ride smarter.
thats the area I'm working on 
Yeah, but you're NEVER smart enough to outsmart the dimwits on the road. I don't care what the excuse/rationale.
I've rear ended a Lincoln Town Car that tried to scoot through a gap in a highway divider right in front of me in the fast lane on I95. Talk about unexpected!!!
While I was able to pull my speed down from ~85 to ~45, I couldn't swerve as there was traffic in the next lane. So, I hit the town car, launched myself onto his trunk, fell back off, then slid down the highway a bit. I was stupid enough not to be wearing my usual protective gear because it was ~95 degrees that day, and leather is hot. Wouldn't you know it, I was a daily commuter, and the one day I didn't wear my leather I had to have an accident.
I lost a lot of skin on both elbows, both knees, shoulder, etc. Nice scratches all over the faceshield and chinguard of my full-face helmet.
I won't ever ride without protective gear again.
BTW, the insurance company totaled the bike (I repaired it -- Yamaha Seca II). The Town Car had tried to split the scene, but a NJ Turnpike Authority worker name Joe chased him down and made him return to the scene where the NJ State Troopers issued him a summons, and I got his insurance information. After the check came in a couple months later, i tried to call Joe to take him and his family out to dinner, but the number had been changed. Too bad, I wanted to tell him thank you.
