what can be learned from yesterdays cali multi fatal crash?

Please read more into it. The driver passed all sobriety tests. The officer "thought" he smelled faintly of alcohol and then gave him a blood alcohol test which he passed.

Quote from local paper:

"The blood-alcohol test done on Ramirez came back negative and showed no alcohol in his system, said CHP Officer Pablo Torrez. The test was done after officers said he smelled faintly of alcohol".

If you have ever driven in the desert, you would realize that the shoulders can be very soft (sand many times or loose dirt) and tricky especially if you are driving at speed. The car that made the unsafe pass (civic) made the oncoming driver make the judgement of driving off the road in order to avoid colliding with either the oncoming car, or bikes. Unfortunately, the driver lost control in the process and his car went out of control into the motorcycles. Sadly, killing and injuring many.

I my heart goes out to them and their families. They did not deserve what they got, however, life is a gamble, and we never know what day will be our last. I will saw that motorcycles in large joins do present a danger in themselves. If you would see the size and number of them out west, and the way that they ride, you may agree. I am just saying that they are ways to possibly reduce the danger if you make room for others on the road, and do not just clog it up as you own the place.

 

I'm glad he was not drunk. It's bad enough that he lost his wife and has to live with that, plus the deaths of the four motorcyclists and injuries to others. He, too, was an innocent party to all this. I hope they catch the guy who did this. What a tragedy for all involved.

 

thanks for the replies.

i guess the executive summary for me is: be ever viligant, in groups and alone.

i did a HUGE charity ride many moons ago. hundreds of riders, police escorted, blocked intersections, etc. nobody was acting an ass, or pulling stupid stunts, but... i hated it within 2 miles. i did not enjoy putting my body or bike that close to so many others. i pulled out at the turnaround, and went in the other direction. i will gladly throw some coin at a worthy charity, but will not ride in that large a group again.

i have found in the past that riding in a small MC group, it is frequently easy to get caught up in the moment and ride in a manner that i probably would not ride if on my own. everyone says (and im sure intends) to take it easy and ride the pace that fits your skills and goals, but the dynamic of the group is all too easy to overwhelm good common sense.

my primary goal of MC riding is to have a good time, and to have my body and bike available for the next day.

this summers riding season here in atlanta has seen an abnormaly high number of MC fatalities. im sure that some may have been entirely UNavoidable. on the other hand- there was an especially tragic accident very close to me that i fear was not.


in contrast to the MC- on the bicycle, i enjoy nothing more than sticking my front wheel about 10mm off the wheel in front in a small group of about 3-6 riders that i know and trust their bike handling skills. a small peleton working well together rolling along at about 25-MPH is a true joy. i have no problem with this close prox and speed even though my only protective gear is a better helmet than my MC helmet.

 

came out of grocery 15 mins ago to find a guy laying in the middle of intersection.
looked like a blue sv-650 straight into the rear door of a left turner.
bike dead stopped, and he was at least 50 ft further down the road from bike.

several people were helping until EMS arrived in a very few short minutes later.
didnt see him move at all until EMS flipped him, and removed his helmet.
hopefully a good sign.

a red 5th gen came thru about then, and was shaking his head on the way thru.

 

Cars win every time, right or wrong.

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