Now let me ask you, "Why did the motorcyclist hit our left-front bumper instead of the passenger side of our car?"
Again, you know the answer to that question. New riders who have not, through practice, internalized the concept of counter-steering and use it instinctively, tend to NOT use it during a crisis. No rational thinking person would turn their motorcycles toward the front of a left-turning vehicle as in this scenario because that would result in hitting the vehicle at its front, AND being run over by the vehicle after the collision. They would, if possible, turn toward the rear of the left-turner.
But new, inexperienced, riders - having forgotten everything they ever 'knew' or had heard about counter-steering, would try to turn their handlebars to the left and find that the bike 'fights them' - simply will not go to the left. In fact, the harder they try, the more the bike turns to the right. The result, a collision with the front of our green car instead of merely a close call.
Oh, it doesn't really matter whether or not our car is green. Just as it is incorrect to assume that 'green' is the 'bad guy', so, too, is it incorrect to assume that the left-turner is at fault.
Rider errors killed this motorcyclist.
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A sad story, but one we can all learn from.
A week ago I was traveling along a twisty road along a river in Philly. Traffic was light and I was gunning it more than I should have. As I approached a curve I pressed on the left handle bar and turned into the curve, but as the turn tightened my eyes locked on the line of the other lane and over the line I went. I rolled back on the throttle, straighten the scooter a little and leaned back into my lane. Shaken by the experience I gave myself an 'F' for that ride, and it took me a few days to figure out that I suffered from 'target fixation' in that incident, despite a good counter-steering maneuver I wasn't looking down the road and into my curve.
I've since returned to the same drive and now actively practice looking down the road and into the turn along with counter-steering.
Oswaldters and Wordslinger I think both of you got it right regarding the rider being in the blind spot of the car in front of him.
Looks like the next mystery is yours to post.
-Wolf
