Motorcycle Traffic Safety 2 🏍

[@MrVinnyable1]

I am so glad, you are digging into safety and sharing your insights. Not many bike vbloggers go into it practically from a FPV.

[@BackRoadBikerChuck]

Thank you! I appreciate that. Safety and communication on the road is so important. 💙🙏🏻

[@BackRoadBikerChuck]

Since I made this video last year, the laws in Arizona have changed. Now, lane filtering (lane splitting) has become legal in Arizona. You are now allowed to ride your motorcycle up to 15mph in-between lanes of stopped traffic. Not sure how this is going to affect e-scooters, but I thought it was worth a mention.

[@weemark67]

Very informative video. I can’t believe that lorries are are emptied in the middle of a highway. Surely very dangerous. Good that you got eye contact, from the forklift driver. But, has he then, gotta cross over the road with his load. E scooters are great idea, much fun. Totally agree with your comments. Here in UK, I believe you should have insurance. I haven’t looked into this, so can’t comment further. I did here of a fast food delivery guy using one, in the city. The local, police charged him, and confiscated his expensive scooter

[@BackRoadBikerChuck]

Thanks, Mark! So many variations of traffic laws relating to these e-scooters. Thanks for sharing that story. Yes, that forklift driver did have to cross lanes of traffic to get to where he was going. To be clear, the trucks in this video were not on the highway. This was a side street off of the main highway. But these 18-wheelers DO park in the middle lane of the highway running through town. I see it often. Thanks again! 💙🙏🏼

[@ShesShiftingGears]

Awesome video, Chuck. Thanks for the proactive defensive riding reminders! I have encountered electric scooters coming straight towards me the wrong way on a one way street. I am not a fan of them sharing the road.

[@BackRoadBikerChuck]

Thanks, Jordan! Ya, the e-scooter issue is tough. I love them, I think they're so cool, but when you throw an unregulated vehicle on the road with cars and trucks, it's just begging for complicated accidents. These are vehicles (at least in Arizona) where you are NOT required to have any insurance or training. Which, to me, translates into no responsibility. Another issue I'm dealing with are the "Onewheels". I've been almost hit by people riding these things down sidewalks while I'm coming out of parking lots and driveways. I'm not saying that everyone who rides these things are irresponsible, but I've experienced a crazy lack of respect for safety from the riders that I've almost hit. Thanks again for watching! 💙 🙏🏼

[@ShesShiftingGears]

@@BackRoadBikerChuck I’ve yet to encounter a one-wheeler on the road, but there are some electric skateboards around Charlotte NC that I watch for like deer because they have a tendency to dash across the street diagonally.

[@GeraldGarcia]

Thank you, one can't have too much riding safety vids. I make it a point to occasionally do refreshers by watching riding safety videos with my favorite being MC Rider. Oh and interesting stuff about you being a traffic reporter previously. No wonder you have "broadcast quality" voice and diction.

[@BackRoadBikerChuck]

Thanks again, Gerald for the kind words! Yes, you can't do too much safety training for a motorcycle. And, once you float 200 feet above rush hour traffic and watch people making stupid decisions that change their lives - and the lives of the people around them - you can't help but change your own behavior on the road.

[@genegoodwin8925]

All good advice for motorcycle safety. There is another time to ride in position 3. When riding on a two lane road with two ways traffic. If you ride in position 1 or 2 and somebody coming toward you thinks about passing the vehicle in front of them they can't see you until they pull out into your lane. Many times they see the approaching motorcycle when it hits the hood of their car. If you are riding in position three they can see you much earlier and you can see them earlier. Another thing I experienced was in Kentucky while riding on a multiple lane road. I was in a hurry (always bad on a bike) and following a van too close. The traffic in the right lane was traveling very slow and people wanted to pass a pickup that was hauling scrap. When I got side by side with a SUV they decided to come over into my lane. Their mirror missed my handlebar by just two or three inches. I was shaken to say the least. But this was my fault. The driver of the SUV couldn't see me because I was hid behind the van I was following. Once again I was following too close. When the driver of the SUV saw what she thought was an opening, she went for it. It was NOT her fault. Luckily we missed each other and there was no crash. All I could do at the time was squeal like a little girl.

[@BackRoadBikerChuck]

Great story, thank you so much for sharing! Yeah, every time I get on the bike I tell myself that I’m not in any hurry at all. So important. Thanks again! 💙🙏🏻

[@stevied6286]

Now I'm liking that you are spotting hazards well in advance an planning for the possibility of reduced visibility for other drivers, but here in the UK, a green light that has been green for such an approach distance , may be about to change and that plus the van blocking both your vision and the forward vision issue would have had me easing off the speed slightly because seeing and being aware of multiple dangers should trigger some pre-preparation but you seem to sail through without backing off the throttle at all..same with the unloading truck..the fork lift driver saw u and u saw him but you had no clue when passing the truck if the driver was having a smoke in the relative safety of the road directly in front of it and I think just easing off a little would have been my instinct ..as for the scooter we don't have that problem out of towns and they are much much ( 15mph ) slower but give him more space like you would a cyclist or a kid on a bike, perhaps even shift lanes ..it's just another Hazard to deal with and being aware of it is the most important thing, followed by the " what if" followed by " appropriate action" . I like that you have worries about the insurance etc but that needs to register the need for more prevention measures like giving him a whole lane so if he does come off or swerve suddenly you have the extra space and time to avoid an accident.just a few of my own observations and I enjoy your videos and own the same bike after 50 years of missile machines, Choppers & Cruisers and the Meteor makes me smile like I did at 16 when I started riding!

[@BackRoadBikerChuck]

Wow! Great feedback. Thank you so much for all of your thoughts. Yes, I was amazed at how fast the scooter was going. And, being a safety gear guy, I’m extremely surprised that he was wearing none at all. You just have to do a quick Search online to see videos on how easily these scooters hit the ground with the slightest bump or twist of the handlebars. We all know how hard it is being passed by an 18 wheeler while riding a motorcycle. I can only imagine that a big truck could easily blow a scooter right over. Anyway, thanks again for the great feedback. Congratulations on your Meteor! 💙🙏🏻

[@MD-MC]

Good points you've made about the e-scooters. I find them a bit sketchy and have seen some footage of some scary wipe-outs. I never really thought about liability on the part of the e-scooter rider. It's definitely something that needs to be addressed in some way. I'm with you on the freedom thing but as motorcycle riders we're required to be licensed and carry insurance. What's the answer?

[@marsoelflaco5722]

I understand your feelings about motorized scooters. Perhaps scooter operators should, at the very least, be required to follow the same laws as bicyclists. Maybe some regulations, as well as licensing, registration/insurance, would required based on the top speed/power of the scooter. I'm not big into making more laws and limiting freedoms, but stupid people and their irresponsible/careless actions ruin things for everyone.✌🏽

[@BackRoadBikerChuck]

I hear ya! I don't want more government involvement in me driving down the road, but if one of these guys falls over in front of me, then I'm running over him and that would be pretty terrible.

[@davidgalt8107]

IMHO, electric scooters are a menace! As you state, riders are not required to undergo any training and as shown in the video, can mix willy-nilly with traffic on the highway at highway speeds. They, and their riders should be licenced.

[@BackRoadBikerChuck]

Thanks, David! Ya, this is such a polarized issue. Again, I'm not a fan of the government stepping in to regulate every little thing we do, but this is a safety issue - for them and for me. If you're on the road next to me, I want to know that you have had some training, or that you're at least aware of the traffic laws that are in place to keep all of us safe - or at least make our movements predictable. I keep seeing what looks like a 12-year-old boy riding on the streets in my town - clearly with other cars around him. If I had a scooter like that when I was 12, I would have LOVED the freedom it provided me! But, I watch him move through traffic and I pray that he makes it to an age where he can get a driver's license. Thanks for the comment, David! 💙 🙏🏼

[@PhilipBallGarry]

In the UK electric scooters can be a menace at times. But only because our government hasn't been quick enough to regulate their type and use or publish any public safety information or attempt to educate riders appropriately. So, for now they remain illegal for use anywhere other than private land. This doesn't stop people from owning and riding them though and they remain largely unchallenged by Police. The exception to this is the trial rental schemes adopted by some cities where it's possible to hire an electric scooter and this is properly organised and regulated. Also, because legislation has been so slow, it's allowed many different types of electric scooter to evolve. There seems to be a very wide range of types around varying in size, power and speed (and some which might be lethal). But this is what happens when you're too slow to get your ducks in a row for something which could easily be an accepted (and safe) alternative transport solution.

[@hondaryder3779]

Those e-scooters are not aloud on dutch roads, and we have a bicycle path infrastructure. With the exception for 'bijzondere bromfiets': basicly an e-mini moped, max 25 kmh, moped licence, insurance, EU tested. If you are caught on the public roads with an illegal one, it is confiscated and destroyed. When they first came out, a cop show filmed one being taken from a Young kid. The kid cried his eyes out and public outrage followed. That cop probably saved his life, his parents were spoken to, if i can find the clip i'll link it.

[@BackRoadBikerChuck]

Thanks for the information! These e-scooters are such an interesting topic. The laws for them vary so radically in different parts of the world. Thanks for watching! 💙🙏🏼

[@robertadams4415]

Not a good idea

[@BackRoadBikerChuck]

E-scooters in traffic are not a good idea? OK, thanks for your input! What part of the world do you live in?