In part three of “Zen and The Art of Group Riding” we will discuss the cager.
A cager is not your friend, not necessarily by design or intentional, but the fact remains. It’s hard enough to outmaneuver a cager when riding single, but riding in a group only means the cagers will find themselves in a target rich environment. While riding single the cager must take calculated aim and cater the approach to ensure a hazardous interaction. In a group all they need to do is change lanes and they are going to hit someone without even trying. We all know what the first words spoken by the survivor of such encounters are, “But Officer, I DIDN’T SEE THEM!!!” Of course they don’t mention the fact they were texting or taking a picture or looking for their favorite CD just about the time they made contact with the rider.
I’m not privy to the statistic showing the percentage of riders hit by cagers verses rider only accidents but I feel safe in saying the cagers are leading the pack in kill ratio. The driving habits of cagers is probably one of the specific reasons authorities will not allow us to carry a gun. Were it my call not only would we have direct fire capability in the group we would have the ability to call for in-direct fire as well as air cover for tactical support. Sadly, even the occasional direct fire intervention seems to bring about unwanted attention. Not sure why. So, suffice it to say we must keep our eyes on them and maintain situational awareness of all cagers in our vicinity. Take your eyes off of them for one second and they will put you in the ditch.
As far as 18-wheelers are concerned, I will sum that up in a very short sentence. While passing an 18-wheeler consider yourself knocked down a few notches on the food chain. An 18-wheeler transporting livestock carries its own set of hazards; hazards which should be avoided at all costs.
Steve Briscoe 