Blind spot awareness

[Mom]

While I have no doubt that there are a few of us that actually do consider this in our daily riding, I am equally sure there are many, many more that dont even stop to consider it at all.

I had a classic example of this today, from a biker that was obviously not a learner, well certainly not riding a learner bike anyway. In fact he was riding a rather large BMW. I saw him approaching through traffic behind me on the motorway, big bright headlight, easy to spot even when he was weaving in and out of traffic.

The traffic thinned a little bit and speeds picked up, all clear for the rest of the commute home :yes: I glanced behind me in the mirror and I could not see the bike anywhere. Now, I knew he had not turned off at the last off ramp, but yet he was nowhere to be seen. I looked in all my rear view mirrors (yes I am STILL in the poxy car, my ankle might heal one day) no trace of him anywhere. Riding a HUGE BMW and I could not see him anywhere!

I was fairly sure he had not come to grief behind me. I would have seen that in my mirrors, yet he was gone. I put my foot down and gained a bit of speed. All of a sudden there he was, sitting in the inside lane cruising along totally invisble to me before. Watching him in my mirrors, he gradually put himself firmly back into my blindspot and disappeared once again.

Now I am a biker, and very aware of motorcycles sharing my road, so I was actively looking for him. Even when I turned my head he was not visible, it would have been so easy to have changed lanes into/over the top of him and honestly have been able to say, "Sorry Mate I Didn't See You" (SMIDSY).

Please, please think about where you are on the road in relation to other road users. Not only cars, but bikes as well. Dont assume you have been seen, you probably haven't. Make sure you place yourself in a spot, move around as well, where you can be seen. Look for the mirrors and make sure you can see yourself in them, ALL of them.

Dont be invisble on the road.

[Str8 Jacket]

I thought blindspott were a band?? :confused:

[FJRider]

Perhaps it's time to adjust your car mirrors, so there is less of your car in them, and more of the lanes either side of you.

Set YOUR bike up in your current blind spots ... and adjust your car mirrors to see it.

[Mom]

Perhaps it's time to adjust your car mirrors, so there is less of your car in them, and more of the lanes either side of you.

Set YOUR bike up in your current blind spots ... and adjust your car mirrors to see it.

Trust me, my mirrors are wide angle (though I concede the car has large blindspots) and I still could not see this guy. Ride without being able to see the drivers eyes of the car ahead of you the mirrors at your peril. I always ride so I can be seen in the car aheads mirrors, this bloke was not visible for long periods of time :no:

[curly]

I thought blindspott were a band?? :confused:

Its Blacklist now..
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/141094-Blindspott-2011

[MyGSXF]

Perhaps it's time to adjust your car mirrors, so there is less of your car in them, and more of the lanes either side of you.

Set YOUR bike up in your current blind spots ... and adjust your car mirrors to see it.

Sorry.. nope! :no:


Ride without being able to see the drivers eyes of the car ahead of you the mirrors at your peril. I always ride so I can be seen in the car aheads mirrors,

You got it Mom!!! :yes:

WE are the ones who chose to ride a bike, thus increasing our vulnerability. So we need to take responsibility for riding defensively & doing all we can to increase our visibility.. like NOT riding in other road users blind spots!! Never ASSUME other people have seen you! Such a simple thing for us to do.. yet so many people are just sooo UNAWARE of soooo many hazards out there! :blink:

Being a defensive riding / driving course provider, sometimes I jus shake my head in bewilderment at some peoples lack of awareness... :facepalm:

[MSTRS]

Of course there is the other blindspot to consider...anywhere the driver isn't looking.

Like the stupid old fart who had a go at taking me out in Dannevirke on Saturday. Middle of town - me heading north, him heading south and turning into a side street right across my bows.
Thing is, it had stopped raining but the road was wet, I was doing a mere 40kph in the right wheeltrack, I saw his indicator ages before either of us reached that side street, I saw the other cars behind him slightly to his left. What I didn't see was his eyes - only the side of his face cos he was looking where he wanted to go. Hmmm, there's a BIG clue...will he stop or won't he? Nope, he nearly timed it to perfection too. If I'd stopped he would have t-boned me, couldn't go right (other opposing traffic, so did the only thing left to me...sped up, ducked to the left, thumb on airhorn. MY timing was spot on...

[PrincessBandit]

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 clearly spells out that responsibility to be seen on the road is not a one-way option. How often do we hear bikers use the smidsy accusation of drivers when things turn to shite, yet mom has highlighted a legitimate concern whereby we can be our own worst enemies.

Of course I am not belittling the frequent occurrences where riders have been taken out by dozy car drivers who have their blinkers (as in horse blinkers, not indicators) firmly fixed in place. Any one of us here could list countless experiences with other road users who have been literally oblivious to anyone else on the road in their vicinity. Mom's point is though that we must take maximum responsibility for our own visibility. Opting (inadvertently or otherwise) to position ourselves in a zone of low vision is a poor choice for riders.

[5150]

I thought blindspott were a band?? :confused:

Good band them Blindspot :yes:

[oneofsix]

Perhaps it's time to adjust your car mirrors, so there is less of your car in them, and more of the lanes either side of you.

Set YOUR bike up in your current blind spots ... and adjust your car mirrors to see it.

But that is the thing about a blind spot, it is an area that is not and can not be covered by the mirrors. With modem 5 star cars you can't even rely on the head check as the airbag take up so much also the head check is a secondary check.
I also have had other bikers ride in my blind spot on the bike, they seem to see you doing the head check and drop back so you don't see them then neither, using the ablity of the bike to their disadvantage

[FJRider]

Sorry.. nope! :no:

After a similar experience to Mom's ... I adjusted MY car mirrors (I thought they were previously OK) and did manage to see more of the road. The trick is to watch the mirrors often.

Coming up behind other vehicles ... I look for the eyes of the driver/rider ... and plant my headlight squarely in their mirrors ... A few flashes of high beam if I think they haven't noticed me ...

And a few bikers just DONT look behind them. Because I cant see their face in either mirror when I'm behind them. [/QUOTE]

[Edbear]

While I have no doubt that there are a few of us that actually do consider this in our daily riding, I am equally sure there are many, many more that dont even stop to consider it at all.

I had a classic example of this today, from a biker that was obviously not a learner, well certainly not riding a learner bike anyway. In fact he was riding a rather large BMW. I saw him approaching through traffic behind me on the motorway, big bright headlight, easy to spot even when he was weaving in and out of traffic.

The traffic thinned a little bit and speeds picked up, all clear for the rest of the commute home :yes: I glanced behind me in the mirror and I could not see the bike anywhere. Now, I knew he had not turned off at the last off ramp, but yet he was nowhere to be seen. I looked in all my rear view mirrors (yes I am STILL in the poxy car, my ankle might heal one day) no trace of him anywhere. Riding a HUGE BMW and I could not see him anywhere!

I was fairly sure he had not come to grief behind me. I would have seen that in my mirrors, yet he was gone. I put my foot down and gained a bit of speed. All of a sudden there he was, sitting in the inside lane cruising along totally invisble to me before. Watching him in my mirrors, he gradually put himself firmly back into my blindspot and disappeared once again.

Now I am a biker, and very aware of motorcycles sharing my road, so I was actively looking for him. Even when I turned my head he was not visible, it would have been so easy to have changed lanes into/over the top of him and honestly have been able to say, "Sorry Mate I Didn't See You" (SMIDSY).

Please, please think about where you are on the road in relation to other road users. Not only cars, but bikes as well. Dont assume you have been seen, you probably haven't. Make sure you place yourself in a spot, move around as well, where you can be seen. Look for the mirrors and make sure you can see yourself in them, ALL of them.

Dont be invisble on the road.


Sorry.. nope! :no:



You got it Mom!!! :yes:

WE are the ones who chose to ride a bike, thus increasing our vulnerability. So we need to take responsibility for riding defensively & doing all we can to increase our visibility.. like NOT riding in other road users blind spots!! Never ASSUME other people have seen you! Such a simple thing for us to do.. yet so many people are just sooo UNAWARE of soooo many hazards out there! :blink:

Being a defensive riding / driving course provider, sometimes I jus shake my head in bewilderment at some peoples lack of awareness... :facepalm:

+1!!!! :yes:

[SMOKEU]

I always try to minimize the amount of time I am in another vehicles blind spot when travelling in a multi lane road. If I think I'm about to be in a cagers blind spot, then I usually move to the left of the lane (if I'm in the left lane, or I move to the right if I'm in the right lane), then I quickly accelerate so I am just in front of the cager, which is when I resume my normal lane position.

[george formby]

This is one reason why I try to take up as much space on the road as lorry.

My favourite version of hide & seek involves bikes (& cars) tailgating high vehicles like trucks & campervans then darting out for a quick peek to overtake. Must like diesel fumes.

[vifferman]

The vifferbabe's car has excellent mirrors, but has a blindspot that caught me out a few times when changing lanes to the right. It's a Black Hole Of Invisibility that vehicles get sucked into, as soon as they're level with the back quarter of the car. I don't have the same problem on the bike, as the mirrors are surprisingly good, but regardless of that I try to always be aware of what's around me, and also of making sure that other drivers are aware of me too.

[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]

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! :crazy:

[Blackbird]

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]

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!! :mellow: I also ride using a Reevu helmet (which has a rear vision mirror built into it.. :2thumbsup). Merging lanes are important places to do a head check too!


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! :niceone:

[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]

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?]

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]

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.

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 :niceone:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/146731-REEVU-helmets-for-sale-Grab-a-bargain!?p=1130267344#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]

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.

[Ivan]

awareness for blindspott here ya go https://www.facebook.com/BlackListMusicNZ