Just avoid them if you can. They are death traps.
This has been bugging me for two days now so here goes:
I was at a nearby strip mall the other day in the jeep. (sorry, no motorcycle riding on snow+ice+sand+idiot cager country) Everything was normal with cages, pedestrians, stop signs, etc. A guy in a little cage was in front of me toodling along on the road between the businesses and the parking lot. He turned on his right signal and started to slow so he could turn into the parking row. No big deal, all normal and totally expected and actually behaving better than most drivers lately - he wasn't even using a cellphone either! Just as he got to the point where he would make the turn to the right, he turned his head to the right, slowed further as expected...then without warning, violently yanked his steering wheel hard left then turned right to go into the parking row. I was far enough back to not be at risk and I still instinctively left 4 black marks on the pavement.
During the sudden left turn bit, he went completely into the opposite direction traffic lane. The problem is that there was an innocent cage coming the other way and about 20 feet ahead of him when he yanked the steering wheel. Instant 25-30mph closure rate head on yard sale. Impact occurred just as he started back to the right to cross in front of me. There was absolutely nothing the opposite direction cage could have done to avoid the collision.
Once the police got there, Mr Kamikaze was claiming it was not his fault and the other driver was the cause of the crash. Nevermind that all the wreckage was blatantly in the oncoming traffic lane... When asked, I told the officer what happened and Kamikaze got seriously PO'd at me. According to Kamikaze, you MUST turn left some to go right or you will hit your rear wheel on the curb and there was no way to make that turn without going left like he had to do. Seriously? Seriously? And when did "turn left some" mean completely into the oncoming traffic lane?
What is going on? Where are cagers getting their stupid driving skills from?
I've noticed an increasing trend over the last couple years of cagers making opposite direction turns just before making the turn they intend to do. It use to be a squiggle in their own lane. Then they started crossing the traffic lane line markings. They now will use 1/4 to 1/2 of the lane next to them before making the turn. They do this for right and left turns even when it's a typical wide left turn. There is no way a dinky little cage will come anywhere near the curb during those turns so there is absolutely no reason to go wide at all. I've been swerving to avoid side impacts a lot in the last few months and it's really getting on my nerves.
Seriously, I regularly make those same right turns in the motorhome pulling the trailer (8 feet wide and 41 feet long) without having to go wide and without hitting the curb...yet dinky little short wheel base cages supposedly can't?
Yes, I do sometimes have to go wide or use part of the other lane on the road I'm turning onto however I am also 3 feet wider and almost 3 times the length of your average cage. And I STILL don't have to do it most of the time including when the teeny cage in front of me goes wide.
Lesson of the day: I don't know. How do you even attempt to avoid that kind of situation? ATGATT is the only realistic survival option I can think of. Maybe ride on the sidewalks. Whatever you do, be bloody careful anywhere near parking lots.
