Reaction times.

[Skytwr]

For drag racing / sport in general the reaction times are as about as fast as you can get, specific for the role. Ie watch the tree for the lights to turn green away ya go.

On the street / driving, they work on 1.5 secs(Crash investigators, LTNZ). this is the AVERAGE time a person takes to Observe and react. i.e see the car, move hand and foot , stop the bike / car etc.
Bikes can stop a lot faster but unless you have 100% attention on the road the reaction time will still be close to 1 second. this time also allows for mechanical delay in the brake control handle / pedal moving to push the brake fluid through the lines. Bikes can also achieve over 1g in braking where as the standard car is no where close average 0.75g.
Over all if you ride safe and stay alert you can stop alot quicker that the cars around you. but you may just get hit from behind from the car that can not stop as quick - Where is my escape route.

[Oakie]

Average 243 with a best of 192. I blinked when the first one turned and that eventually became 530 odd so stuffed up my average somewhat. Apart from that (from 15 goes) I had 4 in the 190s and a couple in the 280s with the rest spread across between those marks.

[Babelfish]

hung over....284....primed and ready for some wet weather riding...

[jrandom]

Some interesting data on the limits of human reaction times.

I didn't know that signal propagation in the central nervous system only happened at 70m/s...

[TonyB]

best was 155 worst was 195 Average is 170.2

Edit I like this game! Average is 167

[Joni]

best - 148
Worst - 192

:spudwhat:

[Ixion]

Interesting, perhaps, as an amusement. But pointless in terms of what matters, survival on the road.

Pointless firstly because , as noted above, the "muscle twitch" reaction time (around 0.2 sec) is trivial in the overall elapsed time of observing a potential threat, assessing its level of anger, deciding on the most practical response, an initiating that response. This is in total of the order of 1.5 seconds. It is better to work on reducing the 1.3 seconds than the 0.2 seconds.

Better still to work on improving the QUALITY of the reaction, rather then its speed. Most people who come to grief on the roads (generally, not just bikers) do so because they made the WRONG decision, not because they made a decision a fraction of a second too late.

Pointless secondly because it lacks the effect of adreniline . In a real danger the effects of the adreniline that is evoked (actualy, a whole bunch of other stuff as well) totally change the dynamic.

In "normal" circumstances it is quite feasible to sit at the lights, poised waiting for the green, observe the green , and mentally give the "go", then sit waiting and actually observe the 0.2 second (or whatever) delay while the instruction slowly travels to the hands. The mental process work far faster than the signal propogation through the nervous system, and the muscle clench/unclench in response. But in an emergency, things are much different. The mental process speeds up remarkably, to the point where actual "thinking" is no longer possible, because it is too slow. The thinking brain is left behind, a doddering observer , trying to figure out what is happening, while the screaming lizard brain takes over , and initiates action at far faster speeds than can ever normally be achieved. Then when it's all over and the lizard has stopped screaming, the logical human brain reasserts itself, but has only the vaguest idea what happened because it happened to fast for logical thought to record it all. That is one reason why the accounts of survivors of emergencies are so haphazard and confused and contradictory. Things just get done to fast for our human level brains to deal with.

The increase in speed of reaction is analgous to the increase in strength available - mothers lifting cars off their children and so on. Most bikers will be familiar with the "lift the bike up again with one hand" effect after a crash.

This can never be simulated , because for it to happen the participant must genuinely believe they are about to die.

[hazard02]

Average=204
Best=168

Suffice to say I won't be dodging any bullets.

[Mr. Peanut]

Interesting, perhaps, as an amusement. But pointless in terms of what matters, survival on the road.

Pointless firstly because , as noted above, the "muscle twitch" reaction time (around 0.2 sec) is trivial in the overall elapsed time of observing a potential threat, assessing its level of anger, deciding on the most practical response, an initiating that response. This is in total of the order of 1.5 seconds. It is better to work on reducing the 1.3 seconds than the 0.2 seconds.

Better still to work on improving the QUALITY of the reaction, rather then its speed. Most people who come to grief on the roads (generally, not just bikers) do so because they made the WRONG decision, not because they made a decision a fraction of a second too late.

Pointless secondly because it lacks the effect of adreniline . In a real danger the effects of the adreniline that is evoked (actualy, a whole bunch of other stuff as well) totally change the dynamic.

In "normal" circumstances it is quite feasible to sit at the lights, poised waiting for the green, observe the green , and mentally give the "go", then sit waiting and actually observe the 0.2 second (or whatever) delay while the instruction slowly travels to the hands. The mental process work far faster than the signal propogation through the nervous system, and the muscle clench/unclench in response. But in an emergency, things are much different. The mental process speeds up remarkably, to the point where actual "thinking" is no longer possible, because it is too slow. The thinking brain is left behind, a doddering observer , trying to figure out what is happening, while the screaming lizard brain takes over , and initiates action at far faster speeds than can ever normally be achieved. Then when it's all over and the lizard has stopped screaming, the logical human brain reasserts itself, but has only the vaguest idea what happened because it happened to fast for logical thought to record it all. That is one reason why the accounts of survivors of emergencies are so haphazard and confused and contradictory. Things just get done to fast for our human level brains to deal with.

The increase in speed of reaction is analgous to the increase in strength available - mothers lifting cars off their children and so on. Most bikers will be familiar with the "lift the bike up again with one hand" effect after a crash.

This can never be simulated , because for it to happen the participant must genuinely believe they are about to die.

Your time must have really sucked

[Ixion]

I couldn't do this one because this computer lacks the necessary addon. But previous similar sites have returned averages of 0.19. fastest of 0.15. About what would be expected for someone my age.

Incidentally,much more important than reaction time to a single stimulus is the degree to which the reaction time degrades in the presence of multiple stimuli (eg several dangers at the same time). Some people can, effectively only handle one channel at a time - presented with two or more problems needing simultaneous assessment and reaction , they literally "freeze up". A few folk can handle up to half a dozen before reaction time degnerates badly. Most of us can only process two or three.

[onearmedbandit]

Interesting, perhaps, as an amusement. But pointless in terms of what matters, survival ........... because for it to happen the participant must genuinely believe they are about to die.

Interesting post Ixion.

Your time must have really sucked

Ok you, you know that's not the case, but damn that was funny.

[Joni]

Ixion...

was it like this...

cant.... help.... myself..... have to over analyse it!

[Ixion]

The thread is in General Bike Ravings. I presume therefore that its point lies in its applicability to motorcycle riding. If it be intended merely as an amusement, in the same genre as arcade games, then it is posted in the wrong forum.

If not, then assessment of its relevance , and its place in a broader motorcycling context is not merely relevant but obligatory.