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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!godot!ima!ISM780!darryl
From: darryl@ISM780.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.cycle
Subject: Boxer engine safety feature?
Message-ID: <97@ISM780.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Feb-85 00:50:50 EST
Article-I.D.: ISM780.97
Posted: Wed Feb 20 00:50:50 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 24-Feb-85 03:32:04 EST
Lines: 32
Nf-ID: #N:ISM780:28300001:000:1639
Nf-From: ISM780!darryl    Feb 18 08:50:00 1985

[]

Well, here's another scare story to add to your collection.  I just had
an accident yesterday that will keep me thinking about street safety for
the next few weeks (at least).

The situation:  two bikes riding down a quiet, suburban side street.  Speed
is no more than 20 mph (maybe even 15).  A car pulls part way out of a
driveway, the car facing out, and stops for the lead bike.  The bikes are
no more than 20 or 30 feet apart.  The lead bike passes and the car proceeds
out and bashes the second bike (and rider).  The crash is very low speed,
so low in fact that the bike doesn't go down, I just get off and put it on
the stand and hobble to the curb.

I now have a chip off one of the bones in my ankle.  I go today to get a
cast.  Lots of fun.  Now I have about six weeks to think about the situation.
It's difficult to decide what I could have done to avoid this.  The driver
had come to a complete stop for the lead bike.  I was close enough behind
and going slow enough that I don't think I could have gotten out of the way.
I could have been watching the car more closely, but we were approaching
an intersection and I was looking at it for traffic (the driver had already
stopped and seen *US*, right?).  Oh well, maybe you can't be smart enough
to avoid them all.

I have to admit that my bike saved my leg.  My beemer's crash bar and
cylinder took the impact on the head (well, I have to maintain my sense
of humor here, sorry :-).  I had a broken spark plug, and minor cosmetic
damage.

	    --Darryl Richman, INTERACTIVE Systems Inc.
	    ...!cca!ima!ism780!darryl
	    The views expressed above are my opinions only.