Near miss

[Tour1]

Today I was driving a Jeep northbound on I-95 in south Jersey where the road is still 2 lanes in each direction.  It was about sunset I think but already darkish.  Iwas in the right hand lane and holding the speed limit at 65 mph, using cruise control.  Traffic was dense in both lanes and there was a truck in front of me.  Next to me there were cars & trucks slowly passing at a speed slightly over the limit.
Far ahead I saw the flashing lights of a patrol car on the shoulder.  My state has a one-lane rule and the truck & I both moved into spaces in the left lane, maybe a tight fit, with a car between me and the truck.  I believe I had checked all my mirrors looked at the left lane at least enough to think my "safety bubble" was clear.  As I moved left the truck braked, the car braked, and I braked harder than usual on an interstate.
Looking left during the move I saw a maroon Harley on my flank braking while veering off onto the left shoulder.  The left lane was overcrowded with us who didn't want to slow down but I think the spacing was too small for the speed so everybody had to brake.  Soon after passing the patrol car I moved right again.  The Harley recovered, passing me and as he did I noticed his tunes were as loud as his pipes.  It was a cruiser with the hard bags.
When it happened I thought he was weaving through traffic but later I worried that I just hadn't seen him.  When I did see him I recall saying "Where did he come from?" and I can't remember seeing a bike headlight or running light pattern.  I thought maybe he went down and I didn't see that either but then I remembered the music as he went by me.
This I can say:  I didn't see him and I may have forced him onto the left shoulder when I reacted to events in front of me.  So, let's be careful out there!

 

[Tour1]

I didn't mention that I got new glasses 8 days before the incident.  I got progressive lenses because in my job I need to see clearly at medium distances sometimes and I saw this as the best way.  The new glasses have a lot of distortion compared to the old and I accepted the usual statement from the seller, "you'll get used to them".
Today I noticed that there are imprinted characters in 2 places on each of the lenses and I think they might cause a problem I didn't have before.  I managed to grab a picture of one using a smart phone and a jeweler's loupe.  The O on the left side is about 1/16 inch diameter.  There is a piece of paper behind the lens and a bright flashlight shining on it.
I'm thinking maybe they forgot to erase the marks?  Is there an optician cogger who can tell me if the marks are normal?  I have never noticed such things before and I've had glasses since maybe 1964.

 

[delling3]

Not sure what you are trying to get out there, but "I think" I have been where you were.  As a motorcyclist, I am more aware of my two-wheel brothers, even when I am in the "cage".  That said, I know that I have found myself in a situation where things could have turned out much differently.  The bottom line is when we are on two wheels, we are much harder to see than we would like.

I have run into this when travelling into states where lane splitting is allowed - one reason why I would never split lanes.  If you live in a locale where lane splitting is allowed, but run up against someone from a state where this isn't an accepted practice driving a rental car, you might well end up on the short side of the equation.  This isn't intended as a rant against lane splitting, just a caution to everyone to be vigilant while on two wheels.     

Bottom line is, "be careful out there".  Assume that no one will see you.  The next time a biker is hurt or worse is one too many.

Be safe my brothers . . . 

 

[diz@ct]

I didn't mention that I got new glasses 8 days before the incident.  I got progressive lenses because in my job I need to see clearly at medium distances sometimes and I saw this as the best way.  The new glasses have a lot of distortion compared to the old and I accepted the usual statement from the seller, "you'll get used to them".

Did they mean you get used to the distortion or do the eyes re-configure the distortion so that the image is clear? This does not seem like corrective lenses if there is always a distortion.

George Carlin had a routine about the use of language and "near miss" was one of his favorite contradictions. He would ask- if you are in an airplane, would you rather have a near miss or a near collision?  :-[

 

[Tour1]

The distortion is most like what you would get from the pincushion setting on old monitors but with a trapezoidal component added.  A room shaped like a cube looks like it is stretched into a chunky bar shape with eyes level, then if my head is tilted or turned the stretching occurs in different places.  That much is "normal" eyeglasses and you get adjusted to it so you can still throw trash in a basket etc.
What I hear about the progressives is they sacrifice focus at the edges of the field of view in order to acheive a better focus at the distance you normally encounter in a particular direction, like speedometer vs straight ahead, both should be in focus instantly withought moving the head, just the eyes flick up or down.
So what I'm getting right now is , after almost 2 weeks with the new glasses, 1st thing in the morning typing on the 10 inch tablet the letters are a bit fuzzy on the right unless I turn my head slightly right and fuzzy on the left unless I turn my head slightly left, and then there's the characters visible on the lenses thing, so I should get to the glasses shop before work and get their opinion instead of boring you-all with this stuff.

 

[Classvino]

So what I'm getting right now is , after almost 2 weeks with the new glasses, 1st thing in the morning typing on the 10 inch tablet the letters are a bit fuzzy on the right unless I turn my head slightly right and fuzzy on the left unless I turn my head slightly left, and then there's the characters visible on the lenses thing, so I should get to the glasses shop before work and get their opinion instead of boring you-all with this stuff.

Yeah - Progressives are definitely a compromise-type of lens - your peripheral focus is sacrificed (a bit) for straight ahead clarity in the different vision zones...  It does sound kinda cliche, but you will get used to them. Hopefully sooner rather than later...

I actually have two pairs - the one I use for driving has a narrow band at the bottom for nearer focus - just enough to read the dash in perfect focus while maintaining my more distant views (throughout the rest of the lens) in very good focus as well.  My other pair is a little more conventional and has larger zones - good for general use...  You can usually speak to your optometrist to choose the different patterns available...

Jamie

 

[Tour1]

Today I ordered a pair of regular distance lenses that I'll use for driving, riding, etc.
I'll use the progressives at work and maybe the workshop/desk stuff.  I hope that's the best solution, surely not the cheapest.

 

[Victor Salisbury]

Having been wearing progressive for a couple years, if you ask, the optic store can can move the transition line down when they make the lenses. As  I explained to my optician tech, 95 percent I'm looking in the distance when driving, I just need the close up when I glance down at the gauges. 
Trade off is if you need to do the head tilt thing for the computer monitors, but I ordered just close-up glasses for work since I'm in front of the computer monitors most of the time.

 

[Tour1]

I was hoping the lenses would be shaped more like a section of a snail's shell.  I didn't expect that there would be a limited-performance range in the middle.  If I was a Howard Hughes type I would definitely be ordering a machine to make some test lenses of my own.  Meanwhile they told me the markings in the photo belong there and they aren't affecting the part of the lenses that I can use.  That's a downer, I think, but not relevant if I don't use them for driving.