Blind spot awareness

[george formby]

I had lifesavers hammered into me when i was learning to ride on the road, any & every change in position on the road had to be preceded by a physical check. Instant fail on the test at the time if you did not do it. I still do it in the car & on the bike but have noticed it's no longer 100% of the time. Need to give myself a bit of a ride check & refresher methinks.

[ducatilover]

I have yet to find a blind spot in my Corolla, old sack of shit has thin pillars and very good visibility.
I dislike people who don't pay attention to their road position though, have seen it a lot. I'm always very careful behind cars or beside them. In saying so, some drivers are fairly unobservant.

[Scuba_Steve]

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I always think of the stickers you see on the rear end of trucks - "If you can't see my mirrors, I can't see you".

This is a good point too, alot of people don't know, as they've never operated anything like it. That trucks DO NOT have the vis-ability of other vehicles.
Sure their wing mirrors are superior to most others on any vehicles on the road, but this is pretty much all they have to go on, they can't glance at the rear view, looking out the side has minimal advantage as an 18-wheeler aint short & he's also sitting 3x your height so those wing mirrors are effectively it for his visibility.

So remember people be it cage or bike remember trucks have heavy blind-spots, just cause a car could have seen you doesn't mean a truck could have.

[Murray]

Don't all female drivers have the mirror aimed where they put there lippy on????

[Blackbird]

I suppose I'm not really surprised to see only two people mentioning the other critical action in addition to using your mirrors (whether it be in a car or on a bike). Get someone to walk behind your bike or car at right angles to the direction the vehicle is pointing in and you'll soon discover just how big your blind spots are, even with judicious use of the mirrors. To be REALLY safe as the two people have mentioned is the shoulder check/lifesaver where you actually turn your head to have a bloody good look. It applies equally to setting up for an overtake, when turning or intersections such as when passing motorway on-ramps. When I started my IAM advanced training, it was one of the things I got pinged for not doing enough of so it's well and truly embedded now!

[Blackbird]

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I had lifesavers hammered into me when i was learning to ride on the road, any & every change in position on the road had to be preceded by a physical check. Instant fail on the test at the time if you did not do it. I still do it in the car & on the bike but have noticed it's no longer 100% of the time. Need to give myself a bit of a ride check & refresher methinks.

I suppose I'm not really surprised to see only two people mentioning the other critical action in addition to using your mirrors (whether it be in a car or on a bike). Get someone to walk behind your bike or car at right angles to the direction the vehicle is pointing in and you'll soon discover just how big your blind spots are, even with judicious use of the mirrors. To be REALLY safe as the two people have mentioned is the shoulder check/lifesaver where you actually turn your head to have a bloody good look. It applies equally to setting up for an overtake, when turning or intersections such as when passing motorway on-ramps. When I started my IAM advanced training, it was one of the things I got pinged for not doing enough of so it's well and truly embedded now!

[MyGSXF:Me]

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To be REALLY safe.. is the shoulder check/lifesaver where you actually turn your head to have a bloody good look. It applies equally to setting up for an overtake, when turning or intersections such as when passing motorway on-ramps.

Absolutely!! It's not called a 'blind spot' for no reason.. or a headcheck, a 'lifesaver'!! Helmets limit our vision a lot, & many bike mirrors suck!! I also ride using a Reevu helmet (which has a rear vision mirror built into it.. ). Merging lanes are important places to do a head check too!

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When I started my IAM advanced training, it was one of the things I got pinged for not doing enough of so it's well and truly embedded now!

Yep! Head checks are also a big part of passing the Restricted & Full Licence tests!

[Geordie_Biker6]

how do you rate those helmets?

thought it was quite a decent idea. does it get distracting at all?

havnt managed to find one to try it on.

[haydes55]

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how do you rate those helmets?

thought it was quite a decent idea. does it get distracting at all?

havnt managed to find one to try it on.

I tried a Reevu on at motomail. The mirror is tiny and not the clearest, people standing behind me a few meters were pretty distorted, think it would help with seeing blue and red lights easier, not much more.

[Subike]

There is one thing that I see happening on group rides which often "scares" me.

The rider in front of me, has only the right hand mirror fitted to his/her bike.

now how serious is that?,
if they ride in the group on the left side of the lane, there is not a problem
if they ride in the group on the right side of the lane. the problem is obvious.
They cannot see me, as much as they think they can,

so what do YOU do to increase the safety of the situation if you are the bike behind..
Ensure at all times you can be seen in the other riders mirror, simple to do, might just save you life.

Now for following cars,
No matter how good a vehicles mirrors are, I ALWAYS assume the vehicle in front of me cannot see me.
I ride in such a position that I can see the drivers face in hismirror,
This is not hard to do ,
Trucks, Vans, Buses, Campers.. If following , I increase my distance between the vehicle in front of me when approaching Tee intersections on the left.

You might be able to clearly see a vehicle on the intersection wanting to turn onto your path, and you might think you are OK.
But because you are behind a large mass, you often are NOT seen, so always be ready to take evasive action

In a two lane road, , your position in the lane is also something to consider.
We know vehicles will change lanes randomly it seems,, so ride accordingly when on two lane roads.
Left lane always has the potential of being more dangerous than the right, merging traffic, intersections, pulling out of side roads / car parks / driveways.
The 'center right' of the left lane I find best here. just off the oil track, enough room to "escape" and a position that puts me in the mirror of the vehicle in front of me ( unless a commercial vehicle) The potential for incidents is greater than the right lane.
The right lane on a two lane, or even a three lane for me is the preferred lane.
I can use the whole road to my advantage,, when following a vehicle, I sit where they can see me.
If passing slower vehicles in the left lane, be on the right side of the lane in case they decide to change lanes into you,
sit on the left side of the lane when crossing lights, or uncontrolled intersections where a vehicle is indicating to turn across my path,
Again this give you the most room to escape the driver who does not see you.
And this is just a little bit of what I do to defend against blind spots OTHERS have, not My own.
Finally , ride at a speed that gives you the best chance of maneuvering into a safe zone if it all turns to shit.

Have a happy ride,

[BMWST?]

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I have yet to find a blind spot in my Corolla, old sack of shit has thin pillars and very good visibility.
I dislike people who don't pay attention to their road position though, have seen it a lot. I'm always very careful behind cars or beside them. In saying so, some drivers are fairly unobservant.

the blind spot is caused by the rear pillars.Ie they block the view for the internal mirror and the sides of the car block the view form the external mirrors

[MyGSXF:Me]

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how do you rate those helmets?

thought it was quite a decent idea. does it get distracting at all?

havnt managed to find one to try it on.

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I tried a Reevu on at motomail. The mirror is tiny and not the clearest, people standing behind me a few meters were pretty distorted, think it would help with seeing blue and red lights easier, not much more.

Needs more than a minute or two wearing it in a shop to understand how good they are! Read my posts in the thread below

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...post1130267344

[bluninja]

Don't forget the A-pillar blindspot as a rider or driver. A driver may look and not see a motorcyclist/cyclist/pedestrian until they hit them. As a rider, if you can't see their eyes, then they can't see you....even when they are looking.

[ducatilover]

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the blind spot is caused by the rear pillars.Ie they block the view for the internal mirror and the sides of the car block the view form the external mirrors

I could see perfectly fine out the back of it. Set your mirrors up correctly = no problems.