SoCal Motorcycle Accidents

[FJRBluesman]

More very sad news for our fellow motorcycle enthusiasts.

I used to do this ride when I had my Fatboy and even when I didn't. Fun watching all the bikes and people.

Riding in a pack of bikes (many thousands of bikes) many miles long, with people you don't know, is wild and challenging at best. You also have SoCal traffic crazies in cages. Fun but a little stressful at times.

Love Ride Accident. From the LA Times

Motorcycle accidents cast gray clouds over Love Ride event

October 23, 2011 | 8:01 pm

Two separate traffic accidents on the 5 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley left two people dead and two others injured on Sunday, all amid a popular children's charity event that attracts hundreds of motorcycle riders, according to event organizers and the California Highway Patrol.

Authorities and organizers were trying to determine whether the two people killed were taking part in a motorcycle ride from Glendale to Castaic Lake to help raise money for autism research.

"Whether they were or not, this was a tragic accident," said spokeswoman Susan Morrison. "In the 28 years of this event, we've never had a fatality before."

The first crash occurred around 10:24 a.m. when two motorcyclists collided on the northbound 5 Freeway near the 170 Freeway, just south of Branford Street, said CHP Officer Christian Cracraft. The two bikers were taken to a local hospital.

The crash blocked three of five lanes, forcing authorities to issue a SigAlert. The crash also created heavy traffic for several hours.

The two bikers were taking part in the Love Ride, according to CHP and Morrison.

By Sunday night, the two injured bikers appeared to be doing well, Morrison said.

Shortly after, authorities and organizers appeared to be confused over a second accident involving another biker and his female passenger, who were killed when they were run over by a big rig.

The crash happened in the same location, just about an hour after the first accident, Cracraft said. The lingering traffic from the first crash may have played a role in their deaths, he said. "I don't know if they were trying to catch up with the pack," Cracraft said. "They were splitting traffic on the 3 and 4 lane and got tangled by a big rig and got run over."

The names of the victims were not available Sunday night.

Love Ride Foundation is a nonprofit founded in 1984 by Oliver Shokouh. The organization raises money for children's charities each year. This year, the foundation was raising money for Autism Speaks, an organization dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism, according to the motorcycle event's website.

-- Ruben Vives

 

[kman09]

More very sad news for our fellow motorcycle enthusiasts.

I used to do this ride when I had my Fatboy and even when I didn't. Fun watching all the bikes and people.

Riding in a pack of bikes (many thousands of bikes) many miles long, with people you don't know, is wild and challenging at best. You also have SoCal traffic crazies in cages. Fun but a little stressful at times.

Love Ride Accident. From the LA Times

Motorcycle accidents cast gray clouds over Love Ride event

October 23, 2011 | 8:01 pm

Two separate traffic accidents on the 5 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley left two people dead and two others injured on Sunday, all amid a popular children's charity event that attracts hundreds of motorcycle riders, according to event organizers and the California Highway Patrol.

Authorities and organizers were trying to determine whether the two people killed were taking part in a motorcycle ride from Glendale to Castaic Lake to help raise money for autism research.

"Whether they were or not, this was a tragic accident," said spokeswoman Susan Morrison. "In the 28 years of this event, we've never had a fatality before."

The first crash occurred around 10:24 a.m. when two motorcyclists collided on the northbound 5 Freeway near the 170 Freeway, just south of Branford Street, said CHP Officer Christian Cracraft. The two bikers were taken to a local hospital.

The crash blocked three of five lanes, forcing authorities to issue a SigAlert. The crash also created heavy traffic for several hours.

The two bikers were taking part in the Love Ride, according to CHP and Morrison.

By Sunday night, the two injured bikers appeared to be doing well, Morrison said.

Shortly after, authorities and organizers appeared to be confused over a second accident involving another biker and his female passenger, who were killed when they were run over by a big rig.

The crash happened in the same location, just about an hour after the first accident, Cracraft said. The lingering traffic from the first crash may have played a role in their deaths, he said. "I don't know if they were trying to catch up with the pack," Cracraft said. "They were splitting traffic on the 3 and 4 lane and got tangled by a big rig and got run over."

The names of the victims were not available Sunday night.

Love Ride Foundation is a nonprofit founded in 1984 by Oliver Shokouh. The organization raises money for children's charities each year. This year, the foundation was raising money for Autism Speaks, an organization dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism, according to the motorcycle event's website.

-- Ruben Vives

 

[kman09]

Yes,it's sad to hear about our fellow riders like this.

I to road a HD Dyna for almost 9 years and attended several

of the LOVE RIDES in the past. The last two however we decided

not to ride with masses for just this reason.

God speed to those who have lost...........

 

[raitchison]

I tend to avoid large group rides like this because there are way too many variables. I do attend one every year for a local police benefit charity but at least that ride is fully escorted with closed freeways so you don't have to worry about cars or trucks.

 

[Geno]

Lane splitting scares the bejesus out of me. I know, lots of people do it here in California, but I just can't bring myself to try it. Just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Obviously did to that unlucky couple.

 

[raitchison]

AFAIK it's only legal to lane split between the left and 2nd from left lanes (1 & 2 lanes), there's less jockeying for lane position here and it's away from most big rigs and other large vehicles.

A lot of riders do tend to split between other lanes and I've yet to hear of someone get cited for it but it doesn't seem safe.

As for the overall safety of lane splitting I do it when traffic is bad (only in between the 2 left lanes) but never at a high speed differential with traffic and only to about 30MPH max (usually less than 10MPH if traffic is stop and go). Arguably it's actually safer to lane split than not because you are less likely to be rear ended by drivers not paying attention.

 

[FJRBluesman]

AFAIK it's only legal to lane split between the left and 2nd from left lanes (1 & 2 lanes), there's less jockeying for lane position here and it's away from most big rigs and other large vehicles.

A lot of riders do tend to split between other lanes and I've yet to hear of someone get cited for it but it doesn't seem safe.

As for the overall safety of lane splitting I do it when traffic is bad (only in between the 2 left lanes) but never at a high speed differential with traffic and only to about 30MPH max (usually less than 10MPH if traffic is stop and go). Arguably it's actually safer to lane split than not because you are less likely to be rear ended by drivers not paying attention.

If you can find those paragraphs that state this information that would be great.
Last I read, it's what's considered "safe" for lane sharing. No mention of which lanes or speed. Since it's really silent, it's legal. It's not specifically addressed in the law.

Read this.

Orange County Register article Last paragraph about the motorcytcle question.

I also have 7 pages of Word document about vehicle passing etc, that "might" address lane sharing but really doesn't. It's all about safety and how the LEO views it.

 

[Brodie]

It is a shame to hear of motorcyclist fatalities at any time, let alone being associated with a charitable event like this.

I tend to agree with Bluesy, when riding with a large group of motorcyclists, who don't regularly ride together, you really must be on your guard. I've been avoiding the PGR welcome home rides because of that issue, and that is typically a much smaller group. The rubber band effect can be a major issue when you are near the back of the pack. I can only imagine what it is like with as many riders as was on that Love Ride.

Granted, the Love Ride organizers have a lot of experience with running a group of that size, and the local police and CHP do a great job of keeping things moving. That's still a lot of people at that event. A lot can happen. I'm glad to hear that the first pair of riders ended up doing OK.

Hopefully lessons can be learned from this incident so to allow future events go a bit smoother.

Brodie