# Driver swerves to hit motorcyclist **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 18, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050 "2015-10-18T21:28:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/81 "2015-10-20T22:26:45Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Unfortunately, that probably means nothing for the victims. ICU is damn expensive. > If the rider has uninsured motorist coverage, that should cover it. Ya, it’s a rare curmudgeon who’d wield an old POS and also carry a million $ in liability coverage. Un(der)insured Motorist coverage for the win. And a Law Tiger. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/82 "2015-10-20T23:00:37Z")
I wonder if the biker’s uninsured motorist coverage will be denied using the FXmapti defense? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/83 "2015-10-21T00:52:40Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > Emphasis mine. > > How do you lay a bike down? > > And why would you do so? I ask because you will stop quicker using your brakes and keeping two rubber wheels on the road than you can by sliding sideways on metal. Lock the back wheel, juke the bars a little, and let the whole thing slide from under you. Back in the day of drum brakes it was a more needed skill than it is today. Some of us would actually practice on dirt short of dumping it all the way; if we could find some serious rat bike, we would actually practice it all the way to the ground. As for why – mostly for those times when you know even perfect braking isn’t going to shed enough speed to bring you to a stop before impact. Rather than shoot head first over the hood, or into something solid, get the bike from under you and roll off to the side. In over 500k miles on two wheels I’ve had to do it twice but both of those times it saved me from a lot of more serious injury. In the case I mentioned, even if my braking had been perfect, I would have still hit him at 30mph and gone flying and I know I can roll better than I can land face first. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/84 "2015-10-21T01:31:46Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > No doubt in my mind this was an intentional act–no insurance protection for him! He pays his own defense costs and pays the judgment with no assistance from the insurance company. He is naked for the plaintiff wolves and I really hope he loses everything. If he’s really half as bad as he comes off in the video, he needs to be institutionalized for his own good, and for that of the community. Round here the insurance company must pay then recover from their client. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/85 "2015-10-21T01:42:05Z")
I am not a motorcyclist, but that move was just unacceptable. That jackass and people like him [deserve this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dONyv-Cwkoo) if they do stuff like that. Motorcyclists should just use their head! ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/86 "2015-10-21T15:36:10Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > Round here the insurance company must pay then recover from their client. even if it’s a criminal act, rather than just negligence? ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/87 "2015-10-22T03:05:52Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > even if it’s a criminal act, rather than just negligence? As I understand it…yes. For medical cost only ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/88 "2015-10-22T03:49:36Z")
This is probably a dumb question, but…will they be able to show the video at the trial? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/89 "2015-10-22T04:01:26Z")
Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/90 "2015-10-22T04:51:57Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > As I understand it…yes. > > For medical cost only I was under the impression that you can’t insure against your own criminal acts, but there must be some variation. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/91 "2015-10-22T21:50:54Z")
[quote=“Skywatcher, post:74, topic:735050”] [/QUOTE] Thanks. Rider locked his front brakes and went down. Seems very unintentional. Anyway, with a little less pressure on the front brake and by using the progressive braking technique taught by MSF, he wouldn’t have locked up and he would have stopped in plenty of time. No scratches on bike, none on him. And no decapitation either. Seems to me that about 9 out of 10 riders claiming that they “had” to lay the bike down did so unintentionally via a mistake in braking. I’m convinced that there are only _extremely_ rare situations where it would make sense to “lay a bike down” because you’re just basically giving up way too early, and guaranteeing that you and your bike are gonna get trashed. And rubber stops you much faster than metal skidding on pavement. I’d be glad to discuss more, in another thread if people are interested, so as not to hijack this thread any further. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2015, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/92 "2015-10-23T03:34:47Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > Thanks. > > Rider locked his front brakes and went down. Seems very unintentional. > > Anyway, with a little less pressure on the front brake and by using the progressive braking technique taught by MSF, he wouldn’t have locked up and he would have stopped in plenty of time. > > No scratches on bike, none on him. And no decapitation either. > > Seems to me that about 9 out of 10 riders claiming that they “had” to lay the bike down did so unintentionally via a mistake in braking. > > I’m convinced that there are only _extremely_ rare situations where it would make sense to “lay a bike down” because you’re just basically giving up way too early, and guaranteeing that you and your bike are gonna get trashed. > > And rubber stops you much faster than metal skidding on pavement. > > I’d be glad to discuss more, in another thread if people are interested, so as not to hijack this thread any further. Yeah, this. Laying down a bike is yet another piece of biker-lore that has basically no factual evidence behind it. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050/93 "2015-10-23T03:56:40Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > Yeah, this. Laying down a bike is yet another piece of biker-lore that has basically no factual evidence behind it. Well, the potential difference in injuries between a high side and a low side is probably pretty well established, even if laying it down isn’t, and I concur that modern brakes are different. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-swerves-to-hit-motorcyclist/735050.md?page=4)