SMIDSYs - mostly avoidable, or a real risk?

[shrub]

I actually do think people only look/glance for larger vehicles. I'm sure I used to. I now find myself semi-subconsciously arriving at intersections and thinking "are there any vehicles, including bikes, coming?"
There's that whole 'you often only see what you're looking for' thing which was proven with the video of the basketballers and either a guy in a gorilla suit or a guy with a bag with a $ sign on it.

In that case it makes it even more important to use strategies to get the driver's attention. We're not going to be able to get however many million car drivers to "think bike", but there is no reason we can't get a hundred thousand bikers to learn to draw attention to themselves.

[onearmedbandit]

NPMISY is the answer.

[Edbear]

That's a pretty common argument, but I don't think people look for any particular type of vehicle - I don't. There are enough bikes and cyclists on the road for people to be sufficiently familiar to recognise them as being a hazard.

Precisely, that's why I do weird and unpredictable shit like move across my lane and head for the car, or why I try and avoid having a blended background by getting well ahead of the pack. If you have ever been hunting you will know you can be literally metres from an animal and not see it, but the moment it moves you see it instantly. The secret is to move relative to your background.

And that's probably why I put this thread up. I have been riding for all up around 20 years now if you take the years I didn't have a bike out of the equation, probably a total of 200,000 kms. I ride a hell of a lot in traffic - last year I did under 2000 kms in my car and just over 11000 kms on my bike, with most of them being in traffic. I would have probably one, maybe two instances a year when there is a near SMIDSY to the point where I need to brake hard or head for cover, and the last one was my fault because I was sitting in their blind spot. In fact I have never had an off that wasn't completely my own stupid fault (and I have had a few, believe me), so what's the difference between me and the poor buggers who suffer SMIDSYs? Looks? I'm pretty fucking ugly, but in my helmet nobody can tell. Luck? Then how come the biggest Lotto prize i have ever had was $20.00? Riding skill? I'm a very average rider and have been overtaken by postie bikes and I still talk about the time I actually pulled a wheelie. Visibility? I wear a black helmet, have a black bike and black gear.

Or could it be a few tricks I've figured out along the way?

Quite possibly, I rode for over 40 years until I broke my back last year and cannot ride again, and I've never had an accident or a ticket on a bike. Luck? Hey I broke my back in one of the strongest vans you can buy at less than 50km/h doing everything right. It was in the wet and I couldn't see the patch of oil in the rain... I'm not your average lucky guy...

NPMISY is the answer.

Sorry, my brain is fried at the moment, can you please translate?

[george formby]

Hmmmm, I've been paying attention of late to Hi viz vests on riders & reckon in some cases, no screen, piss poor headlight & upright riding position they do make the rider more visible. The fluoro has caught my eye & I look to see what it is. That's a +1. On the other hand, good headlight, screen or crouched rider & I only notice the fluoro after I spot the bike. That's a -1.

I reckon avoiding SMIDSY's boils down to experience & training, adopting an attitude which keeps you alert, in space & pro-active on the road. It's impossible to anticipate everything but most of the time you can be aware of multiple threats & minimise the risk by putting yourself in the safest place at the safest speed. Expecting others to see you is the wrong attitude to road riding.

[Maha]

NPMISY
Sorry, my brain is fried at the moment, can you please translate?

'No Problem Mate I saw You' is my guess.

[steve_t]

In that case it makes it even more important to use strategies to get the driver's attention. We're not going to be able to get however many million car drivers to "think bike", but there is no reason we can't get a hundred thousand bikers to learn to draw attention to themselves.

When I'm riding in the city, I'm regularly doing the SIAM manoeuvre - most cos 50km/h gets a bit boring Sometimes I wonder if cagers might think I'm drunk etc but at least they see me

[george formby]

Not wanting to get off topic but..... My new bike has an LED running light under the head light & it is the proverbial mutts nuts for sticking out..,. I m very impressed wid it.

[onearmedbandit]

Sorry, my brain is fried at the moment, can you please translate?

'No Problem Mate I saw You' is my guess.

Maha is on the money.

[avgas]

Errrrr what is the acronym for when a motorbike hits something?
Been seeing that a lot. Even done it myself.

[Usarka]

IMHO they're mostly avoidable but to say 100% are avoidable is expecting superhuman judgement and sometimes ESP from all riders all of the time. 95% maybe.


Intersections especially on open roads for example. Like taking off in an aeroplane there's a point of no return where you have to commit. So if you're pretty sure that car's not going to pull out, there is still a chance that it will just at precisely the wrong second....

Using the aeroplane analogy though, pilots are prepared for engine failure on take off. They might still crash and die, but by being prepared for it they're giving themselves much better odds at walking away from an incident.

Errrrr what is the acronym for when a motorbike hits something?

MTWCATMHBOOTR

(my tyres were cold and there must have been oil on the road)

[MSTRS:Me]

errrrr what is the acronym for when a motorbike hits something?
Been seeing that a lot. Even done it myself.

fubar.....

[shrub]

When I'm riding in the city, I'm regularly doing the SIAM manoeuvre - most cos 50km/h gets a bit boring Sometimes I wonder if cagers might think I'm drunk etc but at least they see me

What's a SIAM manouevre?

[curly]

When I'm riding in the city, I'm regularly doing the SIAM manoeuvre - most cos 50km/h gets a bit boring Sometimes I wonder if cagers might think I'm drunk etc but at least they see me

What's a SIAM manouevre?

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...highlight=siam

Smidsy Identification Avoidance Manoeurve

[scumdog]

Not that I totally depend on them but me an Mrs SD (normajeane) have bright-as running lights mounted each side of the headlights, they spread 37 degrees so can be seen at an angle where a headlight would not. (When normajeane is behind me in s string of bikes I can always see her lights - other bikes melt into the back-ground especially on right-hand bends, their lights are almost not visible.

They are way bright - too bright to be used at night as they are just a big flare of light.

I've seen motorists stop suddenly in situations where I'm sure they would have pulled out on front of us.

[darkwolf]

Did you add these to the bikes or did you they come with the bike? I am looking into this now, just better to be seen than sorry. Are you able to tell me where you got them if you did put them on yourself?