Crazy Cagers

Washington state is ranked among the worst in the U.S. for drivers, placing 5th worst nationally in the 2025 LendingTree report due to a high rate of accidents, and 2nd worst in the 2026 WalletHub study regarding overall driving conditions. Key issues include 24.8 accidents per 1,000 drivers and poor rankings in ownership costs and infrastructure.
That goes along with the low number of law enforcement folk as well as lienient sentencing.
But you cant relax anywhere. I had a six pack of empty beer bottles thrown into the path of my bike by a passing car in rural Illinois for no reason. I have run into crazy drivers in the Middle of Montana and Wisconsin.
I can relax on my front porch :cool:
 
... the only option to get to their exit was attempt a merge through a motorcycle. SMH..
Same on entrance ramps... stubbornly ignoring the fairly large yield sign at the at the beginning of every acceleration lane... 😒
So I'm fat-fingering my horn-button (two FIAM's added...)... so that daydreamer finally floored it and merged well clear ahead of me... un_F_believable... :rolleyes:
 
Oh, don't get me started with on-ramps. Seems like every time I'm on one, the person in front of me isn't using the acceleration lane to actually accelerate.

No, they'd rather merge onto our Interstate system doing 30 mph slower than the flow of traffic. :rolleyes:. If they're really terrible, I've had some come to a complete stop in the acceleration lane, looking over their shoulder like they've come upon an intersection. :eek:. I don't hang out. I'll take the shoulder and disappear.
 
Pulling out to make a legal pass is not provocative.
To some it is... offended masculinity... massively... (he'll might be unable to perform tonight if he looses... 🤔 )
Imagine how 'some' freak out over simple filtering... totally enraged...
Doesn't make any sense though, their car is seized in the queues anyway, they see that motorcycle exactly once, at forward bow while the light shows red, once it switches to green that bike is simply gone... far away... (by the time they've put it into 1st I'm already way across the intersection...)

And I've been in the same "passing problem" situation...
That Talahon M5-series beemer is crawling along with 60~80kph in the 100 zone...
STupid me thinking I'm gonna just roll by in 5th gear... and as I'm aside his left front wheel, he suddenly floors it... and there is a crest ahead... 😒
Total provocative maneuver...

Downshift twice, afterburners on, the 1100cc V-twin comes alive, the rig easily exceeds 160kph/100mph in 3rd gear... it still got close with that crest ahead...
(always imagine the same idiot as myself as oncoming traffic... pfffff... :rolleyes:)
What I've learned: don't toy around...
When I pass, I PASS... executing at max power, no prisoners... never saw me coming...
 
I only ride, and drive, when my Cloak of Invisibility is working.
I start the vehicle, roll out of the driveway and a tire hits concrete. That starts the Cloak. I am instantly invisible to other drivers. I drive with that in mind.
 
To some it is... offended masculinity... massively... (he'll might be unable to perform tonight if he looses... 🤔 )
Imagine how 'some' freak out over simple filtering... totally enraged...
Doesn't make any sense though, their car is seized in the queues anyway, they see that motorcycle exactly once, at forward bow while the light shows red, once it switches to green that bike is simply gone... far away... (by the time they've put it into 1st I'm already way across the intersection...)

And I've been in the same "passing problem" situation...
That Talahon M5-series beemer is crawling along with 60~80kph in the 100 zone...
STupid me thinking I'm gonna just roll by in 5th gear... and as I'm aside his left front wheel, he suddenly floors it... and there is a crest ahead... 😒
Total provocative maneuver...

Downshift twice, afterburners on, the 1100cc V-twin comes alive, the rig easily exceeds 160kph/100mph in 3rd gear... it still got close with that crest ahead...
(always imagine the same idiot as myself as oncoming traffic... pfffff... :rolleyes:)
What I've learned: don't toy around...
When I pass, I PASS... executing at max power, no prisoners... never saw me coming...
Exactly correct. You go to pass someone who is unstable, it might well be provocative. If they speed up, back off. Dont try and out accelerate them and go 90 on an underperforming bike especially, but at any time. Dont poke the bear. My wife thinks everyone is just a wonderful person out there and in public. She is dead wrong.

There is also another component that the seasoned motorcyclist learns. Pass quickly and desisively, even on the interstate...for everyone....but especially trucks....those that set their cruise to one MPH over the truck speed and pass that way are ignorant or stupid. I worked for years with vehicle enforcement officers. Truckers lie on their log books...they are on drugs to keep them awake, they weave and cross the center line....When cars bunch up waiting for an idiot to pass a truck at one MPH over the truck speed, I just hang back and wait for traffic to clear.
 
I only ride, and drive, when my Cloak of Invisibility is working.
I start the vehicle, roll out of the driveway and a tire hits concrete. That starts the Cloak. I am instantly invisible to other drivers. I drive with that in mind.
Me too. And now we are in the age of cell phones, which makes riding invisible doubly important.
 
Exactly correct. You go to pass someone who is unstable, it might well be provocative. If they speed up, back off. Dont try and out accelerate them and go 90 on an underperforming bike especially, but at any time. Dont poke the bear. My wife thinks everyone is just a wonderful person out there and in public. She is dead wrong.

There is also another component that the seasoned motorcyclist learns. Pass quickly and desisively, even on the interstate...for everyone....but especially trucks....those that set their cruise to one MPH over the truck speed and pass that way are ignorant or stupid. I worked for years with vehicle enforcement officers. Truckers lie on their log books...they are on drugs to keep them awake, they weave and cross the center line....When cars bunch up waiting for an idiot to pass a truck at one MPH over the truck speed, I just hang back and wait for traffic to clear.
Exactly. When I pass a truck it is done quickly. Anyone who has ever seen a truck tire blow or a rim come unseated won't linger near one of those.

After a COG (Concours Owners Group) rally about 20 years ago one of the members was killed by an exploding truck tire. He was riding home from the rally on his C10 pulling a small trailer and while passing the a truck a trailer tire blew out. The tire casing sent him to the pavement. He got up (a walking wounded) and called for help. He was wearing ATGATT. He got a tow from a flat bed and had his wreckage hauled to a town where the tow truck driver shoved his bike off the truck and onto the ground landing on the undamaged side. He eventually got a ride home and his leg became very sore after about a week. He had an infection which eventually took his life.

Chris, you are correct that the quality of truck drivers has gone way down in recent fueled by the fierce competition in the industry. Many are not Americas nor do they speak English. The worst part is that we allow it!!!!! Stupid!
 
Exactly. When I pass a truck it is done quickly. Anyone who has ever seen a truck tire blow or a rim come unseated won't linger near one of those.

After a COG (Concours Owners Group) rally about 20 years ago one of the members was killed by an exploding truck tire. He was riding home from the rally on his C10 pulling a small trailer and while passing the a truck a trailer tire blew out. The tire casing sent him to the pavement. He got up (a walking wounded) and called for help. He was wearing ATGATT. He got a tow from a flat bed and had his wreckage hauled to a town where the tow truck driver shoved his bike off the truck and onto the ground landing on the undamaged side. He eventually got a ride home and his leg became very sore after about a week. He had an infection which eventually took his life.

Chris, you are correct that the quality of truck drivers has gone way down in recent fueled by the fierce competition in the industry. Many are not Americas nor do they speak English. The worst part is that we allow it!!!!! Stupid!
Boy do I have stories from our Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officers.
Motorcycle trailers scare me. In fact, many trailers scare me. I see entitled people tow trailers of any flavor 80 mph on a hot day. Once that trailer starts whipping around due to a failure, bad things happen. Its like they think that having money and fame protect them from disaster. I pass them as fast as I can. Anyone ever see a truck tire retread carcus on the road? I wonder if Europeans and the Japanese are smart enough to outlaw retreads?
My second adopted son was a WSP radio dispatcher. He became a commerical Vehicle enforcement officer...he would inspect trucks also....many commerical trailers are faulty. He became a full fledged trooper. He is finishing out his carrerr as the district tow truck inspector. He has a countdown timer till retirement. He has seen enough.
I wonder if the COG member died of MRSA? My dad died after slitting his throat of MRSA. We had a very healthy trooper. at our district office.....35-40 years old....who was the breath anaylazer tech. He died of MRSA in a month....COG was a great organization to be a part of.

I am sure y'all remember this guy. Driving a semi isnt a walk in the park. Especially if you are tired. (Airline pilots have to have a certain amount of rest. They have to watch each other. They can not talk to each other about anything except flying the plane/business until they climb above 10,000 ft AGL. )

On February 3, 2026, a fatal crash occurred on Indiana State Route 67 when an illegal immigrant truck driver, identified as Bekzhan Beishekeev, a 30-year-old national of Kyrgyzstan, swerved into oncoming traffic and collided with a van, killing four people.
Homeland Security (.gov)Homeland Security (.gov) +1
Here are the key details regarding this incident as of February 2026:
  • The Incident: Beishekeev was operating a semi-truck eastbound when he failed to brake for a slowed vehicle in front of him, subsequently swerving into the westbound lane and striking a van containing members of the Amish community.
  • Victims: The crash resulted in the deaths of four people from the van, identified as Henry Eicher (50), Menno Eicher (25), Paul Eicher (19), and Simon Girod (23).
  • Related Incidents
    This incident is part of a series of fatal accidents highlighted by federal authorities involving foreign nationals operating commercial vehicles. Another fatal accident occurred in Indiana on February 18, 2026, when Sukhdeep Singh, an illegal immigrant from India, was accused of running a red light and causing a fatal crash
 
I wonder if Europeans and the Japanese are smart enough to outlaw retreads?
Not as common at local operators, but the gazillion HGV's/semis rolling over from the eastern nations bear far more safety risks then the occasional "gator jaws" on the motorways...
The police is constantly stopping and seizing trucks with exceeded max gross weight, rotted/broken frames/axle mounts, failing brakes, cracking/worn down tires, improperly loaded/secured/wrongly declared freight, leaking engines/gear boxes/axle housings, etc...
And those are only the few vehicles they actually get a hold of...

One more reason I avoid m/ways on rides as much as possible...
And when picking up the scent of burned rubber, brake pads, diesel, engine oil... I'm especially cautions... 😒
 
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If you value living, be the gray man. Otherwise, fully understand how the "man game" ends and don't cry about it when it happens.
Exactly. Dont do the crime if you cant do the time. My favorite phrase to myself when I start to get too frisky on mountain passes is, "How bad do you want to go to the ER today....."
After retiring from the state patrol, I would volunteer to do odd jobs. One of these was filing evidence into folders for closed cases for the detectives. I have seen alot of pics of what happens to people in accidents.
I have often wondered if you could talk to mountain climbers after they have died from a fall ...if they would have said it was worth it as far as the pain to their spouces...
 
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