Accepting personal responsibility

[dogsnbikes]

Some things are out of your control but when the wheels are rolling keeping your bubble together comes down mostly too reading your surroundings other road users and the unexpected

when following other road users I always make sure I can see there side mirror,I watch there heads as I find its a good indication of any sudden lane change

you cant always control what happens on a bike but staying focused sure does reduce the odds

and I do have a complaint about fellow bikers...... driving from Palmerston north to Katikati on monday I was annoyed with the amount of riders that dont ride with their lights on bloody hard too see......... lucky I'm a biker as well and understand what other bikers are like............................

but know your limitations,your surroundings and always expect the unexpected

[The Stranger:Me]

I doubt that very much sunshine I dont think there is much to learn from a back of the pack formula 3 tryer

So how's your racing going anyway?

[MSTRS:Me]

I doubt that very much sunshine I dont think there is much to learn from a back of the pack formula 3 tryer

...as opposed to all there is to learn from the racing legends KIA over the years?
What's performance on the track got to do with anything?

[Roj]

[

I have been thinking about this all night. Frosty do you mean fault, responsibility or accountability.

I think this is the heart of the matter,

It has certainly got me thinking which is probably the main intent of the thread.

"most" riders take resposibility to ensure they do everything they can to be safe on the roads.

I certainly do and my good lady has done. I think the bit that has got up most people was accepting personal responsibility "for everything"

I am accountable & responsible for my own safety, the condition of my bike and gear. I do my best to ride to the conditions, I don't travel fast (cause I like to enjoy the ride) and I try my best to ride in a manner that I can identify hazzards etc.

The last accident I had was a very long time ago, in the left hand of 2 lanes heading up to an intersection, someone turning right up ahead, the car beside me decides I don't exist, and crosses in to my lane, I try to get his attention by tooting the horn, look ahead to see the car coming the otherway has turned right infront of me then stopped in the midlle of the intersection because there were pedestrians crossing.

I hit the rear passenger side of the car...

20/20 hind sight tells me if I had hit the brakes a little earlier rather than trying to get the attention of the idiot beside me I would have been OK.

I accept responsibility for my failure to respond correctly, but I don't accept responsibilty for the car moving in to my lane without adequately checking it was clear and for the car I hit entering an intersection when the exit was not clear as well as the fact he should have given way to the oncoming traffic.

[Hitcher]

Is there/should there be a difference between "personal responsibility" in terms of what one accepts as a road user versus, say, one's commercial or professional relationships?

[Swoop]

Sorry to disagree...but it doesn't mean I am going to worry about every cage within a 5m radius of my bike.

I tend to regard anyone outside of 10mm distance of the handlebars, from my bike, as a hazard.

Case in point. Looking up 100m of a lane of slow-moving traffic. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing exciting happening.
"6th-sense" meter being "tweaked" somewhat. 70metres up the road a cager dives into the right hand lane, obviously without indicating.
'Twas thinking, glad I wasn't there at that time.
Constantly moving focus (close/ middle/ distant) will be much better than locking into a set distance.

Trouble with that is, it assumes that all of us think!
Kinda stretching it a bit, isn't it?

The thought process, when holding onto a set of handlebars, seems to be much swifter than when holding something circular and having an "accelerator" under the right foot.

[yungatart]

The thought process, when holding onto a set of handlebars, seems to be much swifter than when holding something circular and having an "accelerator" under the right foot.

The point I was trying to make is that there seems to be an extraordinarily large number of KBers that don't think, at all....in response to Zrxer's post about Frosty thinking for himself, and leaving the rest of us to do the same.

[avgas]

Yeah, the grim fecking reaper

You know my misses too???

[Deano]

I wish the ass who dropped his Fireblade all down the side of my car on boxing day outside the Grand Hotel in Wanganui, while i was at the Cemetary Circiut had accepted personal responsibility, instead of jumping on his bike & buggering off.

But surely you must take some responsibility for parking it there, knowing that there would be lots of idiots out on bikes, trying to emulate what the racers were doing. (P/t)

I take responsibility for my actions, but if someone ploughs into me in an unforeseen situation that I cannot avoid, I do not hold myself responsible, accountable, or at fault for the crash.

I hear what is being said about being responsible for our own safety though.

[FROSTY:Me]

Actually folks really
This
Attitude also plays a part. Taking responsibility for your own actions is easy, but because you, the motorcyclist, will more likely suffer bodily harm in the event of a crash, then you, the motorcyclist, must take responsibility for everyone else’s actions as well. This means being tuned into not only your self, your bike, and your environment, but also being aware of other drivers, correctly anticipating their behavior, and effectively avoiding hazards before they place you at risk. Ideally, a skilled rider avoids hazards before they even become hazards
Was what I was getting at

[sidecar bob]

Actually folks really
Ideally, a skilled rider avoids hazards before they even become hazards
Was what I was getting at

Like parking your 'Blade stand side low, on soft tarseal next to a car.

[Goblin]

I take responsibility for my actions, but if someone ploughs into me in an unforeseen situation that I cannot avoid, I do not hold myself responsible, accountable, or at fault for the crash.

I hear ya loud an clear Deano!

[SPman]

Actually folks really
This
Attitude also plays a part. Taking responsibility for your own actions is easy, but because you, the motorcyclist, will more likely suffer bodily harm in the event of a crash, then you, the motorcyclist, must take responsibility for everyone else’s actions as well. This means being tuned into not only your self, your bike, and your environment, but also being aware of other drivers, correctly anticipating their behavior, and effectively avoiding hazards before they place you at risk. Ideally, a skilled rider avoids hazards before they even become hazards
Was what I was getting at

You mean active defensive riding. - like that not practised by at least half of the riders on the roads and 7/8ths of car drivers.