Safety

ISP-FL

600+ Posts
Mar 16, 2017
841
983
Lake Suzy, FL
Name
Joe
Yesterday I had to get out and deal with early morning traffic on my trike. I'm always twice as cautious at this time of day due to all the driver's on their phones, gal's applying last minute make-up, and generally just more idiots in a huge hurry. Many times in congested FL traffic I will ride with my left thumb on the horn button.

Was slowly moving forward in a double left turn lane when a pickup decided to change lanes into me. I have an aftermarket horn that sounds like an air horn, and that is the only thing that saved me. I got on the horn and at the same time got on some brake. Couldn't slam on the brakes because the moron behind me was about 3 feet from my bumper. Anyway, the excessively loud horn that I stayed on got the guy to get back into his lane.

I got to my appointment and on the way home I was on a 4-lane divided stretch of city road going about 60 in a 55 zone. The light was changing so I was coming to a stop. I was in the right lane and a gravel dump truck was in the left lane going a lot faster than me. I knew he was never going to be able to stop so I was watching him in my mirror. At the last second a SUV coming up behind me gunned it and swerved between me and the front of the dump truck, blowing through the red light. Of course right behind him the gravel truck blew threw the red light. The SUV probably missed the rear of my trike by less than 10 feet!

As much of a defensive rider as I have always been I certainly understand that there are situations that you cannot prevent. In my opinion it has gotten much worse in the last 10 years or so.
 
I had an inattentive/reckless driver attempt to commit suicide in front of me a few weeks ago. The driver blew through a red light crossing my path from my right. I was doing 45MPH and the other driver was going at least that fast. I had a direct path to plant my Buicks V6 in the lap of the offender. Anti-lock brakes and my ability to swerve under full braking was the only thing that saved a probable fatality. Crazies are driving among us. Stay safe..... Jim
 
Coming home yesterday from a doctor's appointment, I was about 100 feet from turning into the lot of my buddies shop, I was slowing down because the car in front of me was turning into the parking lot of a 7-11 store and a Mexican restaurant. I was doing abut 5 MPH and all of a sudden I felt my car going forward. I had been rearended by a 20 year old young lady driving a Jeep. I pulled ahead about 50 feet and pulled into the driveway of a Honda Repair shop. I stop and get out and the young lady pulled in behind me, jumped out of her car and came running up to me crying and saying she was sorry and shaking like a leaf blowing in a breeze. I was able to calm her down enough to get all of her information. She was probably doing about 35 MPH when she hit me. she had this big aftermarket bumper on the Jeep and it pushed the rear trunk lid on my Chevy Traverse in about 2 feet. Didn't do a thing to her bumper..
 
Hey Joe which aftermarket horn are you running?
Sorry for not posting a pic of it. My phone is not syncing with my computer for some reason. It is a Trombe horn, a model called Stebel. It is about the same size as the OEM and just as loud or maybe louder as any small air horn I have heard.

I had a mobile tech from over in central Florida install the horn and some LED lights a couple years ago. If I recall correctly he had to put a relay inline for the horn because it does draw some extra amps. It has worked perfectly and I love how loud it is.
 
Sorry for not posting a pic of it. My phone is not syncing with my computer for some reason. It is a Trombe horn, a model called Stebel. It is about the same size as the OEM and just as loud or maybe louder as any small air horn I have heard.

I had a mobile tech from over in central Florida install the horn and some LED lights a couple years ago. If I recall correctly he had to put a relay inline for the horn because it does draw some extra amps. It has worked perfectly and I love how loud it is.

I put dual air horns on my old Kawasaki Voyager 1200. They would wake the dead. One of the best accessories I ever added
 
Coming home yesterday from a doctor's appointment, I was about 100 feet from turning into the lot of my buddies shop, I was slowing down because the care in front of me was turning into the parking lot of a 7-11 store and a Mexican restaurant. I was doing abut 5 MPH and all of a sudden I felt my car going forward. I had been rearended by a 20 year old young lady driving a Jeep. I pulled ahead about 50 feet and pulled into the driveway of a Honda Repair shop. I stop and get out and the young lady pulled in behind me, jumped out of her car and came running up to me crying and saying she was sorry and shaking like a leaf blowing in a breeze. I was able to calm her down enough to get all of her information. She was probably doing about 35 MPH when she hit me. she had this big aftermarket bumper on the Jeep and it pushed the rear trunk lid on my Chevy Traverse in about 2 feet. Didn't do a thing to her bumper..
Well that sucks. Was she texting? Better the Traverse than the bike. Glad you are ok.
 
Damn Ray, you've had a run of bad luck the past 2 months. glad you're ok.
 
Wow. I think I've used my horn five times in three years. Always to wake a day dreamer up at a light. Don't usually have time to hit the horn button in a panic situation.
 
Ride'n with the same speed as the traffic does help a bit......... I find when in a hurry, we always drive faster than usual....
Why is it, that when there's a car drive'n slowly in front of you, you're cursing them, come on you jerk, go faster, BUT when a car passes you, you yell, slow down, you idiot........lol
"think" about what I just posted.....It's true!

Ronnie
10/10/24
 

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