Eye contact - valid survival skill or bullshit?

[vifferman]

Well, I dunno.
I've only ever run over one pedestrian, and I sure as hell didn't get a chance to make eye contact with her.
Made no difference - it still fucked her leg up, and my bike, and she still had to pay for it all (and do the time in hospital), despite the lack of social niceties.

[Shadows]

Somebody close to me was taken out after making eye contact.

Somebody else equally close had to avoid being taken out after making eye contact and realising that he was actually being lined up. Probably a good thing he was watching in that case.

Myself, once upon a time, while I was busy staring a driver into not pulling out in front of me, I was taken out from another angle by some other completely unexpected arsehole.

Now I don't worry about eye contact and / or acknowledgement / permission to carry on without being fucked over, instead I look at the bigger picture and the different emergency exits constantly opening and closing. Served me well so far.

[baptist]

I only ever use eye contact with another motorist as a means to try figuring out what they intend to do.

Eye contact should never be used as an indication that you have been seen and are being given right of way.

So true. The closest I have come was a bus driver pulling out... he stared at me in his mirror and was still "looking" as he pulled out... I so like buses...every artillery firing range should have one.

[ellipsis]

...you have to have 'eye contact' to be able to strike up a conversation with a chick at parties...this bit of wisdom was given to me by a stud type fella, quite some time ago now...35 years back probably...never actually worked well for me...usually ended up with the chick yelling 'what are you staring at, sicko/twat/wanker/etc...just stared at their tits and bum after that...

[redhat]

...you have to have 'eye contact' to be able to strike up a conversation with a chick at parties...this bit of wisdom was given to me by a stud type fella, quite some time ago now...35 years back probably...never actually worked well for me...usually ended up with the chick yelling 'what are you steering at, sicko/twat/wanker/etc...just stared at their tits and bum after that...

I think eye contact is a little different than glaring

[awayatc]

eyecontact...?

If you wear padded gloves it doesn't hurt your knuckles much....

[Deano]

You are staring straight into their eyes, and they are looking straight back into yours...or are they? Just how do you know for sure that they aren't looking at something 40mm to the left of your left eye, say?

given this is correct, and

I only ever use eye contact with another motorist as a means to try figuring out what they intend to do.

Eye contact should never be used as an indication that you have been seen and are being given right of way.

if its not safe to assume you have been seen, how do you use their eyes to figure anything out ? honest question Steve.

The answer is of course...............to wave at them ! If they wave back you KNOW they have seen you lol. never underestimate the power of the wave

[Katman]

if its not safe to assume you have been seen, how do you use their eyes to figure anything out ? honest question Steve.

Dunno Deano, maybe I'm just a mind reader.

The art is really about having an escape route planned and being prepared to break off a turn right up until the point of no return (which is actually a point well into the turn). At that stage you've got to hope you've left a large enough gap between you and the other vehicle to be past before they could close that gap if they moved.

[Voltaire]

Works well in the car, wind down the window take off the sunglasses get eye contact and you'll be let out/in. Try it.
Never use it on the bike as I assume I'm invisible.