people turning left in front of you

[The549]

Good job getting out of that! I too think it's hard to know what to do; you can always go slower. I always have my hand over my brake.

[darsek]

Yeah, I read about waggling the front end around a little to catch their attention...it seems to work allright just so you're still cautious. I have been very lucky with the left turners so far though. My trouble is with the last second/not indicating lane changers, they like to try to change lanes right into me as I'm trying to pass.

[rugaluga]

PlEASE RIDE WITH YOUR HIGH BEAMS ON !!! There still people that will cut you off but trust me I notice a steady decline when my brights are on.. DId you take an MSF course? One of the first things that is taught..
Be safe!

[KingRobb]

I make a point to check out the oncoming dirvers hands on the steering wheel as I approach....most people put there hands on top right before they turn...any movement from there is RED ALERT!

[Ian522]

I always ride with my high beam on, and whenever I come up to a left turning cage at an intersection...I do the zig zag motion until I notice the driver making eye contact with me. They usually look at you like you are some sort of maniac, but it seems to work.

[flw]

In addition to the high beams, if no one is in front of me, I will tap my horn a couple times before the intersection. Just a quick beep, beep.

I have no proof if it helps but I know for a fact it does not hurt my visibility. I have had people ready to turn in front of me, suddenly look at me instead of somewhere where they wanted to go.

[Flting Duck]

+1 on the little zig-zag move

I used to ride with my high beam on during the day - but after cops told me not to on two oseparate ccasions, I stopped doing so. I don't like headlight modulators but I did add headlight relays and upgrade to an 80/85W Xenon suprwhite bulb - this greatly reduced the number of cars that don't see me.

White helmets are very visible - my theory is that it's becaause cops usually have white helmets and a lot of people keep their eyes out for cops - even subconciously.

Making supposed "eye contact" with drivers guarantees nothing. If you think they see you it may just be that they are looking right at you and not seeing you. Remember, car drivers expect to see cars, not motorcycles.

The best way to know what a car will do is to watch the front wheels and, if possible, what the drivers hands are doing on the steering wheel.

Don't just be on the lookout for cars turning left in front of you, motorcycles will do it too - though not as often but it can and will happen.

Good job on being alert and avoiding an accident.

[Lion_Lady]

PlEASE RIDE WITH YOUR HIGH BEAMS ON !!! There still people that will cut you off but trust me I notice a steady decline when my brights are on.. DId you take an MSF course? One of the first things that is taught..
Be safe!

Please consider how BRIGHT your highbeam is, and how it is aimed, before you decide to do this. I HATE it when a motorcycle comes up behind me with their brights ON and aimed at my rearview mirror. The brakelight modulator is definitely a good idea.

A better option is to add a PAIR of lights (lower down on the forks) for instance, that will create a triangle. It causes a 'whazzat?' response in drivers and they'll pause long enough to SEE you. Motolights is a package option, but they run about $300. I've got a pair of PIAA's from Ebay mounted with $8 worth of hardware from Home Depot. Hubby has $15 fog lights from Walmart mounted similarly.

To a car driver, a single headlight could either be a PAIR of headlights (car) very far away, or a motorcycle.

P

[Flting Duck]

Yellow add-on lights work well too - something different that causes drivers to take a second look - also good for rain and fog.

[flynrider]

Tortus,

Here's a little gem I picked up over the years, after someone had turned left in front of me for about the 100th time (you get used to it).

As you approach the intersection, watch the cage's front wheels. Most people will keep their wheels pointed straight ahead until just before they turn. If you see the wheels moving, you can expect the car to cut in front of you very shortly.

While this doesn't keep people from turning in front of you, it will give you the 1/2 second of advance warning you may need to avoid an accident. The technique has saved my butt countless times.

BTW - This isn't only applicable to left turning cages. Any time you're riding near a stopped vehicle (such as riding past one parked on the street), check out the front wheels. Before a car can turn in front of you, those wheels will have to turn.