Motorway or road riding

[beyond]

Ok, this is darned inportant and may save your life.

It's easy to tuck in behind a van, car, truck or whatever in front when on the motorway or road. When in the car it's common to see large and small bits of wood that have been lost by trucks or service vehicles, let alone the bits of cars left behind from accidents.

Pictures this. You are travelling along minding your own business when the car in front hits a piece of timber or something else solid and flicks it up in the air at head or chest height. You have no warning, it's instant and it hits you in the chest or head at 100kmh. Will you survive? Luck says yes, bad luck says no.

Be careful out there and think on this. It happens a lot more than you may think.

Just another tip to keep you alive that much longer.

[Mr. Peanut]

Yeah, good tip. Something I've thought about, then there's retreads flying to bits.

[SwanTiger]

Good advice alright.

An actual incident...

inlinefour and I were heading onto the motorway from Barrys Point Rd, in front of us was a dump truck. At the time there was road works along the on-ramp and the motorway as well. Just as we got onto the motorway and speeds were around 70 - 80 kmp/h the truck clipped one of the road works cones, it folded under the tyre then flicked up in the air and landed right in front of me.

[Chaosmage]

Some sound advice. Dad got home one night and told us that a truck had hit something on the other side of the motor-way and a whole tire/rim bounced over the concrete median right in front of him. If he had been like 10sec's earlier leaving work probably would have hit it.

Certainly pays to have the ole wits set to full when riding.

[Dafe]

Some sound advice there!

But be aware, It's not just things flicking up.....

Also beware of Meteorites and Russian space junk or birds having heart attacks or even terrorist bombed aircraft!

[Nasty]

Great thing to be aware of .. but also should remember that cars have four wheels and don't always hit or need to swerve to avoid these things. Case in point is the other day coming along past porirua on the motorway - nice little (read medium) bag of something middle of the road .. car rode it between its wheels .. Grub and I had to move ....

[Nitzer]

One of the best tips I received was to 'ride like an island', keep as much space as possible infront and behind you as you can. Obviously not always possible but I find it a handy tip.

[Grahameeboy]

Didn't think we had real motorways?

[Coyote]

Also, watch out for terrorists and WMD's

If you were to avoid anything bad that could possibly happen, we'd be living in padded reinforced bunkers wrapped in bubble wrap with scuba gear on. There's way too many things trying to scare us into submission nowadays

Suppose we could just pass every single vehicle that's in front of us? And we don't have to cross into the second lane possibly in the way of other motorists, there's plenty of room in between, along the double yellow lines

[Chickadee]

Also, watch out for terrorists and WMD's

If you were to avoid anything bad that could possibly happen, we'd be living in padded reinforced bunkers wrapped in bubble wrap with scuba gear on. There's way too many things trying to scare us into submission nowadays

I'm just sooo glad that McJim managed to get an internet connection to this padded reinforced bunker and the scuba suit has fingerless gloves so I can type!

Oh, I see, you meant that we SHOULDN'T be living in padded bunkers...imteresting...

[Duc]

I'm just sooo glad that McJim managed to get an internet connection to this padded reinforced bunker and the scuba suit has fingerless gloves so I can type!

Oh, I see, you meant that we SHOULDN'T be living in padded bunkers...imteresting...

If the tip is "avoid tucking in behind cars, trucks, vans" - I agree. Keep visibilty ahead to the maximum possible by good road positioning and this gives the rider best chance to see something coming at you.

[beyond]

Didn't think we had real motorways?

Sorry, should have said 20 kilometer long carparks

[Grahameeboy]

Sorry, should have said 20 kilometer long carparks

I got stuck in a 20km traffic jam on the M1 once.....now that is a car park. traffic moved every 5 mins............motorways here are mere country lanes....he he