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[ST] Crossing lines



I would be interested in the grass roots opinion of riders here in order to
gauge what sort of percentage would contemplate crossing the centre line to
make progress and under what circumstances and/or their feelings on this
issue.


The following is a powerful reason not to cross the line. But, on the other
hand, this particular road doesn't have a center painted on it, anyway.
Personally, I have been known to cross the center line, single or double,
but you just have to consider all the prevailing conditions to make the
decision when to do it or not. There is no rule that could apply to every
situation. Questions of why you're doing it; passing someone, straightening
out curves, what about oncoming traffic (speed, distance). Is there a blind
curve coming up? How far is it, how fast a corner is it? Basically, it comes
down to a little common sense and experience.
Bare


8/12/2002

Words Of Advice From A CHP Motorcycle Officer

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

This just in, via e-mail:

To the readers of this magazine:

I'm a CHP motor officer. Yesterday, I had to respond to a motorcycle
collision
on Glendora Ridge Rd. The dispatcher said it was a motorcycle verses a
sheriff's vehicle. When I arrived, I was painfully greeted with the sight of
a
totaled Ford Bronco, a broken 955 Daytona, and a dead young man in his full
leathers and boots.

He had been video taping himself with front and rear fairing mounted
cameras.
>From the footage, I was able to clearly see that he had been hitting all of
his
apexes. He was a decent rider who knew the road quite well. He wasn't riding
overly fast and wasn't stunting. Just out for a ride on a Sunday Morning.
Here lies the fatal mistake. The apexes that he was hitting, were on both
the
right and left side of the roadway. The last corner he saw was a left
hander.
It was a blind left hander. Unfortunately for him, a Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Bronco was coming up the hill in the opposite direction. The
Sheriff
was as far to the right as he could get before scraping the rock wall next
to
his right.

According to witness statements, the motorcycle rider was on the wrong side
of
the road and almost at the apex of this blind left hander, when he saw the
Bronco appear. He was headed straight for the hood of the truck. The rider
straightened the bike upright and got on the binders hard enough to go into
a
stoppie. Both he and the bike ended up on the roof of the Bronco and then
slid
back in front of it and onto the ground when the Sheriff stopped.
The two Sheriffs who were in the Bronco, tried for 15 minutes, until the
life
flight arrived with a paramedic. They were unsuccessful to save his life. He
probably died the instant his chest hit the Bronco's push bumper. The actual
cause of death is still pending the coroner's report.

Speed was not much of a contributing factor in this collision. The Daytona
was
probably traveling 40 to 50 mph and the Bronco was 20 to 25 mph. That's a
closing rate of 60 to 75 mph. With only 40 feet of visibility due to the
rock
wall on the inside of the corner, he did not have a chance to slow or swerve
enough to avoid the collision.

It's a very unfortunate thing that happened and a mistake that alot of us
have
made (me included). We are still here to talk about it though. Humans tend
to
learn from mistakes. Let's learn from other's mistakes before we have to
learn
the hard way! Don't make me respond to the scene of your collision and find
you
on the ground as I had to yesterday. I'm not trying to tell you to quit
having
fun with your motorcycle. I get on my 2000 gixer 750 and ride hard too! Just
think about the consequences and give yourself plenty of room to react to
your
mistakes and the mistakes of those you might encounter.

California Highway Patrol Motor Officer,
C. L. Gramm #15980



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