GS, but rode up onto the centre island. The car stopped where I had been. I think the girl had been texting. I always keep it in gear and one eye on the mirror

[bluehonda]

 
I keep it in gear until I've got enough cars behind me to hopefully abosrb the impact of a rear end collision.
Remember you don't need to outrun a car that's about to hit you, just move out of it's path.
Brad

[Brock]

I usually move to the front of the que if I can.

[Tipsy]

  p

In the last training stint I did they said that to always stay in first so that you are ready in case anything untoward happens.

[rendog]

Kinda like this ?

http://youtu.be/0zY99HOziTE

[Brock]

That is why I push to the front of the cue, there is usually no time to move out of the way, if there is any where to go......

[alans1100]

In all the times snice I've had my bike licence (about 1978) I've never had more than two incidents where I needed to take avoiding action. Both of those since having my 1100 in the last 6 years. Not saying that there haven't been moments where a driver has looked at the last second and then saw me and then stopped. What I have seen is a lot of people turning left and not even bothering to look right and I see that when I'm driving and riding.

I haven't had any issues at traffic lights either but if I notice a car coming from behind I'll flash the brake lights a couple times and I do that in the car as well. When younger I was taught to leave at least a car length between you and the car in front to allow you to move forward a little if the car behind couldn't stop in time. For the last five years I've been mainly a country rider with few trips to a city (Perth and Adelaide) and most trips are with the trailer so I'm generally more watchful of other traffic and I can't filter at the lights but still need to have an escape option which would be going between the cars if I had to.

[royst1100]

also taught to stay in first but if no one behind or several stopped may neutral but keep goob watchout

[Biggles]

I see in the video the driver sends the Missus to say "SMIDSY". 

Pretty amazing that he just stepped off the bike.  I've heard of some bad back injuries.

A good use of helmet-cam!

[youngSTer]

Stay uprite tell you to keep in first but depending on the cycle of the lights I usually select neutral while I watch the lights go around their cycle and then select 1st just before mine go green, as sometimes you can be there for quite some time holding the clutch in.
Actually that video is a US road and the apology is from the driver. Sorry Biggles.

[bluehonda]

 
An adage that I said to new riders was "always be in the gear ready to go".
It's to help them understand that the bike should always respond correctly when you open the throttle, not need to be changed down a gear.  Experienced riders do this automatically, it's just changing gears according to road speed.
This adage often applies when at the end of a queue or at traffic lights.  It's important to stay switched on when our bikes come to rest.

Brad

 

[Brian]

If I'm last in line held up in single lane roadway I flick the hazards on till old mate 'see's that I am stationary

[Aj1300]

Got cleaned up in a roundabout,lady didn't see me and sailed through, I locked up and slid into her drivers side..stepped off the bike just as she drove over it. I banged into her door. Bike was a write off but I was ok just really mad. All she did was cry. Turned out I went to school with the stupid bitch. It was my first roadie, Vf 750. Thought. It was pretty good.
I always look behind and like Brock sneak up the front 

[Maverick75]

I think the only time I select neutral in any vehicle is when I'm warming it up. The clutch on the 1100 is very heavy so it's understandable wanting to relieve the pressure. I can't recall if the 1300 is the same as it's six years since I rode one.

The time taken to pull the lever, snick it down to first, and clear out might just be the time it took for that girl texting to clean you up. Certainly seemed that quick to me.

[West Aussie Glen]

I usually move to the front of the que if I can.

Brock now all you have to watch for is the guy running the red light as you take off in front of the adjacent cars.

[Poppy Dave]

My thoughts are that if you're at the front, in gear and you see numpty coming up behind you, it would be instinctive to drop the clutch and get away.

Problems arise when the cross traffic arrives at the same point on the bitumen as you.

I prefer to keep an eye on numpty and if the need arises, step off the bike.

Had something similar about 3 years ago but I didn't see him coming ( I was at a STOP sign and looking to my right at the time), he hit me and pushed me out into cross traffic where I nearly became a speed-hump.

Dave                                               

[Couch]

I've been hit from behind while stationary on 4 occasions in vehicles that I've owned over the years.   On one occasion I was stopped at the lights, on a major highway, (Ipswich Road Wacol, for those banana benders) looked in the mirror and thought, "there's no way this guy's gonna stop before he hits me" and that's exactly what he did. He knocked me all the way across the intersection.......said he was very tired as he'd driven a couple of hundred kls........wrecked both cars. Another time I was stopped at a pedestrian crossing when this stupid woman ran straight in to my rear.........I was driving my Landcruiser at the time and she pushed me right through the crossing, fortunately the lady crossing saw what was going to happen and stopped in her tracks...........wrecked her car totally and she wasn't even insured. Other 2 occasions I was stopped at t-junctions waiting for traffic on the right to move through. Both minor compared to the other two. I'm always very careful when stopping at lights etc on the bike. I'm in gear and ready to go with my eyes peeled on my mirrors....unless there's no traffic whatsoever behind me then I might drop in to neutral if the lights have only just turned red. But I keep my eyes peeled behind!!

[Biggles]

I've been hit from behind while stationary on 4 occasions in vehicles that I've owned over the years.

Strewth!  Remind me not to be your pillion!  I've probably driven as much as you, but avoided the dreaded "whiplash" hit at this stage.  It was this very type of accident that got headrests installed in cars as a standard item.

[Skip]

In all the times snice I've had my bike licence (about 1978) I've never had more than two incidents where I needed to take avoiding action. Both of those since having my 1100 in the last 6 years. Not saying that there haven't been moments where a driver has looked at the last second and then saw me and then stopped. What I have seen is a lot of people turning left and not even bothering to look right and I see that when I'm driving and riding.

I haven't had any issues at traffic lights either but if I notice a car coming from behind I'll flash the brake lights a couple times and I do that in the car as well. When younger I was taught to leave at least a car length between you and the car in front to allow you to move forward a little if the car behind couldn't stop in time. For the last five years I've been mainly a country rider with few trips to a city (Perth and Adelaide) and most trips are with the trailer so I'm generally more watchful of other traffic and I can't filter at the lights but still need to have an escape option which would be going between the cars if I had to.

I'm with Alan on this one. I have exactly the same approach. Even one step further, regardless of where I am in the line of traffic approaching a stop situation, I deliberately slow down long before I have to come to a halt. By this time, the vehicle/vehicles behind you have caught up to you and are forced to slow down as well before they have to come to a complete stop. And like Alan said, if i've come to a stop, I leave a sizeable gap, off and on the brake a few times and inch forward when I know the vehicle has seen me.

[Couch]

Hey Biggles...............I'm sure you would have spent more time in the air than me, but on the road...........I'm not so sure!

For the last forty years of my working life I averaged around 50,000 - 60,000 kls each year, and many of those kls were spent in city traffic. :(

During those years I never had a "my fault accident" or a claim on my insurance company. I've had my fair share of rear end hits.....so I think you'd be pretty safe riding pillion with me..............but, I'm not totally convinced I could trust you in that position.

I've been hit from behind while stationary on 4 occasions in vehicles that I've owned over the years.

Strewth!  Remind me not to be your pillion!  I've probably driven as much as you, but avoided the dreaded "whiplash" hit at this stage.  It was this very type of accident that got headrests installed in cars as a standard item.

[alans1100]

@ Skip,

I'm much the same as you with slowing down etc as well. It's even better if I can manage a rolling start rather than stopping completely.

[Biggles]

Hey Biggles...............I'm sure you would have spent more time in the air than me, but on the road...........I'm not so sure!

For the last forty years of my working life I averaged around 50,000 - 60,000 kls each year, and many of those kls were spent in city traffic. :(

I'll happily concede you winner in the time on the road stakes.  While I was flying in PNG for 22 years, I certainly didn't spend much time driving.
Since I've been back, I do about 22,000 on the bike and maybe 5000 in the car (my Missus drives it almost every day).

That sounds like a plan, Skip and Alan.  Having said that, I hate being behind vehicles that crawl the last 50 metres to the lights because it happens that they also miss the change (or I miss it) because they speed up way too slowly.

[West Aussie Glen]

For the last forty years of my working life I averaged around 50,000 - 60,000 kls each year, and many of those kls were spent in city traffic. :(


[

Couch that is a lot time on the road specially if the city traffic kls were slow ones.

[saaz]

I stay in first ready to go until I have some rear coverage from another few vehicles, then I might go into neutral. I knew someone who did a stay upright course with me who avoided being rear ended because he was able to get out of the way when a car was not able to stop in time and rear ended the car in front.  Could have been Couch :)