Close call (Video)

Doesn't look like any ramp. Just a section of divided highway. Bike approached slower vehicle, signaled, made lane change and then the car signaled and changed lanes into his lane. Yes, the bike could have braked hard and let the car cut him off.

Brake hard? The closing speed was negligible until rider grabbed a hand full while still behind. Never mind cut off, the rider rode into the eye of the storm.

Riceburner said:

Doesn't look like any ramp. Just a section of divided highway. Bike approached slower vehicle, signaled, made lane change and then the car signaled and changed lanes into his lane. Yes, the bike could have braked hard and let the car cut him off.

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If that's the case, then everyone was in the wrong lane, including Kiwi. To me it looked like a section of four lane. That usually means that one lane is coming on and/or one lane going off. There aren't many sections where it's just straight four lanes near the GTA. Anyway, what the car was going to do was very easy to predict, and the bike much less so. I've seen people drive like that, but it's usually the road that's twisty, rather than their route, trying to use cars and trucks as chicanes.

Baggsy said:

If that's the case, then everyone was in the wrong lane, including Kiwi. To me it looked like a section of four lane. That usually means that one lane is coming on and/or one lane going off. There aren't many sections where it's just straight four lanes near the GTA. Anyway, what the car was going to do was very easy to predict, and the bike much less so. I've seen people drive like that, but it's usually the road that's twisty, rather than their route, trying to use cars and trucks as chicanes.

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Hi Guys, let me explain where this is. This is in the East bound lanes just past the DVP/401 interchange on the 401.
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/On...0!3m1!1s0x89d4d28ab0336a01:0xb6b03c3ec6ec293b

There are two express lanes from the collectors that merge into the 401 Express. Traffic was around 110-120km (yes those trucks were moving it) and I was actually trying to move across to the far right lane to move away from the line of trucks - I hate driving/riding next to tractor trailers. I noticed the car and bike coming up fast in the far right lane so waited for them to move by before I changed lanes. My editing of the video doesn't show this.

The funny thing was the discussion in the car - my wife exclaimed that the driver pulled out in front of the bike while I actually said the rider shouldn't really have gone (well, I wouldn't have with the tractor trailer right next to me ) - but its hard to tell.. If I was the rider it would have been a spit-second decision.. If I braked.. I'd be worried the car behind me may hit me so taking the gap in front is maybe a better choice.. especially if you have the acceleration power. I know there's a mantra of "if in doubt, accelerate" and usually I've found that's the better option...

ZX600 said:

I think the rider knew exactly what he was doing, he saw the car coming into the lane and judged he had enough space if he accelerated, I have done it a few times. Sometime it is safer to do that then to brake to allow the car in and be rear ended by another car. Once you do something you need to commit as the sudden change can confuse the drivers behind.

It might not look safe but the person in control of the bike knows best in this case.

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I totally agree with you there. Been in similar situations..

So speed wise, the bike was prolly doing at least a buck forty headlong into the traffic, most likely from the inside lane that just ended? I've done similar things before, and gotten boxed in where I'd had to power out, hopefully he analyzed the situation afterwards, and realized what he'd done wrong.