Aging motorcyclists - Close Up tonight 30/11/10

[MSTRS:Me]

That's hardly the fault of our roads or of our laws governing our roads.

It is solely the fault of the inattentive person.

Arguably, you are right.
But take SH5, for instance...about 130kms end to end. 100kph limit on all of it. From HB end, smooth flowing corners, for the most part, over about 100kms. Very enjoyable and safe at 100kph. I often don't even need to brake, even at the Tarawera. And then some 30kms across the plains with, what, 4 corners. Sleepy-time...

[James Deuce]

Didnt say it was anyones fault
but ignoring it and saying its purely the drivers fault is ignorant and doesnt help anyone.

"When the human mind is not being occupied by the current task, then it will automatically find something else to occupy it."

I'm not following that at all. Are you saying it isn't your fault that you're inattentive?

Inattention isn't an excuse it's an admission of incompetence on a par with SMIDSY.

[shrub]

As for Looong pieces of road, one of the blackest pieces of road for accidents, speeding, and other mishaps is between ChCh & Timaru....it's only got a handful of corners in nearly 160kms of open road.....Why because most can't handle a straight piece of road, chumps moan about that piece of road in particular but it's one place you have to keep your wits about you & keep on the alert

As for the general tone of the thread, as long it keeps the US & THEM attitude we're always going to be on the loosing side of the ledger

I loathe that piece of road. It's heavily policed, so it's very expensive to travel over the magic 111 kmh which means you need to grind out the whole 160 kms at 100 kmh. It also scares me because people fall asleep on it so I watch every car coming towards me like a hawk and if they drift one way or the other even the slightest bit I'm looking for an escape route.

I saw a guy driving a car once with a book on his steering wheel on that road.

[shrub]

There are many intelligent people who would disagree
Personally I think inattention is common and the main cause of accidents in general
I find inattention happen more often in the car but can creep in on the bike on boring roads

Driver inattention is one of the biggest single causes of crashes and In New Zealand, Police ascribed 'poor observation' as a cause of nearly half the crashes in 2008. Shame that this is largely ignored in favour of an all-out attack on speeding.

[yachtie10]

I'm not following that at all. Are you saying it isn't your fault that you're inattentive?

Inattention isn't an excuse it's an admission of incompetence on a par with SMIDSY.

I didnt say it wasnt my fault
but i am saying EVERYONE suffers from inattention to some degree or another and to ignore it is ignorant.

What I can also say is I enjoy riding a motorcycle partly because it involves me and the only time I find myself falling into innatentive ways is when on a fairly straight piece of road for a long periods. (do you think there might be a connection?)

I agree its on a par with smidsy as inattention is probably the main reason for SMIDSY

[yachtie10]

maybe I havnt explained myself well

I refer to Inattention as when the mind thinks of other things when it is not being occupied

I am not specifically referring to being distracted by other things other than driving


"When the human mind is not being occupied by the current task, then it will automatically find something else to occupy it."

[T.W.R]

I loathe that piece of road. It's heavily policed, so it's very expensive to travel over the magic 111 kmh which means you need to grind out the whole 160 kms at 100 kmh. It also scares me because people fall asleep on it so I watch every car coming towards me like a hawk and if they drift one way or the other even the slightest bit I'm looking for an escape route.

I saw a guy driving a car once with a book on his steering wheel on that road.

What's to loathe about the road??? it's not the road it's the users to loathe
Living bang in the guts of it for nearly 20yrs, travelled it every day, whether for work or any other reason, even whilst working driving heavy machinery (max speed 40km/h) sometimes with multiple items rigged up behind I saw stupidity from road users that you wouldn't believe

As for heavily policed it's no more heavily policed than any other road in the district and the popo aren't that bright to be honest because they use the same camera vehicles on a rotation and they're always in the same places and the HP patrols have dedicated locations that they stick to, so it isn't rocket science to learn their routine

As for people falling asleep at the wheel along that piece of road, have seen it all Long haul trucks, short haul trucks, cars, & motorcycles all driver/rider fault not the road....lack of discipline & respect for other road users.

And remember THIS incident that's when it got up close and personal!

There isn't once instance on that particular piece of road or any like it that it's the road's fault (remember it's an inanimate object). And for the likes of people who think travelling the inland route is a better option, they've got more chance of getting cleaned up by cockies pulling out of farm gateways, stray stock or other muppets running stop signs & giveway intersections

[shrub]

What's to loathe about the road??? it's not the road it's the users to loathe.

And remember THIS incident that's when it got up close and personal!

There isn't once instance on that particular piece of road or any like it that it's the road's fault (remember it's an inanimate object). And for the likes of people who think travelling the inland route is a better option, they've got more chance of getting cleaned up by cockies pulling out of farm gateways, stray stock or other muppets running stop signs & giveway intersections

Very true. A long straight road takes as much concentration as a tight windy road because you're travelling at the same speed (30m per second), and I remember THAT incident well.

It comes down to road user skill and recognising that different roads require different techniques and offer different challenges. The challenge a long straight road offers is maintaining focus and concentration and STAYING AWAKE - I have stopped on the side of the road many times and had a snooze. Where a straight road offers a challenge is boredom, and I'd rather face the challenge of riding on a tight, winding gravel road in the wet than a boring road.

[Katman]

It comes down to road user skill and recognising that different roads require different techniques and offer different challenges. The challenge a long straight road offers is maintaining focus and concentration and STAYING AWAKE - I have stopped on the side of the road many times and had a snooze. Where a straight road offers a challenge is boredom, and I'd rather face the challenge of riding on a tight, winding gravel road in the wet than a boring road.

It comes down to ensuring that your eyes are always moving.

Even though the picture they are seeing may not change, as long as they are moving, the mind is working.

[T.W.R]

Where a straight road offers a challenge is boredom, and I'd rather face the challenge of riding on a tight, winding gravel road in the wet than a boring road.

A boring road is only a boring road if you make it so. realistically there shouldn't be any thing such as a boring road as it boils down to the fact you're operating a vehicle at speed, monitoring multiple things at once so HOW can that be boring?? Again it isn't the road it's the person travelling it

Any nut can travel fast in a straight line but it takes discipline & concentration to travel in a straight line at a constant speed

[shrub]

It comes down to ensuring that your eyes are always moving.

Even though the picture they are seeing may not change, as long as they are moving, the mind is working.

Sadly most people don't know that, and a long straight road lulls them into a false sense of security which means they feel safe to play with the stereo, stare at the scenery or eat that tasty pie they picked up.

As I keep coming back to, it's the skill (or lack of skill) of road users that is the problem.

[shrub]

Any nut can travel fast in a straight line but it takes discipline & concentration to travel in a straight line at a constant speed

Or cruise control.

[Banditbandit]

I loathe that piece of road. It's heavily policed, so it's very expensive to travel over the magic 111 kmh which means you need to grind out the whole 160 kms at 100 kmh. It also scares me because people fall asleep on it so I watch every car coming towards me like a hawk and if they drift one way or the other even the slightest bit I'm looking for an escape route.

I saw a guy driving a car once with a book on his steering wheel on that road.

When I lived in ChCh it was a commonm weekend thing to try to get to Timaru in 1 hour ... if that's still the case, then that's one reason why the road is dangerous ...

(It might not be so hard now .. but back in the days, try doing it on a Triumph 650 ...

[BoristheBiter]

A boring road is only a boring road if you make it so. realistically there shouldn't be any thing such as a boring road as it boils down to the fact you're operating a vehicle at speed, monitoring multiple things at once so HOW can that be boring?? Again it isn't the road it's the person travelling it

Any nut can travel fast in a straight line but it takes discipline & concentration to travel in a straight line at a constant speed

Unless you have cruise control.

[T.W.R]

Or cruise control.

Unless you have cruise control.

cruise control is a novelty item for fuck knuckles