Reversing lights? You cannot be serious!

[Wolf]

After reading this thread I'm thinking of using hynotherapy to program myself to perceive brake lights as a threat - because I suspect that if I'd've been in the same position I would have been confused enough to delay reaction.

First time I encountered high-stop brake lights shining right through the car that was between me and the stopping vehicle, I responded instantly before I even realised what they were and thought afterwards "what a bloody great idea". All I saw was a red light and though "braking vehicle" - t'was only after I had stopped that I realised it was on the vehickle in front of the car I was following. I actually started stopping before the brake lights came up on the car in front of me - this is how conditioned we are to red lights.

White lights, OTOH, have no such conditioning factor and the only cue you have is that the vehicle starts to get "bigger" as it slows. Valuable time can be lost trying to sort out what's happening in a non-standard situation such as this. I can see how that 2 seconds can be eroded away in the time between that bloke shifting into reverse and him finally putting on the brakes and giving a clear visual warning.

[Highlander]

Would have been bad enough if he went to "P" for "Pass" but "R" for "Racing"

Good thing your hurt was relatively minor. The rest is only money (gutting as it is) and what you pay insurance for.

[Hitcher]

Another chapter in this saga: The driver of the RAV4 pleaded guilty to the careless driving charge and was fined $450.

[paturoa]

Another chapter in this saga: The driver of the RAV4 pleaded guilty to the careless driving charge and was fined $450.

should call it dumbass driving rather than careless

[davereid]

Glad to hear you are OK, and that it look like the car driver will pick up the tab.

BRM magazine had a test a while back, and found cruisers stopped very well in emergency situations - surprisingly close to balls out sportsbikes in peformance.

Brake fade meant that subsequent stops were not as good as the first one, but I guess the first one is the most important one.

Heavier bikes have more mass to slow... but they have more friction on the road too. Plus on bikes with a long wheelbase, more breaking force does usefull work - you can't do stoppies on a DynaGlide, but they are easy on a Buell.

No doubt someone will say.. bullshit bullshit bullshit... and of course I cant find the FN magazine !

[pritch]

Our local Council is doing a great job of reprogramming some of its citizens to respond to reversing lights.

Right outside where I work is a car parking precinct designed by a congenital idiot. After yet another little kid got hit by a car, a Council employee announced on the radio that this car park works exactly like a supermarket car park.

Which statement tends to overlook the fact that this carpark is in the middle of the road and to leave you have to back out in to the traffic flow. If a van parks upstream of you you have to back out blind. Meanwhile traffic is coming through at 50kph. None of which is like any supermarket carpark I have visited...

I drive through there on tip toe (so to speak) and my eyes are wide and staring looking for reversing lights coming on. Cars only have to back up about a metre to hit you. Little kids only have to take three or four paces to be in the traffic flow which is how come they get hit.

The Council minions can say what they like, this park was designed and approved by imbeciles. But I sure am becoming attuned to reversing lights!

[sAsLEX]

Right outside where I work is a car parking precinct designed by a congenital idiot. After yet another little kid got hit by a car, a Council employee announced on the radio that this car park works exactly like a supermarket car park.

The Council minions can say what they like, this park was designed and approved by imbeciles. But I sure am becoming attuned to reversing lights!

You talking about behind the movies aint you!

What a shit fight that piece of road is now.

[Paul in NZ]

Another chapter in this saga: The driver of the RAV4 pleaded guilty to the careless driving charge and was fined $450.

And more importantly - will now be chased by your insurance company as the 'at fault' party?

[Pixie]

Our local Council is doing a great job of reprogramming some of its citizens to respond to reversing lights.

Right outside where I work is a car parking precinct designed by a congenital idiot. After yet another little kid got hit by a car, a Council employee announced on the radio that this car park works exactly like a supermarket car park.

Which statement tends to overlook the fact that this carpark is in the middle of the road and to leave you have to back out in to the traffic flow. If a van parks upstream of you you have to back out blind. Meanwhile traffic is coming through at 50kph. None of which is like any supermarket carpark I have visited...

I drive through there on tip toe (so to speak) and my eyes are wide and staring looking for reversing lights coming on. Cars only have to back up about a metre to hit you. Little kids only have to take three or four paces to be in the traffic flow which is how come they get hit.

The Council minions can say what they like, this park was designed and approved by imbeciles. But I sure am becoming attuned to reversing lights!

How many people are bright enough to think of putting on their left indicator when backing out of an angle parking space?
Far easier to see than a reversing light.
But I guess the average idiot only connects indicator use with turns while moving forwards

[pritch]

You talking about behind the movies aint you!

Your knowledge of geography is impressive :-)

[Forest]

As a matter of interest, does anyone know why cars don't use the shift barrel system as in motorcycle gearboxes?

Do you mean a sequential gear box? They call them "tiptronic" in the car world.

[Wolf]

And the answer to Milky's question is: "Because cagers are inferior in all respects". They need to have the H shift or a clearly marked auto transmission so they know what gear they're in...

A mod I'd love to see done to a car is to mount the indicators, light controls, horn and clutch control to the steering wheel itself so that they are in the right position when the hands are at the "ten to two" position. A "tiptronic" foot control mounted down in place of the foot clutch would also be great.

Consider: you flick the lever on the steering column to full beam. It's not bad if someone turns into your path while you're driving straight as the lever is close to the little finger of your right hand - but if you're cornering yourself and a car heaves into view, you have to remove your right hand from the steering wheel, locate the lever and dip the lights rather than just rock the switch back onto dip with your left thumb.

I reckon put the controls on the steering wheel and split them between left and right hands so that the bloody cagers have to keep their hands on the wheel to do anything - now let's see them yak or txt on their cell phones...

[sAsLEX]

Do you mean a sequential gear box? They call them "tiptronic" in the car world.

Tiptronic is nothing to do with gearboxes other than a shitty gimmic to shift a standard auto box between gears.

Sequential is the right term though.

[sunhuntin]

what i hate is cars that dont have working backing lights. my mother included. i nagged ages ago for her get them working, but she says cos they arent WOF required, they arent needed. at least the backing lights give you a hint that something is going to happen...imagine being behind a car that suddenly starts going in reverse with no lights or anything. wouldnt realise until your front end was stuck their bumper.

id actually like a small light on the back of the bike that would work with the tail light for when im backing out of parking or something [like at work...i back right into the path of cars at the pumps. cant see around the corner, so hold my hand brake gently, or twitch it to make the light flash.]

[Hitcher]

While out riding yesterday my thoughts were very much on how lucky I was to avoid serious injury (or worse) last year. I was more than a little relieved when 11:00am came and went without incident, not that I'm at all superstitious! It's often said that nobody can fully remember pain after the event. I can still vividly recall the pain of seeing the stoved-in nose of my ST1300. And my left knee hurt a bit as well...

Every day is a gift, especially every day that one can ride a motorcycle and share the companionship of the person one loves the most.