Eyes on the road, Hands on the wheel

[KSagal]

There have been quite a few threads lately on the relative merit and differing opinions of several aspects of segway safety...

Where we should glide, what safety gear we should wear, etc...

I have a story from a few days ago, that I have been agonizing about to post, or not to post...

Ego would have me not announce that I took my first spill in 3 years. (Yes, I did fall in the first few weeks of riding, but that was different, and of course, playing and testing the limits of the seg are also not in this catagory)

Was the segway at fault? NO! Was it the same cause as 99.9% of all car accidents? yes. Driver error.

First off, I want to announce that I bought the new Nuvi, from Garmin. What a sweet GPS unit, and tiny and self contained...

It is so small, I had not even mounted it yet. It was just sitting on my handlebar, guided by my right hand. I was watching it, and punching up and programming it, when I simply left my good sense behind, and embarrased myself mightily...

It was at one of those odd fork in the road intersections, with the tiny island in the roadway... I left the sidewalk/shoulder and crossed the right fork on my way to the left fork, and was playing with the GPS instead of fully monitoring what I was doing...

Pitch in the road caused seg to wander slightly off to the right from assigned path, and I hit a 4 or 5 inch, new and very sharp cornered granite curb with one wheel...

I saw it in time to lean back (I had no real grip on the handlebar) and minimised the impact, but it was still too much for the seg or me, and we went over to the left.

I taught people how to fall for years, and I want to thank Jared for selling and Jonathan for picking up my new handlebar guards, as they saved the day! The metal tubing of these handlebar guards took the brunt of the force from this sharp curb, and all is okay with seg and rider, save a bruised ego and one broken lamp. (My seg is highly modified)

I post this to offer up for consideration, that it matters not who you are, nor what your skills, inattention to the task at hand will get you in trouble. I am embarrassed, and otherwize not much worse for the event, but was dealt a real dose of reality. I will learn from it and hope others will also. I have joined the ranks of those of us who know better and do dumb things anyway... (I have been a member for a long time, I just don't demonstrate it so clearly that often)

So... Keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel!

[macgeek]

A big man to learn from his mistakes,
and a bigger man to share that experience with others.

Well done Karl, well done!

your friend

Jonathan

[unclejay]

Im thinking of replacing my eTrax LegendC with a Nuvi also but facing the mounting problem. Since the Segway Garmin Mount uses the RAM system I assume there will be a RAM NUVI adapter but what an expensive way to go.
Alternative is a RAM bicycle handlebar mount strapped to the handle guards on Segway. Kludgy though.

[pam]

I think it's always possible to get distracted - we don't want it to happen, and when it does, it's a surprise. To assume that we can or will NEVER get distracted if we pay attention (and somehow are at fault because we were actually human) is a bit unrealistic, IMHO.

We do the best we can. Just like driving our cars, we do the best we can.

JMHO
Pam

[culs]

Kudos for Karl for showing us all again the difference betweeen what we think the road will bring us and what it does. Constanst alertness is the best buffer, but even pros can stumble.

I too have tested, and have fallen in the woods and on snow and ice in my segging, and am brought up short sometimes when I am not alert or having a sip of coffee while gliding or fussing with cell phone.

[KSagal]

Im thinking of replacing my eTrax LegendC with a Nuvi also but facing the mounting problem. Since the Segway Garmin Mount uses the RAM system I assume there will be a RAM NUVI adapter but what an expensive way to go.
Alternative is a RAM bicycle handlebar mount strapped to the handle guards on Segway. Kludgy though.

My Nuvi came with a windshield suction cup mount that is/has a power cord option. That is not so special. What I do like is that it also came with a smooth disk that has double stick tape on one side. (I believe that disk is designed to stick to the dashboard. It provides a place to mount the suction cup of the other mount.)

That disk can easily be placed on the seg, providing a positive, but nonpermanent point to mount...

I just had not yet done that...

[Georgem]

Negligent gliding puts a new twist on an ancient Irish blessing:

"May the road rise up to meet you."

[SegwayDan]

I had a close one today--a close encounter with an electric wheelchair.

It was at a blind spot, and neither of us slowed quite enough before we both suddenly appeared to each other. My left wheel kissed the fender over his front steering wheel, and I had to step off to the right.

No actual spill or damage. Phew.

Beyond being alert at all times, it's also important to ANTICIPATE possible situations such as this. Blind spots demand that you slow to somewhat SLOWER than a walk so that you can stop instantly. People both on foot can collide around a building corner. But if one of them is on a Segway, as nimble as it is, it's still a little less responsive than the person's own body. So you have to make a small allowance for that and be a touch more careful around blind corners than if you were on foot.

[polo_pro]

Let me tell you about "blind" corners! You're surrounded by trees and their shadows cross the road you're riding down. In the gloom, you know you're not so visible, and on this stretch of the road the line showing the right side of the lane is on the edge of the asphalt. So there's no bike lane to speak of?!

Then suddenly the road takes a sweeping turn to the right. As if the shadows weren't bad enough, now you know the trees on the inside of this turn are blocking the view of anyone coming up from behind. Did I mention the speed limit was 45 MPH?

And sure enough you hear a car coming....coming fast. But that's not why you're worried...it's the fact that another car is approaching in the oncoming lane. You see it, but there's no way the car behind you does. And he isn't slowing....he's going to try to pass!!!

Now that's a blind corner....and just another mile along the route of my long distance glide from SF to LA.