Road safety - How to...

[BM-GS]

Hi all,

Just noticed that North Shore CC is promoting a Motorcycle Safety campaign, starting with a "Look Out For Bikes" advert for the cage-pilots to ignore.

They did mention that there'd be an aspect of getting bikes to keep out of trouble themselves, but there were no clues on what that might involve.

Thinking on one of my own incidents, road positioning would be a great thing to mention, but I doubt they will. Moving around in the lane to give pulling-out traffic a chance to see you (and hopefully they'll then avoid you) is something which may have prevented a smash I had. There was an article in one of the UK mags ages back about this and they used the anaolgy of how dragonflies capture their prey - by remaining in the same position relative to the background from their prey's point of view, so that the prey doesn't see the dragonfly until it gets really close and stats to take up a significant proportion of the scenery (the "looming" effect). Think about it from the point of view of a car at a junction - bikes are small and less noticeable than cars. By the time the bike is close enough to "loom" you're pretty-much on the bonnet. Weaving about in your lane (gently, carefully and watching out for the other nutters out there) will make you move relative to the background, so they'll see you sooner than they might otherwise have done.

This makes sense to me, and might help another. Couple this with headlight on/off to the conditions (if you have the option nowadays) and your choice of lid/leathers colouring and we start to take the power back. Which beats getting driven into.

[musicman]

Just noticed that North Shore CC is promoting a Motorcycle Safety campaign, starting with a "Look Out For Bikes" advert for the cage-pilots to ignore.

Oh cool! Where did you see it?

There's a similar thread here on motorcycle safety, see post 10, same as what you were saying.

[Hitcher]

"They" will never see us. "They" only want to kill us. Fluoro vests only give them a target to aim at. Take control of your own destiny on the road and don't expect any respect from car drivers. Particularly those who wear hats.

[The Pastor]

Or dont ride on roads with cars

[vifferman]

Think about it from the point of view of a car at a junction - bikes are small and less noticeable than cars. By the time the bike is close enough to "loom" you're pretty-much on the bonnet.

The answer is obviously to eat more pies.
A fat biker is much easier to see and more threatening than some thin waif that disappears when viewed side on. And that's why learner riders figure more highly in accident stats - "learner" is too close to "leaner" (unless you're riding a sprotsbike with lotsa "RRRR's" in the name.)
Or have I got the wrong end of the stick insect? Did you mean "loon"?
I'm sure riding like a loon (weaving around, etc.) would make your more noticeable and attract more attention.

[Swoop]

More mirrorectomies are required. That gets their fuggin attention and they will look out for future hazards.

[keithbuckby]

I will be weaving about in the lane so I am more visible, and the local plod will pull me up for being pissed! lol good idea tho, I have been doing it lately anyway trying out the 'countersteering'

[BM-GS]

Oh cool! Where did you see it?

There's a similar thread here on motorcycle safety, see post 10, same as what you were saying.

Nice one. I hadn't seen the defs, but that's what I was on about. The article was in the North Shore Times yesterday (delivered to all homes on the Shore to line the budgie's cage). Article is right next to the actual advert.

[vifferman]

Article is right next to the actual advert.

Saw the ad, can't remember if I read the article. Must've been pretty memorable...