Blind cagers - what I just saw on my walk

[rocketman1]

Just came back from my evening walk a couple of hours ago.
I was walking up to this T intersection, lady in a little yellow car stops to go out into the main road, Big white Van coming down the road past her side road when I saw the lady look up the road at the van, then she pulled straight out in front of it.
I was that close to her that I could see her eyes looking up the road at the van, I could not believe what I was seeing, she took off, then she luckily stopped just in time for the van driver to take evasive action.
She looked at me with a half hearted smile on her face as if to say, whoops.
I thought what chance is there that if she cannot see a white van in perfect conditions, then what chance is there that she will see a motorbike.
I just shook my head, i know she felt stupid.
Got me beat, I think I will paint my bike flourescent yellow or something.

[MarkH]

Apparently we should wear hi-vis vests - then no car driver would ever fail to see us! Yeah, right!

[avgas]

I now ride naked.
Its difficult if I am missed at all.

NGATT

Of course I imagine accidents are still caused

[slofox]

I now ride naked.


I bet that promotes evasive action though...

[mazz1972]

Apparently we should wear hi-vis vests - then no car driver would ever fail to see us! Yeah, right!

Get one of those pink high viz vests....people might actually look twice

[avgas]

I bet that promotes evasive action though...
- bees
- birds
- stones

all easy to catch than an STD when riding on a motorbike naked.

[varminter]

Was following some fuckhead home tonight, prick had a map in front of him, one of the big fold out types:sick::sick:

[NONONO]

I now ride naked.
Its difficult if I am missed at all.

NGATT

Of course I imagine accidents are still caused

:clap:
NGATT, classic.

[Spearfish]

Was following some fuckhead home tonight, prick had a map in front of him, one of the big fold out types:sick::sick:

I've seen a dipshit with a coffee in one hand and holding a half eaten muffin on the lid with his index finger while trying to turn the pages of a newspaper with the other, while (driving ?) on the north western motorway. No worries mate?

Its equivalent to me:

Riding with only the one knee to steady the bars, anyway bikes are turned by weighting the pegs only so it will go straight with both feet up, trying to read a paper is hard but magazines don't catch the wind the same. Drinking a coffee and eating a muffin is easy with a half arse helmet especially at the moderate speeds reached while using a cycle lane, if I'm really lucky I dont spill any on my anti road rash shorts and safety T shirt, plus the bonus of the new laws regarding headlights on all the time its now up to the pedestrians to look out for me if I don't look up and run a red light or three.
Ah the joys of a no consequence passive attitude to safety while riding the predictable road to work.

[Techno]

I now ride naked.
Its difficult if I am missed at all.

NGATT

Of course I imagine accidents are still caused

Hey I ride naked to!!!!! :scooter:

No wait, I ride a naked bike. As you were.

[jack_hamma]

I now ride naked.
Its difficult if I am missed at all.

NGATT

Of course I imagine accidents are still caused

Good for a laugh, got to be able to take a good rubbin then!

[hellokitty]

Get one of those pink high viz vests....people might actually look twice

I wear a bright pink leather jacket - doubles as an invisibilty cloak too apparently......

[DarkLord]

Maybe get one of those 139db horns.... yet set it up so that it's constantly going?

That way you would ALWAYS be making your presence heard.... only side effect would be a rather rapid loss of hearing....

[MarkH]

Maybe get one of those 139db horns.... yet set it up so that it's constantly going?

That way you would ALWAYS be making your presence heard.... only side effect would be a rather rapid loss of hearing....

You say that, but when your neighbours come around with flaming torches & pitchforks you might think of another side effect - made worse by not hearing them coming.

[AznNinja]

People do some dumb shit on the roads. Especially in rush hour.

I've also seen the coffee and paper thing on the way home - was driving my car toward the Greenlane roundabout and the dude next to me kept on leaving a mile and a half gap, then blasting up and almost hitting the car in front of him when he noticed. He finally caught up to me, didn't put his brake on properly and kept creeping until he was an inch off the bough of the bumper in front.

Couldn't believe it when I saw a newspaper up against the steering wheel (folded right out) and a coffee in his left hand!!

This sort of behaviour absolutely befuddles me, particularly as I drive a manual car. Eyes and hands on task!! If these are the idiots behind the wheel, no wonder so many bikes get taken out with 'oh I didn't see you' as the excuse. Of course you can't see, there's a book/paper/map in your way!! :facepalm:

[archie-no2]

This reminds me of the time a cop was parked on the grass verge with another 5 cops standing to the side of his car and without looking he did a u turn directly in front of me, i took evasive action and just missed him. bet he must of felt like a dick in front of his mates!!!!!!!!!!!! he didnt even stop to check if i was okay, just drove off even tho i had stopped in the middle of the road. i still wonder whos side of the story those other cops would of taken if i had hit him.

[R-Soul]

Apparently we should wear hi-vis vests - then no car driver would ever fail to see us! Yeah, right!

Well, if its potential threat that makes peoples sense of self preservation wake them up and pay attention, perhaps we should go around with iron bars, putting dents in all and sundry's bonnets.

Or maybe have large dragon heads on our handlebars? firece looking animals or summat? Maybe their cave man instinct will make them instantly pick up on large teeth headng their way? hey, thats just given me a new idea for the configuration of the reflective strips on my helmet...

[R-Soul]

Maybe get one of those 139db horns.... yet set it up so that it's constantly going?

That way you would ALWAYS be making your presence heard.... only side effect would be a rather rapid loss of hearing....

Thats called an after market pipe! ;)

[AznNinja]

It's my firm belief that the average driver has a lower IQ than a sack of potatoes. Furthermore, no one is taught proper driving techniques!

Beyond the ol' reading a book against the steering wheel, I've seen a flip side case recently. There's a road or two I'm fairly familiar with in Auckland, and I teach a few of the young bucks I know how to handle their shiz out those ways. ie: where the apex, entry and exits of corners are.

The latest one...yeah, he's never done anything major with his car. School and back, airsoft and back, that drill. Never, ever pushed a vehicle or even comprehended doing so.

First 25 advisory comes up, and here's me clinging to the door card. "Brake. Slow down. Slow....dude, BRAKE. BRAKE BRAKE BR-..."

Yeah. Went around sideways at about 60k :facepalm: He shat a wall of bricks.

By the time we'd come halfway on the reverse trip though he was taking the road properly, and as soon as he'd come to a corner I was advising on him he'd rev sync up, dab the brakes and jump to the entry. He paid FAR more attention through town after that too; proper reactions, reading the road, pre-empting other cars.

If only they'd do it officially, instead of letting the average ditz sit in a car for a few hours with mummy or daddy then release them on the road with NO comprehension of 'hazards'.

Until then...strobe lights?

[davebullet]

It amazes me that reaction times are not part of any driving test.

That makes about as much sense as not doing a sperm count on sperm donors.

[AznNinja]

Hopeless, isn't it?

They quiz you a bit on the full license about spotting hazards, but not reacting to them. Ask most people what they'd do if their car understeered on a wet corner and 'dude, what what?' is as good as it'd get out of 'em.

[MarkH]

It amazes me that reaction times are not part of any driving test.

There was a program where they showed a normal guy & a F1 driver, they tested the reaction times of each and the results . . . pretty much the same. It seems that the worlds best motor racing sports people don't actually have any better reactions than average.

The average driver is piss poor at noticing shit and at anticipating shit - they could react OK to shit if they were paying attention and actually noticed anything.