Riding in a Cagers blindspot

[ajturbo]

toughen up girl..
kick the fuckers... don't use the horn......

[FlyingDutchMan]

I've had the same thing happen to me, but it was from both sides at the same time (Yaldhurst road merging with main south to make riccarton road). I came from yaldhurst road side, was goind round the side of a bus at the bus stop, and cage came in from the right, right beside me. Cage changed into my lane just as the bus started pulling out into my lane. I stood on the horn and the brakes. The bus stopped (even if he hadn't indicated to start off with), but the cage just kept going without ever noticing anything. The cage got past me and I had about 1/2 a foot on either side. Talk about fucken unpleasant... I'm always very weary when going past there when theres a bus.

[Skunk]

but its a useful skill, like selective hearing

Use it a lot myself.

What? :spudwhat:

[Hitcher]

I plan to buy some of those stick-on "blind spot reducing" mirrors for the ST. While its mirrors are pretty darned good, they give a reasonably narrow band of rear vision and head turns are even more vital when lane changing.

[Ms Piggy]

toughen up girl..
kick the fuckers... don't use the horn......

I'm faaaaaaaaaaaaar tooo much of a lady to be kicking off peoples mirrors!

[vifferman]

I plan to buy some of those stick-on "blind spot reducing" mirrors for the ST. While its mirrors are pretty darned good, they give a reasonably narrow band of rear vision and head turns are even more vital when lane changing.

Surprising, that, given that the VifFerraRi's mirrors are the best I've had for a long time. I kind of expected the St's would be the same only more betterer.
Is it related to them being of the 'underarm' type?

The last three bikes before the VifFerraRi had absolutely abysmal mirrors, with the VTR being the worst of the lot. Pretty mirrors, but next to useless except for using as 'whiskers' to gauge the width of the bike when lane-splitting.

Still, at least that (further) developed the habit of checking by looking over my shoulder (or under my arm, depending on the bike). This habit started when I first started to ride, when my father (who'd flown Harvards after the war) told me about it being drilled into fighter pilots, and that I should adopt the same habit.

[F5 Dave]

Yeah & let’s be honest, that sort of facker is likely to swerve in attack if you do kick their car & you will come off pretty bad. Even if they don’t get you they won’t think they were in the wrong & the next biker they come across they will take their revenge upon.

[Hitcher]

Is it related to them being of the 'underarm' type?

Indeed. Unlike "normal" handlebar-mounted mirrors, you can't appreciably change your field of view by sitting forward or moving from side to side. Hands, knees and boops-a-daisy (aka panniers) feature large in the view rearwards.

Nonetheless they are great mirrors -- the first time on a bike I've been able to read the rego plates on vehicles 100m astern, at highway speeds!

[Kickaha]

I've always thought that a cars blind spot extended through a full 360 degrees and ride accordingly

[mangell6]

I've always thought that a cars blind spot extended through a full 360 degrees and ride accordingly

Exactly!!!

[toads]

I have found a few cage drivers look straight at me and then try to shove me off the road, but the blind spot issue is something all motorists have to contend with, I tend to use my mirrors far too often and not turn my head, as you say it's something we should all do!

[El Dopa]

If I'm in a stream of traffic on the motorway or highway, I'm checking my mirrors every few seconds, and I've got a pretty good picture in my head of what the traffic stream around me is doing relative to me.

If the blue subaru, or bike, or 4x4 isn't there next time I look, then I don't do what I was going to do, like change lane or whatever. It usually turns out they were in the blind spot and we would have made a close acquaintence if I had pulled out.

I've given up being surprised that other road users can't seem to remember what they were looking at more than 4 seconds earlier.

I ride/drive like they will all do the stupidest and most dangerous thing they possibly can do in any given situation.

[sels1]

I've always thought that a cars blind spot extended through a full 360 degrees and ride accordingly

LOL that is so true. Another thing I do if I have to follow a car for a while is wander about the lane shining my headlight in each of its 3 mirrors....somethimes they actually see me and pull over a bit and let me past

[TwoSeven]

As a biker you shouldnt assume the cager or anyone else is using their mirrors - neither should you assume they are looking since many dont even do that - just because someone is looking directl at you doesnt mean they see you.

Basically, never follow behind a car and always leave a 2 - 3 second gap. If you have to get close to the back of the car, always ride about a foot to the right of the drivers side.

The reason behind it is that if the car stops dead, you'll go along side at worst, rather than run into its rear. The only rule behind this is london taxis which can turn on their axis - so you should only ever follow those using a 2 sec gap.

Also, if you cannot see the drivers face in their mirrors you are in their blind spot. Its important to watch the drivers face as where they look will tell you what their next move will be or at least give a good hint.

And remember motorcycles have blind spots too. I often ride in them to see how long it takes the rider to see that I am there. Kiwi riders seem to have this habbit of not looking behind them.

I did some recent driving up napier way at xmas and on the way to the boxing day racing and we were appalled at the poor quality of Kiwi bike riders. I think it was just pure luck there were no serious crashes - just about every bike we saw was tailgating traffic at 100kph and the ones that overtook on blind bends made us really cringe.

[Bounty]

What amazes me the most is that when they try and move into your lane they think its your fault for you being there not their fault for not seeing you!