For bikers, death is always a lane away

Louis Ragsdale has seen first hand how one false move can turn deadly for a motorcyclist.

About 10 years ago, the Annapolis High School graduate was cruising down Route 10 on his Suzuki GSX-R 750 when another man blew past him on a bike and turned his head back.

"He looked at me and hit the gas, like 'Come and get me,' " Mr. Ragsdale said. "That's what they do if they want to race. You get a lot of that on the road."

On this day, however, the driver taunting Mr. Ragsdale didn't leave him eating dust.

The man hit a curve at a high rate of speed. By the time he turned to face forward, he wasn't able to...