Treat Williams passed away after colliding with a car turning into his lane;

[p6x]

Quote

Vermont State Police provided an update Tuesday afternoon on the investigation into the collision Monday that resulted in the death of actor Treat Williams.

 

Just before 5 Monday afternoon state troopers were called to a car and motorcycle crash in the town of Dorset. The preliminary investigation indicates that a Honda Element driven by 35-year-old Ryan M. Koss of Pownal, Vermont, stopped, signaled and then turned into the path of a northbound Honda motorcycle operated by 71-year-old Treat Williams. Shaftsbury Barracks commander Lieutenant Steven Coote said Tuesday Williams was thrown from the motorcycle and suffered critical injuries.

This reminds me of a similar near miss that happened to me in May this year, when a pickup truck trailing a boat turned in front of me.

If a driver decides to turn into your lane because he did not see you, thought he had enough time to clear the road, you are in for a rough time....

This is when an airbag may have helped.  I have a TechAIR 5 which I only wore once. In this weather, it is just impossible to bear.

[gstallons]

Terrible news . 

[activpop]

When I took a MSF advanced course back in the eighties, they mentioned the most common scenario of a bike/auto crash is when the car driver turns left in front of an oncoming biker. Could be out of a street or driveway. The reason they gave is a driver turning left first looks both left and right, then proceeds when they dont see a car. Their mind is looking for a car, so it registers all clear even though a bike is coming, and they proceed with sometimes fatal results. In my opinion, if there is one defensive tactic to be aware of, it is this scenario to key in on. Staying alert all the time these days is so important because other drivers aren't. 

[audiomick]

You have to always assume that on-one else on the road has seen you.

[billgreenman1]

I think I read somewhere that the average driver's depth perception doesn't register the single headlight of a motorcycle as accurately as the two headlights of a car, and helps contribute to the frequency of the cross-lane T-bone. I've experienced this myself at night with both oncoming motorcycles and cars with a burnt out headlight! One of the bazillion "danger flags" that bubble through the cauldron of my safety zone thoughts while out on the road...

[ScuRoo]

Read an article once about actors who love riding motorcycles - the movie industry can’t stand the risks of stars getting killed mid production

Laurence Fishburne advised he lived by his mantra regarding motorcycle riders & cars having accidents…

It’s irrelevant who has the right of way - ‘it’s always your fault’ he was always calculating if car X does Y what was his escape route options going to be…

Ridden defensively ever since & when I don’t - accept the consequences of what could possibly happen as my fault ever since

Seems to have helped 😊 

[audiomick]

On 6/15/2023 at 12:05 PM, ScuRoo said:

... ‘it’s always your fault’ he was always calculating if car X does Y what was his escape route options going to be…

Yes, my thoughts are often very similar. And almost every time I get on the bike, the thought goes briefly through my head "it could happen today".

Doesn't put me off riding and loving it, but it helps keep me safe(r).

[gstallons]

4 hours ago, ScuRoo said:

Read an article once about actors who love riding motorcycles - the movie industry can’t stand the risks of stars getting killed mid production

Laurence Fishburne advised he lived by his mantra regarding motorcycle riders & cars having accidents…

It’s irrelevant who has the right of way - ‘it’s always your fault’ he was always calculating if car X does Y what was his escape route options going to be…

Ridden defensively ever since & when I don’t - accept the consequences of what could possibly happen as my fault ever since

Seems to have helped 😊 

I will never forget going up Hwy 127 into Jonesboro , Il. one afternoon and having TWO different cars pull out from TWO different side roads in front of me within 1000 ft of me. I remember wishing I had a  rocket launcher equipped to the SE .

 It's not a matter of "if" , it's a matter of "when" .

[p6x]

There is another factor that needs to be accounted for;

When I learned to drive in 70's, it was a big deal. I remember being always focused and determined and putting into good use all that I had learned at the driving school. In Europe, back then, you could only learn to drive with a dual command equipped vehicle, under supervision of someone trained to teach driving.

In the 80's, I joined a company which defined driving as the most dangerous task of our job. They implemented specif programs to enhance our driving skills. I was lucky to participate to some of these early programs, teaching us to drive cars in the bush, in the desert; later on, they hired drivers to take us to jobs.

But for everyone, they had a review system taking place every six months, no matter what. You would drive a car and your driving would be reviewed by a professional and rated. This included what they called a "commentary driving"; you would drive and describe all that you saw and did. Plus various online assessments.

Let's be honest here. Driving is no longer anything people consider as something that requires skills. They do it matter of fact, just like they breath. Parents teach their kids to drive, qualified or not.

As a result, the required amount of attention to execute the task has diminished. Nobody driving today puts in question their skills. Everyone is a good driver.

Distracted driving always existed; starting with the radios, cassettes, 8 tracks, CD players. Today, we have reached the apex of reckless driving since post Covid it appears people no longer feel the posted speed limits should concern them.

Even motorcyclists have communication systems now, that could deter them from being scanning danger.

Today, nobody cares about driving.

Possibly in the years to come, once auto-pilots equip every car, some of those accidents may not happen again. Until then, it is up to us to pay attention for those who don't.

[Speedfrog]

What @p6x said ^^^^^^^     Sad but true.

[mikev]

https://apnews.com/article/treat-williams-crash-charges-295323baf3980e6bb33930ebada0e444

[p6x]

On 8/2/2023 at 1:56 PM, mikev said:

https://apnews.com/article/treat-williams-crash-charges-295323baf3980e6bb33930ebada0e444

Terrible, but typical of today's driving.

As discussed already, the way people drive and behave is changing, and not for the better.

There seem to be no lesson learned gained from any of those accidents. We all hear about them, but still behave irresponsibly and keep destroying lives.

This one which happened in Florida is particularly horrible: https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2023/05/02/samantha-miller-jamie-lee-komoroski/

I am imagining how the families and the groom are left after this.

 

[audiomick]

Yes, a truly horrible thought.

 

Just as an aside, I'm surprised they are allowed to print a photo of the accused. I don't think that would be possible here. It certainly isn't done.

[p6x]

On 8/5/2023 at 3:14 PM, audiomick said:

Yes, a truly horrible thought.

 

Just as an aside, I'm surprised they are allowed to print a photo of the accused. I don't think that would be possible here. It certainly isn't done.

Same in France. No names, no photos.

[Randy]

On 6/15/2023 at 4:33 AM, billgreenman1 said:

I think I read somewhere that the average driver's depth perception doesn't register the single headlight of a motorcycle as accurately as the two headlights of a car, and helps contribute to the frequency of the cross-lane T-bone. I've experienced this myself at night with both oncoming motorcycles and cars with a burnt out headlight! One of the bazillion "danger flags" that bubble through the cauldron of my safety zone thoughts while out on the road...

They did some research on what type of lighting makes an oncoming bike most visible to cars. Turns out it's the bright yellow running lights. The pulsing headlights were actually sort of mesmerizing to the point they were ignored.