Kicking cars revisited

...some old fart in an old cage swerved into his lane as

John, was the old fart in a light colored beat-to-hell
1950-something Ford station wagon? I was behind someone of
that description lollygagging down El Camino today on my way
to work. I saw him nearly cause three separate car accidents
in the space of one block in Mountain View. He was doing that
nonsensical steering-wheel sawing you usually see in 1930s
movies, rotating the wheel back and forth through about 90
degrees, with his 2-ton tugboat wandering all over the road in
a path that had no relationship to the codger's steering
inputs. I was watching his tires, fully expecting one of them
to fall off. The ancient moron made angry hand gestures at a
young whippersnapper who had the gall to honk at him when he
came to a dead stop at one point, blocking a whole line of
cars intending to make a turn in the lane he was blocking.

If I had been riding my motorcycle, I would have feared for my
life anywhere within a 50-foot radius of him. And I think I
would have kicked his jalopy. I guess it wouldn't have been
too risky -- the guy was such a feeble fuckwit that I probably
could have taken him if he jumped out and tried to beat me
with his orthopedic shoes.

--
-Craig "And I Ain't So Young Meself, Neither" Haggart
Sunnyvale, California
'99 Honda CBR600 F4
'02 Montesa Cota 315R
'69 Honda CB350 vintage racer
DoD #2120

 

I had an experience recently which made me think second thoughts about
kicking cars when they encroach us.

I was following a biker down a 2 lane road and some old fart in an old
cage swerved into his lane as the biker was passing.
He swerved sharply back into his own lane when he noticed the space was
occupied, adn the biker passed safely and
blasted down the road. I cautiously approached the car and was
carefully passing him when he started to come over AGAIN.
NOTE: I ride a R1100GS with some bigass PIAA lights which were on at the
time - but at the moment they were useless, I
was along side the geezer. I was already past by time his tires hit
the dots but it pissed me off: TWICE he came over on top
of bikes!!

I disapprove of kicking cars, but maybe I'm all wrong about this - if
more bikers DID kick cars, drivers would be more
afraid of us and not blithely violate our right of way. Comments anyone?

JGB

 

I don't disapprove, but consider it unwise. ;-) Someone who has already
demonstrated either incapacity, neglect or malice might just escalate.

Oh, I don't approve of shooting at motorists, but don't always consider
it to be unwise. ;-)

 

Sounds like he did it on purpose.

Sounds like the makings to another Julis Long to me. having said that
I'll admit to hammering a few windows with my fist, sometimes the lizard
brain takes over.

I think the thing to do would have been to find another way round the
fuckwit when he cut the other biker up (see my first comment).

 

No cager is worth ACL reconstruction. Don't ask me how I learned that.

Rich, Urban Biker

 

Nope. It looked more like a bondo-colored bodge dart,

Damn, then there's more than one of him!

Yah. Befpre we p[ersecute drunk drivers we need to rid the road of
folks who never
get better

I feel fer ya brother

 

Sigh. That slaped me back into reality.

I had fantaies of shooting a ray gun which would cause their genitlia to
wither and fall off ...
then I after reading this I got baclk to reality.

That other biker and I beat the odds. We should be thankful...

 

You were right the first time... Kicking cars is a criminal act... it should
never be a part of anyone's riding plans...

Larry L
94 RC45 #2
Have a wheelie NICE day...
Lean & Mean it in every corner of your life...
If it wasn't for us the fast lane would rust...
V4'S are music to the seat of my pants...
1952 De Havilland Chipmunk...
Yank and bank your brains loose...
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/-xlax-/
http://home.comcast.net/~netters2/
http://www.fox302.com/index.pl?s=vg&user=netters2

 

I'm gonna partially agree with Larry here, then add a comment.

Larry's right, kicking should never be part of your riding plan.
Sometimes stuff happens. when it does, you should be wearing Hi-Point
boots to make sure your ankle is protected, and the sunlight reflected
off the metal plate blinds the driver so he does not get your plate
number,

http://www.classicboots.com/moto/hipoint.htm

that being said, I feel there is another factor that may not have been
considered here.

What if the retired guy just did not see you? Lights and all?

I keep hearing from my bay area biker bretheren about how lights and
reflective gear and turn signals make them more visible. Which I ALWAYS
reply "bullshit"

Cars do not see bikes. Period. I've had CHP lane change me. I've had a
friend who I regularly ride with accidentally lane change me. And I've
had oblivious butt-wipes lane change me.

You are on a bike. Ride Defensively. Ride Offensively. Cars do not see
you. Ride as if they are gonna change you at any moment.

If one bike passes a car, the driver probably thinks "well, he's past, I
can change lanes now"

Ya gotta think. Expecially if you see an older car with an older
driver. Reaction time is a little slower. Watch for them, cause they
ain't watchin for you.



--
Assuring you of my best intentions at all times,

Charles Statman
Rocket Scientist/Wonderboy/Women's Legs Shaven

DoD the Un-Numbered One

 

Yah. I agree... (and I am not going to take the foot of my peg and
reduce my control in order to 'teach a lesson'
to someone who is an immediate hazard) just sometimes it is nice to
think that if outlaw bikers were still intimidating
anyone maybe the rest of us would get a little more room.

It's like that study about carrying concealed handguns reduces the
violent crime rate - even for those who don't carry
a weapon (John Lott discussed it in his book).

 

Citation, please. Never mind the advisability of the act (you
could lose your balance, the cager may squash you, etc.)

If you were to cause actual damage, it might be vandalism.
Otherwise, I can't find in the Penal, Motor Vehicle or
Streets and Highways Codes of the State of California
anything about kicking cars... ;-)

 

I resemble that remark.

Far more dramatic than the effect of age on reflexes (us chronologically
advantaged folk can and do take compensatory measures to adjust for
that) is the effect of fatigue, which doesn't always show up as wrinkles.

Rich, Urban Biker

 

You won't... look under destruction of private property with the intent to cause
bodily harm to yourself...

Larry L
94 RC45 #2
Have a wheelie NICE day...
Lean & Mean it in every corner of your life...
If it wasn't for us the fast lane would rust...
V4'S are music to the seat of my pants...
1952 De Havilland Chipmunk...
Yank and bank your brains loose...
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/-xlax-/
http://home.comcast.net/~netters2/
http://www.fox302.com/index.pl?s=vg&user=netters2

 

Please learn to quote appropriately. Note that I said "if you
cause damage" it might be vandalism. If you cause enough
damage, it could be felony vandalism.

 

How would one kick a car without causing damage? Geesh, just washing
a car with a
rough cloth scratches the paint.

If a LEO sees a biker intentionally kicking someone's car, s/he has can
stop both biker and car
to look for scratches or dents. Or they could simply cite the biker for
road rage. (In fact, if
you shake your fist you can be cited for road rage).

 

I've never actually kicked a car while on a motorcycle. Once, at low
speed, on the freeway, bumper to bumper, I had occasion to tap a cager
on the shoulder to call his attention to my presence (he was using his
open window as an armrest, rather than as an aid to visibility) And
came to the almost immediate conclusion that not only had he not seen
me, he was also more deaf than I because he had apparently not heard
the appropriately named "rattletrap." He almost rolled his minivan at
5 mph trying to get clear of me.

As a pedestrian, I did dent the passenger side door of a brand new BMW
convertable once in downtown Mountain View, when the driver violated .
my right-of-way. The driver was so furious that she pulled over and
threatend to call a cop. I looked her over, and said "If you want to
wait here and explain to a cop how you collided with a pedestrian in a
crosswalk, I'll be happy to wait with you and corroborate."

On reflection, she decided she wouldn't bother to wait. I've always
wondered how she explained the dent in the door to her father.

Al More
DoD 734

 

Threatening someone is assault -whether by action or by word. Shaking a
fist in a manner that is agressive
(and intimidates or threatens the shakee) is assault - when done in a
vehicle it is road rage,

Cops do issue citations for road rage (especially in situations like
kicking another vehicle) - I'll do a google search
and see if I cna find some statistics fer ya.

 

I know this sounds stupid but ... things which can get you arrested if
you do it on foot usually can get you arrested if you
do it on your motorcycle - threatening people or kicking their property
(especially when they are in it) is a crime. Road
rage is the just novel mix of assault and traffic - it has always been
illegal to threaten and/or try to injure people (or their
property ... or their dogs).

You can do it from a car, you can do it on a bike
you can do it from a truck, you can do it on a hike
but if you do it with a LEO there
the results you will have to bear.

 

Wow. I hadn't heard that before. Thanx for sending those links...
I'll have to read the NAS study.
I had heard about the missing survey and the Mary Roth thing but it
didn't sound as damning without the details.

 

You are the Russian woman from the James Bond film and I claim my five
free licenses to kill.

--
Mike

SV650
UKRMMA#22
Skype: muddycat