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Just put on the lowers and cleaned up my bike (that's usually when I drop my bikes)...went out to get gas...heading down 4th st in long beach when homeboy from my right, in a grand marquis from a side street, did one of those "fast rolling stops through the stop sign" (so he never stopped to check), and turns left out in front of me...too late to brake to a stop, I swerved left hoping he'd see me last second than brake to a stop in the middle of street...but he didn't, and my mind panicked as his big ass grand marquis grill kept coming right at me...so I pushed the left bar harder and swerved even farther, narrowly missing the front of his car by about a foot...and went into the other lane (luckily no oncoming traffic), then guiness book of world dumbass gets on the gas more and pulls out faster....luckily by then I had already swerved into the other lane and went past him.
if this was a car, it would've been an accident no question...but being so light, small, and nimble on a bike helped me...that foot of buffer I had, would've been a car's engine bay
I went after him and banged on his window...homeboy says "oh yo bro...I didn't see you...my bad"
after yelling several obscenities and giving a father-esque lecture with more obscenities about looking before you pull out, I calmed down and asked him what he DID see. Turns out, nothing. Reflective/hi-vis vest didn't do anything in the dark from the front (although vests work well from the back)...he never even saw my headlights...and all that he got was heard the exhaust momentarily after I passed him, but that's all.
swerving saves lives...know your bikes people!
okay, so maybe my life wasn't in danger...but it sure as hell saved my detail