Rear awareness

[Gremlin]

Maintain your space... all around, including behind. I hate being rear ended, it's very uncomfortable.

Closest I have had was in traffic on the moronway. Traffic came to a stop in the fast lane (not others) in a predictable place. I flashed my brakes, as always, then started applying brakes. Heard a screech behind, dived to the left of the fast lane (going too slow to get into the left lane without causing more issues). Car pulled up on my right, with a metre to spare to the car in front of me.

With "unexpected" braking like that (ie, drivers are even less likely to notice that traffic has slowed), I always try to flash my brake lights first. This gets most driver's attention. If they're still closing, I brake harder than required, to get them hauling on their brakes, then I'll ease off to approach the cars, having given myself a comfortable buffer.

If they are still not braking, then you're hopefully giving yourself some room to move, before you're right behind the cars and stuck. On the rare occasion, I've come to a halt on the motorway, and putting my feet down means I've stopped, and it gives me the shits, making me feel extremely vulnerable.

Maintaining your space is a combination of riding styles. Be aggressive when appropriate so they stay away, or ride meekly so they feel sympathetic and give you a bit of room (this also involves the subtle games of blocking their line of sight, so they have less tendancy to tailgate). I'll distance myself from a car to give me reaction time, or I'll ride near them to make them aware of me and/or make them move.

[DrunkenMistake]

If im in a traffic situation, I like to take my rear brake one or two times before i start actually braking leading up to the likes of a crossing or lights or whatever it is, gives a couple of flashes on the brake lights, so I dont know if it helps, but I tend to pull to either side of the lane when stopped at the lights or crossings, to make sure If I can avoid been hit from behind I can either slot to the slide a little more, or If I do get hit, I dont go under a car or into another.

I like to check my mirrors every few mins when riding, just encase there is that fuck head in his souped up civic coming up beside me on a blind corner, But sports bike mirrors are really there for a WOF, I find my elbows are always in the way and I try to set them for when I ride in an aggressive position rather than bolt upright, but when you start moving around it becomes a pain.

[swbarnett]

if the car behind gets it wrong and I need to (for example) gas it up between the two cars in front.

Even when there's only one car in front of me at the lights I'll lan split if there's room. That way I've got an already stopped car behind me and I don't have to breath their exhaust.

[The Singing Chef]

is this the same rear awareness as when you somehow walk into a slightly homosexual club? if so you should change the title to "how do all you Honda riders deal with it?"

[GrayWolf]

Even when there's only one car in front of me at the lights I'll lan split if there's room. That way I've got an already stopped car behind me and I don't have to breath their exhaust.

What He said

Had a wtf moment this morning which got me thinking, how aware of things behind the bike should we be? How can we avoid rear ends if we see one coming? and how can we prevent them in the first place?


As a side note, I'm not too happy with the position of my mirrors and will be installing a screen in future which will hopefully cause me to notice things without conscious effort to stare at the mirrors.

Can I draw your attention to another thread discussing the 'Police Motorcycle Roadcraft' book that is available. Mirrors are NOT reliable for rear viewing, the manouver is called by the English Police (the lifesaver) or Right rear observation, look over your right shoulder before changing lanes, turning etc..... it covers the 'blind spot' rear mirrors have

[FJRider]

As a side note, I'm not too happy with the position of my mirrors and will be installing a screen in future which will hopefully cause me to notice things without conscious effort to stare at the mirrors.

The view you get in the mirrors of a LOT of bikes ... is a good one ... of YOUR armpits ...

A glance in the mirror at each bend/kink in the road ... or a slow weave on a straight road will reveal lots ... Dont STARE at the mirrors, whats in FRONT is more important ...

The habit of checking your mirrors at each change of direction MAY save your life ... or at least a great deal of grief ...

[unstuck]

This is one of the questions i got wrong in the online roadcode test,because i always like to stop where i can get the fuck out of the way if some tard comes upon me too fast,but apparently you are supposed to stay in the center of your lane. Whats the go??

[bogan]

The view you get in the mirrors of a LOT of bikes ... is a good one ... of YOUR armpits ...

A glance in the mirror at each bend/kink in the road ... or a slow weave on a straight road will reveal lots ... Dont STARE at the mirrors, whats in FRONT is more important ...

The habit of checking your mirrors at each change of direction MAY save your life ... or at least a great deal of grief ...

yeh I generally shimy my head a bit as the mirrors on the bros are actually not too bad comparatively, but there is a better solution, and it's on the to-do list

[FJRider]

Can I draw your attention to another thread discussing the 'Police Motorcycle Roadcraft' book that is available. Mirrors are NOT reliable for rear viewing, the manouver is called by the English Police (the lifesaver) or Right rear observation, look over your right shoulder before changing lanes, turning etc..... it covers the 'blind spot' rear mirrors have

This applies in MOST cases ... to/of Cars too ... look for the face(eyes) of car drivers in the mirrors of the cars around you ... you can't see them-they won't see you.

EXPECT them to lane change without indicating ... so you're not supprised when they DO ...

[baptist]

Would hate to see you REAR ended,or any other bloke for that matter. Just be aware as much as possible and you should live longer.

I thought Honda riders carried KY Jelly to help in case they got shafted from behind...

I tend to stop to the side of the lane as well, I won't stop in the centre of the lane behind a car and I give it a few taps on the brake before stopping as do others. I share the opinion of a previous post, I would rather get knocked off than rammed into another object.

[tigertim20]

Had a wtf moment this morning which got me thinking, how aware of things behind the bike should we be? .

depends on two things.
how fast are you going? and
do you see any flashing lights?

[jaffaonajappa]

I thought Honda riders carried KY Jelly to help in case they got shafted from behind...

Not lately....its now considered impolite.

[unstuck]

[QUOTE=baptist;1130070821]I thought Honda riders carried KY Jelly to help in case they got shafted from behind...

As a great man once said "You fuck me in the ass, you get shit on your dick".

[willytheekid]

I had a rear awareness moment on the way home last night....and got repeatedly tooted at for evading a free "bonnet ride".

Myself and a guy on a GN125 were crusing along in traffic beside each other, when the 5-6 cars in front had a cluster fuck moment....they got confused about the large green traffic light!
So one of them slammed on their brakes...and the others, who were jammed up the arse of the car in front, had some difficulty stopping.....not my problem right?
WRONG!.
Because the car behind us failed to witness this exercise in green light braking....and alarmingly continued to travel at 50kph straight at us...then he locked up.
So the little GN went left & I went for the right, past the now stationary traffic, to avoid a bonnet ride. (Not really my thing)
But the Q of cars started to move and we were left with no place to pull back in....so I MADE a gap.
And then continued down the road to the sound of "toot"...broom..."TOOT!"...BROOOM!!, from the guy in his family van, obviously pissed that I thundered past his open window made said gap infront of him and possibly interupted his cell phone call and celine dion music.
Tough Shit! I thought, one of the few times I have ever been tooted at....and it felt goOOOD! -Im usually the "tooter"...not the Tootee...??.....Felt good that my evasion and Gap forcing put one of the offenders out.

Point to the story.....the two bikes witnessed the front incident, and the possible rear incident, while the Tin cans didnt see a thing and caused the whole bloody mess.
Bikes are more aware for a reason!.....most of us don't like bonnet rides!...free or not.

PS: If one of your work mates is bitching about a guzzi that deafened & cut him off....tell him sorry...sorry his lack of awareness left him in confused and pissed off.

[schrodingers cat]

In a situation like that I try to avoid stopping right in the middle of the lane. By stopping to one side or the other of the lane you're allowing a larger escape route for anyone behind you that's not paying attention.

Correct. I hate being the first in the lane, waiting at any intersection. I like to be comfortably beside or in between a couple of nice shiny big safe cars