Total Motorcycle Community Forums

OK, here's the scenerio; I just came out of a local motorcycle mega-store that is located in an old grocery store. I walked to my truck and prepared to leave. This is one of those stores that has a parking lot that holds 500 cars and there were about 15 cars parked there. My truck is a 1 ton dually so I usually park farther out and walk. Anyway, I am preparing to leave and since there were no other cars parked near me I chose to drive across the empty parking lanes rather than follow the designated pathway.

I carefully looked to make sure there was no one else moving in any direction and the only person I saw was a rider in the process of mounting his bike at the front of the store, which by now is about 75 yards away from me. He was still putting on his helmet when I started to move so I proceeded to angle my way toward the exit. After crossing one or two parking lanes I noticed out of my perpheral vision, and coming out of my nearly right side blind spot, a yellow crotch rocket speeding down the lane that I am about to cross. I hit the brakes and he whiz's by, apparently not even seeing me, which is hard to believe; my 1 ton is somewhat bigger than a breadbox and was the only object for the surrounding 50 yards. It was the guy who had just been putting his helmet on. If I had hit the gas instead of the brake we would have certainly hit.

Now there's no question that I was in the wrong since I was not following the designated lanes in the parking area, but I doubt that the bike rider would have been comforted by knowing he had the right-of-way as he would lay on the pavement looking at the sky. I am a long-time rider and I hope that I am more aware of motorcycle traffic than most cagers, but I found this incident pretty scary; this guy almost bought it in a mostly empty parking lot. He must have been going at least 30mph when he passed in front of me. I hope that as a rider I would have

1) not assumed that everyone else knew where I was, and
2) relinqished my right-of-way to avoid a potentially deadly situation

Luck was with both of us today, but I'm thinking that even though he had the right-of-way he was more responsible for advancing a dangerous situation than I was.

JR

JR, good time to reflect on it - that can happen pretty fast. This is a great example of seeing it from the other's perspective. Like you said, the guy was right as rain having the right away, but he could have easily been hit. Thank goodness you were aware enough.

As for the driving across the lot - well, I'm not a fan of it and I don't do it for the reason its a good way to get tangled up. But you're an adult

Going 30mph in a parking lot is insane too.

Both of you were taking chances.

LOL! I had the opposite thing happen... Although I took and passed the BRC last year, I just bought my bike a couple months ago. So, knowing I was rusty, I headed to the local parking lot to practice clutch work, shifting, figure 8s, etc.

I'm in the almost empty lot at about 7am, taking up a space maybe 4 spaces wide and 2 spaces deep. Anyway, I'm coming out of a figure 8 when out of no where, I see this car, cutting across the lanes, coming directly at me! I slammed on the brakes. But, Girlfriend clearly didn't see me 'cause she keeps going a while and then slams on her brakes about 5 feet short of me! Then she just pulls into the space in the next row! Again, the lot is almost totally empty!!!

Like you say - we were both in the wrong. But, that was my last day practicing in the parking lot.

sounds like a comedy of errors with nothing but the potential of a lose lose ending. While admittedly wrong, good for you for exercising good judgement to pull out of the nose dive from hell instead of getting caught up in the one upmanship p*ssing contest.

Ordinarily, cutting thru a carpark that's pretty much empty would not be a problem...it was just that D-H on the bike that caused the situation.
He should be more aware....of, well....everything!

People cut through lots all the time. Some are pertty freaky and cut through open spots in a nearly full lot! Some are cautious and creep across like you did - even in a nearly empty lot.

Some parking lots are hard to navigate (by design, I think) and when they are empty it is likely that people aren't going to follow the lines on the pavement.

And people in cars, not only people riding crotch rockets, fling themselves across parking lots at 30 mph or greater.

All I can say is apparently, today wasn't a good day to die.

There was a rider on the road at night going to a supermarket that I didn't see as he made a left turn across my lane...

It wasn't an accident, not even really a near miss I think because he put a little lead in to it.

Right now, though I can think of nothing worse than hitting another rider when I believe I should know better. It doesn't even matter what the circumstance are... I don't want to be 'that' guy.

RhadamYgg

Thirty nine years ago I hit a kid with a car. You are right you don't ever want to know what it feels like. I was lucky as the kid was not really hurt and there was not anything that I could have done different. But that first few seconds after he disappeared under the front of my car is something that will never leave me. I too cut across parking lots both in the car and on my bike but to be honest I am more afraid in a parking lot than any place else. It is like everyone left their brains at home.