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U-Turn cars... how to handle!

VroomVroomVroom

VroomVroomVroom

Active member
Joined
Feb 5, 2004
Location
san jose
Moto(s)
'19 Street Triple R, Tuono660, Guzzi V85, etc...
Name
Gino
I don't see a discussion or thread on the "U-Turn" cars out on the scenic highways!
These are clueless and sometimes lost individuals very dangerous to the "sport biking" mindset on a curvy road!
Last I saw it was always illegal to make a U-Turn on a double yellow marked road!
Car drivers and others bending these rules can have grave consequences!
Sure, I'm guilty of doing it myself! Just something you don't want to have to avoid if you might happen to be riding a little too "sporty"! :nchantr

(don't worry, I'm just "venting" a bit after a white knuckle moment out yesterday!)

:ride
 
How to handle them?

Slow down. More time and room to react.

Can they be lethal no matter the speed? Sure, to a point. But they're called "blind curves" for a reason, best to treat them as such.

We're told at night to not overdrive our headlights, during the day, shouldn't overdrive our sight lines.
 
I've lost 3 friends to Crazy Ivans. If you're going to make a U-turn across traffic, do it SAFELY please.

One was a friend commuting to work on a country road- old F150 makes a right turn with no signal, my friend continues on, only for the F150 to be making a U by swinging wide into the intersecting roadway and flipping back around- my buddy broadsides him at 75mph and dies of his injuries.

Another is the exact same story, except my other buddy was able to evade the truck's rear bumper by a few inches, only to find the bar ditch on the far side of the intersection at speed- he also died of his injuries.

A third is in the city, when a car pulled off to the right and stopped in parking spaces, only to flip a U directly into my friend's path, causing them to impact their front wheel well, superman across their hood, and eat the concrete at 40mph- she also died of her injuries.

Fuck Crazy Ivans. Drive with regard for the lives of others, even if it takes more of your time and effort to do so.
 
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Oh man... Sad to read that Dan :rose

I have seen enough of it to confirm that humans can be really stupid. I stand by my thought of it is impossible not to out ride your sightlines if riding sporty in the hills/mountains, but slowing will give a longer one.

Glad you are good Gino.
 
Yea, sorry to hear about your friends Dan.

And it doesn't help when you have the infinite sightline and the drivers turning into you don't, or simply choose not to use them.
 
Damn Dan that’s a bunch of shitty drivers and awful luck. I think we’ve all seen that kind of idiocy out there. My condolences.
 
I should have been a little more ready for the possible encounter for sure! U-turn cars are not all that different than a deer or other animal jumping out in front of you! Luckily I was able to miss that rear bumper going toward the right hand side of the road! Otherwise it could have been full on Superman ejection!

I'd never heard to U-turn cars as "crazy Ivans"... but, it does fit well!

as for "how to handle" them - you have either going to the left or the right or trying to stop in time! choose wisely!
 
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VroomVroomVroom said:
I should have been a little more ready for the possible encounter for sure! U-turn cars are not all that different than a deer or other animal jumping out in front of you! Luckily I was able to miss that rear bumper going toward the right hand side of the road! Otherwise it could have been full on Superman ejection!

I'd never heard to U-turn cars as "crazy Ivans"... but, it does fit well!

as for "how to handle" them - you have either going to the left or the right or trying to stop in time! choose wisely!
Click to expand...

[YOUTUBE]DRUpAipGu5w[/YOUTUBE]
 
"you have either going to the left or the right or trying to stop in time! choose wisely!"

Choose wisely indeed. U-turners do not use blinkers. Like encountering a deer on the road, one cannot anticipate if it is going left or right. It is best to scrub off speed and wait for the situation to develop before committing to pass. At places such as the beach parking areas on Cabrillo highway or Castle Rock state park parking areas on Skyline Blvd., cars appear to pull over to the right side only to whip itself into a U-turn. It is a bad day for anyone who attempts to pass on its left. That initial car move to the right is not pulling over, it is actually a move to buy itself space for the U-turn.
 
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"crazy ivan" is so named from the novel/movie "the hunt for red october" as described as a tactic for a (soviet) sub to detect a chasing (us navy) sub by randomly making a 180 turn to see if there is any detectable evasive manoevers reaction
Personally, it has been the cause of one of my collisions and several close calls , also.
 
I had a CHP do it to me once, obviously was not fatal but I had to clean out my shorts later. Message being, it's a maneuver that can come from anywhere.
 
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