New RAV4 has better off-roading capability than expected...

NYSpeed Automotive
1

incase that doesn’t embed here is the link…

http://gfycat.com/NeighboringBraveBullfrog

The story from the rider…

Ok boys and gals. I am the actual rider in the video and will once and for all dissolve all speculations and such that to my amazement have come up so far.
We both started slowing down when the light turned orange. The red SUV ended up in the middle of the intersection. Cars seen on the right started turning left, one car actually made it in front of the stalled/frozen driver. The car then proceeded to back up - IN THE LEFT LANE - i was aware about its presence all the time. And yes I was in the 1st with the clutch in as can be seen on video (anyone see the Neutral light?). As some have pointed out, only have I noticed it changing directions a couple of seconds before impact. Yes, a rider with tens of years of experience MAY HAVE been able to sprint to the right (risking clipping the car and being at fault for running a red light into potentially left turning traffic, as the light for the oncoming lane was changing to a left turn go), but given the circumstances… the horn wouldn’t have done squat. Again, we’re talking seconds. Disbelief that the car was going to back into me was up there. I was in the dominant position for my lane (left half of the lane, where cars in the left lane have the best chance of seeing you in their mirror), watching the driver… but again… how often do you guys assume that a car will decide to reverse into your lane from a different one and floor it?
The video ends where it does because there is absolutely nothing exciting happening afterwards. The two occupants get out, we exchange remarks, and then i take the helmet off and turn off the camera. No swearing or yelling. The adrenaline pumping through my system was so high, I was kinda happy to not be under the car. The car was resting on the bike, they had to lift it to get the bike from underneath.
Yes please, all those that could’ve avoided this - I salute you and your superhuman reactions. I’m just human and did the best I could when I realized what was going to happen to get my sorry ass out of the way.
The aftermath… if I can figure out how to post pictures here I will. The driver got a ticket as it is illegal to back out of an intersection (or something thereof) and yes, because they are on a learner’s permit (can only drive supervised), they may have very high insurance premiums. And as far as the bike - it will be looked at by an insurance adjuster on Monday where I will find out what happens next.

http://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/38xt1d/backing_up/crywe0t

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to me that was on-roading, maybe urban crawling to be more specific

3

Nice “Oh come on” hand gesture.

Oh well, no one hurt, this is why we have insurance. And it’s why that driver’s insurance will likely be very high for a few years.

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Not to be the stereotypical crotch rocket rider but come on… that should be a criminal charge or SOMETHING more intense than a traffic ticket… if there was a guy walking in the crosswalk that was backed into full speed i’m sure there would be charges.

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Why? No one was hurt. It’s not any different than someone backing up and hitting a car. It’s a simple mistake. Vehicles crash into each other all the time and unless there are injuries it’s almost never more than a traffic ticket.

When a car spins off the road in the winter should they get more than a traffic ticket because someone might have been standing there and killed?

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I consider myself a very experienced rider… I would have never expected that to go down the way it did. I probably would have had the exact same reaction as this guy. Damn Id be pissed. Glad no one got hurt.

      • Updated - - -

@livin4hockey

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lol. GJ not getting run over tho and hopping off. could have been worse with a leg under there.

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Seriously, anyone that says they can just blip it out of the way is kidding themselves. That guy was lucky he could just dive right fast enough.

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It’s easy to say a quick blip would get you far enough out of the way.
I would like to say I could just move up and over, but it would entirely depend on if I thought they would be that stupid.

I usually try to expect people to do the dumbest thing imaginable. Thankfully, I have been wrong more than I have been right.

10

Or you could just get off the bike and get a new one out of the deal…

11

I have a new rav4 and all of them come with backup cameras.

What a dummy.

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Female teenager on a learners. That should explain a lot.

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And all cars are required to have them by 2018 :slight_smile:

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I’m with LZ there, hop off and hello new bike :slight_smile: But seriously, I would have done the same thing. No way am I risking any decision other than just getting myself out of the way. If anything, I’d award the rider points here for bailing at the perfect time!

15

what if you hop off and they stop just short of hitting you? drop your bike and they drive away?

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I don’t know, in real time it looks like he is dropping it literally before they make contact. The fact he has the camera running would certainly make a strong case for him if he needed it.

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I don’t think I would have hung out as long as he did… My moves would have been slightly less graceful but ended in the same result or close to it.