Pay attention...

**sunhuntin** · 27th February 2007, 20:59

seen a high school kid on a scooter txting once. *shakes head* i cant even reach to make sure my other keys are in my pocket without it affecting me... and thats looking straight ahead.
im always darting from mirrors to road and back again... more so with cars i feel are getting to close, or appear to follow me for too long.

**idleidolidyll** · 28th February 2007, 07:53

Originally Posted by Delphinus

I rekon is not so much the speed limit, its the super-strict enforcing of it. venture 11km's over the limit and WHAM mega fine. Most people can get the feeling for a certain speed and stay around that fine without having to look at the speedo.

yep
how often do we look at our speedos not because we're doing anything unsafe but merely because we're paranoid about the tax collector?

I reckon at least every minute or so and that adds up to a hell of a lot of time with your eyes either off the road or focussed at a different distance.

i know i've looked up on a number of occassions (after checking speed) to see something has suddenly appeared making life dangerous for me. In fact I reckon it's worse on a bike where we have to look further away from the road just to see the speedo

i guess this thread modifies the old cliche to "Speedos Kill"

**Marmoot** · 28th February 2007, 10:54

Originally Posted by idleidolidyll

i guess this thread modifies the old cliche to "Speedos Kill"

Bring on the Speedo Cops!

**V Twin Raver** · 28th February 2007, 14:02

Originally Posted by Marmoot

Bring on the Speedo Cops!

some things never change

**Daffyd** · 28th February 2007, 21:27

I recall a few years ago, a motorist was charged and convicted for careless driving causing death after hitting a cyclist. His defence was that he was checking his speed and when he looked up again the cyclist was on his bonnet. I wrote to "Autocar" and queried how many other accidents/ near misses were caused by this action. They agreed with me to the extent that I won the "Letter of the Month" prize, (a $300 model BMW 3.0CSL Le Mans racer)
The next month my letter was replied to by the road safety plod boss, Kerr? I think. He rubbished the suggestion, saying that "it only takes a millisecond to check your speed". What a load of shit! And this guy is/was top dog for road safety!

**DougB** · 1st March 2007, 22:01

I am guilty of speedo watching, on a pension I cant afford a fine.

My problem is multiplied when riding my scooter in town as it is automatic and sounds the same at 65k as it does at 55. I have to check the speedo or 70 comes up real fast and the engine is doing about the same revs as at 55.

Yes the cops make my ride unsafe. I will be more aware and try to modify my riding habits some how thanks to this thread.

**bikemike** · 3rd March 2007, 23:02

I reckon it's worse on a bike where we have to look further away from the road just to see the speedo

I was tootling, not tooling, on a 'sports' bike the other day. At some times I could not see the clocks at all. When I was aware of this and made adjustments, I still could not see the tacho without a head movement.

Would take a good half second to move head, focus and register the speed and look back up to the road ahead. Also mirrors were a little useless unless I minced my arms in to get a partial view. Did not like at all.

Having said that, even on my GS, where I can see perfectly behind me, and the clocks are in my field of vision at all times, it still takes thinking time to keep checking the speed. I have been doing this a little lately and it's pissing me off, hence noticing it on the sports bike. It's not the instantaneous check that worries me most (you can always move or skip it) but the insidious undermining of the calm progress and control that comes from riding what you see, and not to arbitrary speed limits. It's the repeated breaks in concentration that comes from repeatedly checking speed against speed limits that reduce the underlying quality of that concentration and increase the likelihood that at any time-even if you are not suffering clocks-itch at that specific moment-your concentration, speed or position are not what they should be and that this might lead to an increased chance of an accident.

It's a diversion to say that there are so many other hazards to deal with that the distinction might be seen as absent; watching speed limits is arbitrary, it does not in itself contribute to the smoothness or safety of your ride. (The other specific intrusion would be billboards, hoardings, excessive community and event signage and so on, that's been discussed elsewhere I think).

This is a real issue, not a bit of pub philosophy. I absolutely see that it can have a negative affect on road safety. Guess it depends on what your riding style is in the first place though...

Id like to see him check his clocks a thousand times a second :-)

"it only takes a millisecond to check your speed"