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Remember to always check your mirrors whenever you stop for a light to make sure the guy behind you isn't sleeping (this is taught in the MSF). The risk is probably smaller (and can be battled) if you blow through a yellow light rather than take the chance of someone making a right turn and not seeing you . Remember that most people making right turns have a lane of straight or left turners blocking their view as well.
To avoid being squashed:
- Always leave the bike in first gear while you're stopped at an intersection.
- Watch your mirrors.
- Stay to one side or the other of the car ahead of you. It gives you somwhere to go if you must make a quick exit.
- If you're in California, lanesplit. The drunk can't hit you if you're between two other cars. (But even then, still pay attention to items # 1 & 2 and get the heck out of Dodge before any impact.)
- Work on developing your situational awareness. (That's knowing exactly where all the traffic around you is located and constantly updating your mental map of where they will (or MIGHT) be in the next few upcoming seconds.) The only real defense a biker has in a bike-vs-cage collision is not to be there when it happens.
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