The "didn't see you" idea

[Mental Trousers]

I however cannot understand how a cage driver can rear end me at a set of traffic lights which I am stopped at with my bloody big brake light on an be told that she didnt see me.
In this instance I was stopped at a red light I was the only vehicle in the lane and I get hit from behind. I ride with lights on and because this set of light is on a slope I also had my brake on so also a brake light on. Reflectorised Jacket and a bright red helmet. Short of a high vis vest I think I make myself a visible as possible.

Whats happening behind you is equally as important as whats happening in front of you. At lights I make sure I have escape routes - even it's "dash to the left and up the gutter onto the footpath" or "the gap between the 2 stationary cars" or something like that. I leave a minimum of 2-3 bike lengths between myself and the car in front and am far more alert to anything behind me than I would be if I walked into a gay bar.

A little story: I was heading over the Mamaku's one time having a nice little ride and getting along at about 140kph on one of the quicker parts. Just me and no other traffic around when all of a sudden alarm bells started going off inside my head. 2 seconds later a bright red Ford Probe absolutely blitzed me. At a guess he was doing an easy 210kph.

The point of that little story is that even at 140kph when I wouldn't expect anything to come up behind me, I was still aware of something back there and that it was a real danger. I didn't know what, but at least alarm bells went off in my head. And that is something that pleases me very much.

[Waylander]

when the woman that hit me came over, the first thing she said was "i didnt see the motorbike" and i gotta admit, it did feel like she was returning the blame to me, and my first thought was "sure lady" but i somehow managed to avoid saying it out loud.

maybe we could ask car drivers what we could do to make ourselves more visible?

And they will respond with, "drive a car"

[sunhuntin]

true enough, waylander. cars suck.