FILTERING: it’s a tricky task to do safely but is one of those things that gets easier the more you do it. One thing’s for sure, this chap happily riding around downtown Singapore didn’t expect his exercise in relaxed filtering to end up with his head between the back axles of a HGV!
The video, which is filmed from the rear window of another vehicle, shows a motorcyclist on what appears to be a Honda Hornet (I’m open to being corrected on that) minding his own business and making progress through the busy city centre traffic.
Mercedes driver almost got motorist killed under truck from r/watchpeoplesurvive
All seems to be going well until the rider leaves an inviting, Mercedes sized gap to his right as he maintains his course along the white line that splits the lanes. It’s not clear exactly what it is that causes the Merc’ driver not to see the rider as they drive into the gap left by the rider but seems not to see the casually clad biker and nudge the back wheel of the bike with the front bumper of the German whip.
With a tumble the rider drops the bike and falls to his left, just missing the double rear axles of a giant tipper wagon that’s in the lane next to him. It looks as though if he’d come off a second earlier, the outcome could have been very different.
It’s no surprise that I lay the blame for this one squarely in the lap of the Mercedes driver, but I do think that there are a couple of things the biker could have done to try and prevent it from happening.
First off, the road positioning of the bike is crap. He’s neither filtering nor waiting in traffic but kind of floating in between. The problem here is that the position you take in the road should give other road users some indication of what you are about to do.
Secondly, the driver of the car might not be able to see him for a few reasons. The underpass is dark and with no hi-viz clothing the biker might not have been the most obvious obstacle next to the towering wagon. The motorcyclists might also have been partially obscured by the ‘A’ pillar of the car – which on a Merc of that year and style would probably be filled with speakers and airbags making it quite a bulky chunk of metal to see through.
What would I have done in this situation? I’d have moved into the middle of the lane in front of the Mercedes and maintain a gap ahead. If the path in front is blocked and filtering is not possible, I’d pull my bike to the centre of the lane where:
A. I’m easily spotted
B. It’s clear and evident that I’m not currently filtering and just waiting with the rest of the traffic.
The key is to leave a big enough gap in front that should the shit go down behind, I’ve got a spot of breathing space to try and a make good my escape.
What would you have done in this situation? Let us know in the comments below.
