Blind spot awareness

[Mom]

While I have no doubt that there are a few of us that actually do consider this in our daily riding, I am equally sure there are many, many more that dont even stop to consider it at all.

I had a classic example of this today, from a biker that was obviously not a learner, well certainly not riding a learner bike anyway. In fact he was riding a rather large BMW. I saw him approaching through traffic behind me on the motorway, big bright headlight, easy to spot even when he was weaving in and out of traffic.

The traffic thinned a little bit and speeds picked up, all clear for the rest of the commute home I glanced behind me in the mirror and I could not see the bike anywhere. Now, I knew he had not turned off at the last off ramp, but yet he was nowhere to be seen. I looked in all my rear view mirrors (yes I am STILL in the poxy car, my ankle might heal one day) no trace of him anywhere. Riding a HUGE BMW and I could not see him anywhere!

I was fairly sure he had not come to grief behind me. I would have seen that in my mirrors, yet he was gone. I put my foot down and gained a bit of speed. All of a sudden there he was, sitting in the inside lane cruising along totally invisble to me before. Watching him in my mirrors, he gradually put himself firmly back into my blindspot and disappeared once again.

Now I am a biker, and very aware of motorcycles sharing my road, so I was actively looking for him. Even when I turned my head he was not visible, it would have been so easy to have changed lanes into/over the top of him and honestly have been able to say, "Sorry Mate I Didn't See You" (SMIDSY).

Please, please think about where you are on the road in relation to other road users. Not only cars, but bikes as well. Dont assume you have been seen, you probably haven't. Make sure you place yourself in a spot, move around as well, where you can be seen. Look for the mirrors and make sure you can see yourself in them, ALL of them.

Dont be invisble on the road.

[Str8 Jacket]

I thought blindspott were a band??

[FJRider]

Perhaps it's time to adjust your car mirrors, so there is less of your car in them, and more of the lanes either side of you.

Set YOUR bike up in your current blind spots ... and adjust your car mirrors to see it.

[Mom]

Perhaps it's time to adjust your car mirrors, so there is less of your car in them, and more of the lanes either side of you.

Set YOUR bike up in your current blind spots ... and adjust your car mirrors to see it.

Trust me, my mirrors are wide angle (though I concede the car has large blindspots) and I still could not see this guy. Ride without being able to see the drivers eyes of the car ahead of you the mirrors at your peril. I always ride so I can be seen in the car aheads mirrors, this bloke was not visible for long periods of time

[curly]

I thought blindspott were a band??

Its Blacklist now..
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...lindspott-2011

[MyGSXF:Me]

Perhaps it's time to adjust your car mirrors, so there is less of your car in them, and more of the lanes either side of you.

Set YOUR bike up in your current blind spots ... and adjust your car mirrors to see it.

Sorry.. nope!

Ride without being able to see the drivers eyes of the car ahead of you the mirrors at your peril. I always ride so I can be seen in the car aheads mirrors,

You got it Mom!!!

WE are the ones who chose to ride a bike, thus increasing our vulnerability. So we need to take responsibility for riding defensively & doing all we can to increase our visibility.. like NOT riding in other road users blind spots!! Never ASSUME other people have seen you! Such a simple thing for us to do.. yet so many people are just sooo UNAWARE of soooo many hazards out there!

Being a defensive riding / driving course provider, sometimes I jus shake my head in bewilderment at some peoples lack of awareness...

[MSTRS:Me]

Of course there is the other blindspot to consider...anywhere the driver isn't looking.

Like the stupid old fart who had a go at taking me out in Dannevirke on Saturday. Middle of town - me heading north, him heading south and turning into a side street right across my bows.
Thing is, it had stopped raining but the road was wet, I was doing a mere 40kph in the right wheeltrack, I saw his indicator ages before either of us reached that side street, I saw the other cars behind him slightly to his left. What I didn't see was his eyes - only the side of his face cos he was looking where he wanted to go. Hmmm, there's a BIG clue...will he stop or won't he? Nope, he nearly timed it to perfection too. If I'd stopped he would have t-boned me, couldn't go right (other opposing traffic, so did the only thing left to me...sped up, ducked to the left, thumb on airhorn. MY timing was spot on...

[PrincessBandit]

I always think of the stickers you see on the rear end of trucks - "If you can't see my mirrors, I can't see you". This clearly spells out that responsibility to be seen on the road is not a one-way option. How often do we hear bikers use the smidsy accusation of drivers when things turn to shite, yet mom has highlighted a legitimate concern whereby we can be our own worst enemies.

Of course I am not belittling the frequent occurrences where riders have been taken out by dozy car drivers who have their blinkers (as in horse blinkers, not indicators) firmly fixed in place. Any one of us here could list countless experiences with other road users who have been literally oblivious to anyone else on the road in their vicinity. Mom's point is though that we must take maximum responsibility for our own visibility. Opting (inadvertently or otherwise) to position ourselves in a zone of low vision is a poor choice for riders.

[5150]

I thought blindspott were a band??

Good band them Blindspot

[oneofsix]

Perhaps it's time to adjust your car mirrors, so there is less of your car in them, and more of the lanes either side of you.

Set YOUR bike up in your current blind spots ... and adjust your car mirrors to see it.

But that is the thing about a blind spot, it is an area that is not and can not be covered by the mirrors. With modem 5 star cars you can't even rely on the head check as the airbag take up so much also the head check is a secondary check.
I also have had other bikers ride in my blind spot on the bike, they seem to see you doing the head check and drop back so you don't see them then neither, using the ablity of the bike to their disadvantage

[FJRider]

Sorry.. nope!

After a similar experience to Mom's ... I adjusted MY car mirrors (I thought they were previously OK) and did manage to see more of the road. The trick is to watch the mirrors often.

Coming up behind other vehicles ... I look for the eyes of the driver/rider ... and plant my headlight squarely in their mirrors ... A few flashes of high beam if I think they haven't noticed me ...

And a few bikers just DONT look behind them. Because I cant see their face in either mirror when I'm behind them. [/QUOTE]

[Edbear]

While I have no doubt that there are a few of us that actually do consider this in our daily riding, I am equally sure there are many, many more that dont even stop to consider it at all.

I had a classic example of this today, from a biker that was obviously not a learner, well certainly not riding a learner bike anyway. In fact he was riding a rather large BMW. I saw him approaching through traffic behind me on the motorway, big bright headlight, easy to spot even when he was weaving in and out of traffic.

The traffic thinned a little bit and speeds picked up, all clear for the rest of the commute home I glanced behind me in the mirror and I could not see the bike anywhere. Now, I knew he had not turned off at the last off ramp, but yet he was nowhere to be seen. I looked in all my rear view mirrors (yes I am STILL in the poxy car, my ankle might heal one day) no trace of him anywhere. Riding a HUGE BMW and I could not see him anywhere!

I was fairly sure he had not come to grief behind me. I would have seen that in my mirrors, yet he was gone. I put my foot down and gained a bit of speed. All of a sudden there he was, sitting in the inside lane cruising along totally invisble to me before. Watching him in my mirrors, he gradually put himself firmly back into my blindspot and disappeared once again.

Now I am a biker, and very aware of motorcycles sharing my road, so I was actively looking for him. Even when I turned my head he was not visible, it would have been so easy to have changed lanes into/over the top of him and honestly have been able to say, "Sorry Mate I Didn't See You" (SMIDSY).

Please, please think about where you are on the road in relation to other road users. Not only cars, but bikes as well. Dont assume you have been seen, you probably haven't. Make sure you place yourself in a spot, move around as well, where you can be seen. Look for the mirrors and make sure you can see yourself in them, ALL of them.

Dont be invisble on the road.

Sorry.. nope!



You got it Mom!!!

WE are the ones who chose to ride a bike, thus increasing our vulnerability. So we need to take responsibility for riding defensively & doing all we can to increase our visibility.. like NOT riding in other road users blind spots!! Never ASSUME other people have seen you! Such a simple thing for us to do.. yet so many people are just sooo UNAWARE of soooo many hazards out there!

Being a defensive riding / driving course provider, sometimes I jus shake my head in bewilderment at some peoples lack of awareness...

+1!!!!

[SMOKEU]

I always try to minimize the amount of time I am in another vehicles blind spot when travelling in a multi lane road. If I think I'm about to be in a cagers blind spot, then I usually move to the left of the lane (if I'm in the left lane, or I move to the right if I'm in the right lane), then I quickly accelerate so I am just in front of the cager, which is when I resume my normal lane position.

[george formby]

This is one reason why I try to take up as much space on the road as lorry.

My favourite version of hide & seek involves bikes (& cars) tailgating high vehicles like trucks & campervans then darting out for a quick peek to overtake. Must like diesel fumes.

[vifferman]

The vifferbabe's car has excellent mirrors, but has a blindspot that caught me out a few times when changing lanes to the right. It's a Black Hole Of Invisibility that vehicles get sucked into, as soon as they're level with the back quarter of the car. I don't have the same problem on the bike, as the mirrors are surprisingly good, but regardless of that I try to always be aware of what's around me, and also of making sure that other drivers are aware of me too.