I found this on another site, just a graphic view on what has happened to fellow bikers. One thing I'd like to say is that....when stopped, you may want to pull to the left/right side of the car in front of you (not directly on the side of it, but enough that you can move in between the gap if needed) and watch in your rear view mirror to avoid being smacked by a car. This way you'll be out of the speeding cars' way and they will most likely end up hitting the car and not you. In the below site, there are many photos of this type of accident.
http://home1.gte.net/res0ak9f/bike.htm

 

very informative website but its already been posted.

 

Oops! Oh well...didn't see it the first time...LOL!

 

Thats my biggest fear. I'm always looking in my mirror at traffic lights and I keep it in gear till a car stops behind me then I take it out of gear.

 

Agreed, the scenario where someone runs a light and plows into you from behind is the only one that seems almost completely out of the rider's control. If you were paying attention you might be able nail the gas to get out of the way, but you might run into someone else.

One thing I do to avoid this is to always move to one extreme edge of a lane when I'm the first to stop at a light. If I'm in the farthest right lane I'll stay to far left edge of the lane to allow people through that want to turn right and to give the guy that didn't see the red light room one side of me to squeeze through. If you are sitting right in the middle of the lane, chances are that the car is going to nail you.

 

It is good to watch at all times...and you can avoid being plowed into by the person behind you if your watching. If it comes to the worst, drop the bike...they will have to pay for the damage!

 

Why is it that only england had a good public service announcment for looking out for bikes, the Ohio one sucked i have never seen one here in cali i really wish they would do something my biggest fear while i am out riding is someone pulling out in front of me like in that one commercial. Everytime i am going to cross somewhere where there is a stop sign and a car sitting there i get nervous especially if some doush is on a cell.

 

Damn I hate seeing things like this! ...

I have to say the cellphone things the scariest, I cant wait till Michigan Ban's cellphone use without the use of Hands free devices.. Think they should go after those people more than targeting the seatbelts.. well at least the same. I've watched people drift across lanes and almost side swipe other cars on the express way... Had a guy blow threw a red light in the right lane while i was in the left.. He was on the cellphone!, I caught up to him.. flipped him off.. road rage? ya bet!. What happens if I would have decided to hit the lil party store up the road on the right.. he prolly would have smacked me, or God help him had a buddy of mine been in that lane!

NE way.. I agree, they need to saturate the networks with motorcycle awareness ads for at least a month straight. Sometimes it seems like going for a bike ride is no longer enjoyable but a fight to survive.

 

My biggest motivation to get mirrors back on my bike is getting hit from behind while stopped. I've had it happen to me before but I was in a car.

 

Brilliant! LOL!