I was thinking about the whole SMIDSY debate, and I reckon they are almost entirely avoidable. I reckon the secret comes down to recognising 3 things:
1. Cars don't spontaneously turn or pull out. I have owned a hell of cars over the years, and none of them have ever spontaneously done anything - not turn, pull out or even burst into song. The only reason cars turn is because the driver wants to do some pretty specific things - go down a side street, change direction, grab a parking place, start a journey or finish a journey. Most or all of these actions have other actions leading up to them and can be pretty well predicted. A car that is slowing down or is stationary on the centre line across from a driveway or road is very likely to turn down said road, just as a car sitting at an intersection is almost certainly going to pull out and odds are good that a car on the side of the road with someone in the drivers seat and the engine running with the front wheels turned is probably going to pull out or do a U turn.
2. Car drivers are people and people hate confrontation. I have heard many a biker pronounce that they treat every other road user as a homicidal maniac with a hatred of motorcycles, but that's bollocks because if it were the case NOTHING you could do would keep you safe. I am convinced that car drivers really don't want to hit you because (a) you may get grumpy with them, (b) it will damage their car, (c) they could get into trouble with the Constables or (d) they could hurt you. If a car driver sees you coming towards them when they're planning to do something that could lead to a SMIDSY, then they will wait for you to go past before they do their thing.
3. Car drivers are easily distracted and have limited visibility. Because most cars have a stereo to listen to and controls to fiddle with, passengers to chat to and because car drivers like to eat tasty food and drink refreshing beverages on the road, they are often distracted so aren't paying attention like they should. Add to that blind spots (and I reckon NOBODY uses wing mirrors) and when it's cold or wet, fogged up windows; and the poor buggers are pretty well flying blind.
So the secret to dodging SMIDSYs is to recognise the things that indicate a car is about to change direction. Then it's a matter of making sure that the poor bugger behind the wheel sees you before he has to suffer the indignity of driving a Toyota Starlet with "Bobs Panelbeaters Loan Car" on the side. Personally I have a few strategies:
I try not to travel in groups of cars. If someone has been waiting to pull out, and they see a gap between 2 cars, they may decide to quickly whip between them before the discover that I was that gap. I also figure that if I am on my own a hundred metres in front of the traffic I am more likely to be noticed than if I had a cluttered background of cars and shit to distract the car driver.
If I see a car that is waiting at an intersection/at the centreline I ride straight at them. That means I swing across the lane and for a second or so I make sure that I am pointing directly at them because their survival mechanism cuts in "Oh crap, that bike is going to hit me... oh no, he's not". They have seen me because for a fraction of a second I was a potential threat so I took precedence over what the funny bastards on the radio were saying.
I change speed and move around in my lane because if I am moving relative to my surroundings I am more likely to be seen in the same way that a soldier will tell you that if they run straight at their enemy they are less likely to be seen than if they do the Hollywood thing and run from side to side. Plus it makes them think "WTF is he up to?" which is better than them thinking "hmmm, that is some tasty pie, I think I'll just pull out now"
And always have an escape route for when none of the above work.
Just my 2c worth.
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Originally Posted by Albert
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