Right-turn requirements?

[johnnyflash]

As was pointed out earlier, the move is perfectly legal on the cars part, the rule was changed many many years back from pulling off road and waiting till clear.. at the time many thousands of us wrote to the authorities stating the obvious, its bloody dangerous, especially when coming around bends / over rise and surprise a car is sitting stopped and you sail into it at 100kph..
Yes the rule that states " you should be able to stop in half the distance visable ahead" (or similar) is all very well in theory, but in practice it doesnt happen. if I remember correctly even AA had something to say about it also.
I and most of my mates from a somewhat earlier era, still follow the old sensible rule, and signal left, pull off, stop,signal right and wait till its clear, if close to corner or brow, then one travels a little further down the road to make it safe for turning vehicle and other traffic..

[mowgli]

They fail to realise most cars stop quicker than most bikes by quite some margin.

Shit! I didn't know that! I thought the brakes to weight ratio was in favour of the bike. I guess I haven't practised emergency stops in a cage in ... well ... since I got my licence. Geez that was a while ago.

[mowgli]

Yes the rule that states " you should be able to stop in half the distance visable ahead"

No. The rule states you must be able to stop in half the distance visible on an unlaned road or the distance visible on a laned road.

[swbarnett]

its bloody dangerous, especially when coming around bends / over rise and surprise a car is sitting stopped and you sail into it at 100kph..

I'd rather have the car on the right so that I can move left than have it turn in front of me when it's too late. At least the situation is then under my control.

[pc220]

I'd rather have the car on the right so that I can move left than have it turn in front of me when it's too late. At least the situation is then under my control.

Thats exactly what i saw yesterday in Arapuni. Cage pulls to the left then turns right cutting off the bike preparing to pass on the right of them. Lucky this time the bike WAS following at a safe distance and was able to pull up in time. Then it was my turn to hit the brakes when the cage comleted his U turn in front of me.

[johnnyflash]

No. The rule states you must be able to stop in half the distance visible on an unlaned road or the distance visible on a laned road.

pedantic.. I said .. you should be able to stop in half the distance visable ahead" (or similar)

[johnnyflash]

I'd rather have the car on the right so that I can move left than have it turn in front of me when it's too late. At least the situation is then under my control.

you have NO control of the situation if he is just over the brow or around a corner..

[mowgli]

pedantic.. I said .. you should be able to stop in half the distance visable ahead" (or similar)

Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean but that sort of off-handed comment belies the token consideration too many driver pay to cornering speed. I should slow down but I won't and then I'll moan about it when some bugger stops legally (but stupidly because of drivers like me) in the road just around a corner.

[mowgli]

you have NO control of the situation if he is just over the brow or around a corner..

You must be travelling a bit quick then, eh? Of course I've never been guilty of that

[Soul.Trader]

Everyone has had plenty of time to adapt to this "new" rule. I have to say, it seems MUCH safer to me to sit by the center line, and only having to cross one lane on the turn. The alternative is having to watch the traffic in two lanes, then judge accurately enough to not cause carnage as you cross both lanes. Besides which, on many of these roads, there's as much danger in having a car on the left shoulder as on the center line.

At the end of the day, other motorists (yes, that includes motorcycles) need to be driving in a state which affords them ample awareness and time to react to these types of situations. Frankly, there's never any excuse for running into the back of anyone - it's the type of situation which should simply never happen.

[johnnyflash]

You must be travelling a bit quick then, eh? Of course I've never been guilty of that

:-) it has been known to happen that I "might" travel a little quick on occassion, BUT that wasnt the point I was endeavouring to make, in NORMAL road behavior, at legal speeds one doesnt slow down at every corner incase some dipstick is blocking the road just around the bend or over the rise. I know in a perfect world you should approach every possible hazzard at a speed you can stop within before hitting said dipstick, but I dont live in this perfect world. hence I do what is safer for me and other drivers and wait on the left until road is clear (unless there is a marked R-H-turn lane ofcourse) and do it in a position that someone roaring around the corner doesnt make me roadkill. its probably why I still live after 2 million kms ;-)

[mowgli]

I know in a perfect world you should approach every possible hazzard at a speed you can stop within before hitting said dipstick, but I dont live in this perfect world.

Funny, in a perfect world there wouldn't be any dipsticks and you probably could speed round corners. I agree we're not in that perfect world and need to adjust our driving habits accordingly to survive the idiots.

[Badjelly]

In NORMAL road behavior, at legal speeds one doesnt slow down at every corner incase some dipstick is blocking the road just around the bend or over the rise. I know in a perfect world you should approach every possible hazzard at a speed you can stop within before hitting said dipstick...

You can't anticipate every possible hazard: campervans coming at you on the wrong side of the road, cops doing U-turns at blind bends, that sort of thing. But I think I do normally drive/ride in such a way that I could avoid an unexpected *stationary* obstacle. And I'm not that much of a nana, either. I go around corners faster than most cagers, though not as fast as your typical KBer, obviously.

Mind you, I've never had this theory tested in any serious way.

[swbarnett]

you have NO control of the situation if he is just over the brow or around a corner..

And the car stopped at the left has no visibility of you coming over that brow or around that corner so they can't predict when the road is clear. Better that you are the one that has the control (you can always turn tighter if you have to - unless you're at your limit in the corner).

[swbarnett]

in NORMAL road behavior, at legal speeds one doesnt slow down at every corner incase some dipstick is blocking the road just around the bend or over the rise.

If you don't then you can't claim you are travelling at a legal speed.