I crashed my new Zero SR ZF-13.0 wreck got stolen :thumbdown

[W800]

Oh, I have a good one!

It has to do with deer.

Someone once told me that if you can miss a deer, at least aim for the their butts. The idea is that they MIGHT move our of your way. And if you aim for the front, they would have to move their whole body to get out of your way.

I once used this BTW and went right between two deers at 80MPH. Long time ago.

I kind of do the same thing with cars and trucks now - always aim for the back. Luckily I have been pretty good so far intuiting when they will get in front of me.

 

[ThinkFast]

...aim for the their butts. The idea is that they MIGHT move our of your way. And if you aim for the front, they would have to move their whole body to get out of your way.

I grew up in Wisconsin and started my roadracing there. They actually had a flag for deer on the track - a green and yellow John Deere flag. Honestly.

During the pre-race (or trackday) safety briefings, were always told to aim for the flank of a deer - the area behind the rib cage and ahead of the hind legs. This is a soft area and if you were going to hit the beast at speed, your best bet was to hit it there because you'd split it in half.

Don't believe me? Check this out.
[YOUTUBE]BCdvjjyssOk[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Enchanter]

Let’s bring this back to the original topic.

 

[W800]

During the pre-race (or trackday) safety briefings, were always told to aim for the flank of a deer - the area behind the rib cage and ahead of the hind legs. This is a soft area and if you were going to hit the beast at speed, your best bet was to hit it there because you'd split it in half.

Makes sense!

I wish cars and trucks had soft parts!!!

The OP hasn't come back in. I am curious as to any updates on everything.

 

[erensi]

Makes sense!

I wish cars and trucks had soft parts!!!

The OP hasn't come back in. I am curious as to any updates on everything.

I'm around and I follow the thread. No word on the missing bike yet. The full accident report is not available yet but I was able to get the first page which has the truck driver's insurance (Alliance United, subsidiary of Kemper) policy number. I called their claims line and described the accident. From here the case gets passed to a Claims Adjuster, who will contact me within a few days.

When I get back to riding I want to invest in a basic unobtrusive helmet camera. I cannot remember anything except approaching the vehicle, and then being on the ground and getting up.

Let’s bring this back to the original topic.

As for analysis, there's not a lot more to say. There might be some merit to analysis of proceedings in the aftermath of an accident. I will post updates.

 

[W800]

I'm around and I follow the thread. No word on the missing bike yet. The full accident report is not available yet but I was able to get the first page which has the truck driver's insurance (Alliance United, subsidiary of Kemper) policy number. I called their claims line and described the accident. From here the case gets passed to a Claims Adjuster, who will contact me within a few days.

When I get back to riding I want to invest in a basic unobtrusive helmet camera. I cannot remember anything except approaching the vehicle, and then being on the ground and getting up.


As for analysis, there's not a lot more to say. There might be some merit to analysis of proceedings in the aftermath of an accident. I will post updates.

 

[danate]

My take on the original crash is that as soon as I saw that intersection my internal red flags went off. An intersection like that typically makes me start covering or even applying the brakes, especially if there is a vehicle in the turning lane.

For left hand turners, swerving is not the most effective because both vehicles are moving at an angle to each other and it leaves too much possibility of them intersecting or the alternative of going into oncoming traffic.

Even going 40-50mph, most bikes can stop extremely fast if the ride is practiced. If a vehicle unexpectedly turned in front of me, I'd aim for a safe spot and maximum brake to try and prevent the collision point (most likely aim to come to a stop in the median area for the intersection depicted).

As usual, vision is the key here. You can't react to a situation until you see it. If you were going so fast that you didn't have time to react at all, then your speed was limiting your vision. If you were able to see it in time to react, then your decision making process comes into play. Being on a bike, we are always at the most risk and so having an immediate reaction of reducing speed and increasing buffer zone should always be your first step.

I'm glad you're relatively alright and sorry you had such a bummer of a day. Hopefully insurance gets you back on another Zero quickly!

 

[W800]

Even going 40-50mph, most bikes can stop extremely fast if the ride is practiced. If a vehicle unexpectedly turned in front of me, I'd aim for a safe spot and maximum brake to try and prevent the collision point (most likely aim to come to a stop in the median area for the intersection depicted).

. . .

I'm glad you're relatively alright and sorry you had such a bummer of a day. Hopefully insurance gets you back on another Zero quickly!

Amen!

I was just looking up perception+reaction times - and it looks like maybe a combined 1.5 seconds? So that's 45 feet @ 30MPH according to my really bad math.

I was riding a back road this last weekend and rounded a corner and saw a car waiting to turn on to the road. Luckily, they didn't turn - but had they turned, I would not have had enough time to even apply the brake. I was a back road that I travel all the time, and I thought I knew where all the driveways were - but I apparently missed one!!!

 

[Enchanter]

An easy way to connect perception / reaction and distance traveled in feet per second (fps) is to just remember 1.5

Perception (0.75sec) + reaction (0.75sec) = 1.5

Distance traveled in fps is approximately 1.5 x mph.

 

[W800]

An easy way to connect perception / reaction and distance traveled in feet per second (fps) is to just remember 1.5

Perception (0.75sec) + reaction (0.75sec) = 1.5

Distance traveled in fps is 1.5 x mph.

Thank you! Yes much easier. I literally took 100 feet, divided it by 2, then multiplied by 1.5.

Eeek!

 

[bojangle]

An easy way to connect perception / reaction and distance traveled in feet per second (fps) is to just remember 1.5

Perception (0.75sec) + reaction (0.75sec) = 1.5

Distance traveled in fps is approximately 1.5 x mph.

Yes, this! ^^^

So at a speed of 30 MPH, when one perceives a threat, they will have traveled about 66 feet before they even begin to brake, or take other evasive action. That is also assuming an ideal level of attention, which is not always the case. For every second delay at 30 MPH, add another 45 feet.

 

[erensi]

haha I haven't been on this forum for almost 2 years now. Just wanted to follow up. Since then I have gone through that intersection hundreds of times and thought about the crash every time. For clarity, the collision itself probably happened at less than 10mph because I was already braking.

It took me a year to get an insurance settlement. I received as much as the bike was worth and then some (not much) and my hospital fees were covered. I am ok with that. My bike was never recovered. I ended up buying another used 2016 Zero SR, which I still have and ride to this day with no more incidents.

One crazy thing I want to add is that I seem to have stumbled upon some insurance fraud but I haven't pursued it. When I looked at the medical bill, there was a $20000 charge for treating a "broken nose", which was the majority of the bill. I did not break my nose. I was wearing a helmet! I mentioned this a few times to people but over the year that it took for all of this to be settled, I got busy with other things and never got around to reporting it. I wonder if that happens a lot, and I will guess it does.

 

[afm199]

Agree with Enchanter in looking at what could have been done differently.

In my now sixty plus years of riding, I learned long ago that EVERY crash I was in had some element of involvement, if not culpability, on my part.

At intersections where there is a vehicle possibly going to make a left turn, I ASSUME that they will wait until I enter the intersection to do so. I trust no one, not even my mama, and expect the worst of everyone. Just consider every cage and truck driver to be a homicidal maniac that is waiting for you to stop paying attention.

Over the years, I have had maybe forty crashes, and walked away (sometimes barely) from all of them. Not one of them has been on the street with another vehicle, almost all on the track. I don't trust anyone on the street.