Situational awareness

[Mom]

The other one has to be the ability to predict the actions of other road users, also known as the Bastards that are trying to kill us all.

Commonly known as "Spidey Sense" and yes something that develops over time, if you allow it.

I had no idea Dome Valley had such a bad reputation, compared to the roads I'd been riding the last couple of days the valley is in very good nick

Isn't that the irony of it though. The road is in great condition at the moment.

Like I said I started riding that road in 1979, commuting 2 up on a dirt bike with knobbies on it. No pansy trails tyres for this girl, full blown racing knobbies with almost no road surface to speak of. Hit the odd patch of slippery stuff from time to time, learned how to control a full on tank slapper and many other survival skills. The road really has had millions of dollars spent on it and still people kill them selves (or worse kill innocents) on it.

Worst now is the 80kpm limit, people travel at 60-70 through there, others get frustrated and overtake in stupid places causing head on collisions. Go figure that.

[fireball]

+1

Using this works very well and also I find when following them I use their mirrors to see were their eyes are looking as it gives you an idea of how observant they are.

cage drivers observant?????

[FJRider]

Agreed. Situational awareness is one of the two most important skills we use two stay alive. The other one has to be the ability to predict the actions of other road users, also known as the Bastards that are trying to kill us all. This second skill has to be learnt over time, and is probably thd biggest part of the "experienced" in an experienced rider. Sorry for the horrible syntax, i'm trying to make sense with a hangover.

The ability to predict other road users can fun, often when coming up on a line of cages, with limited chance of safely passing (as per the law), I check out what cage in front... and behind me... will make the first move to pass any or all in front of them. This after backing off a bit and keeping to the left. There is usually one that seems to think they should go first. All to get to the next town 35 seconds before the rest... the logic in that escapes me. If time allows, I pick the order they will pass. The actions of some at the start of passing bays, are beyond belief.

[ManDownUnder]

cage drivers observant?????

As naff as it sounds - some are - especially those with a bike license...

[swbarnett]

If you find that you are riding along and you are not concentrating

I find that mostly I'm aware of what's around me without even trying. SA has become so much a part of the way I ride (or drive) that occasional glances sideways and in the mirrors have become subconscious.

[Mom]

Here is a classic example that I saw a couple of weeks ago. Woman reversing out of a driveway, my car was parked on the opposite side of the road a bit down from the exit of this driveway. She was going really slowly, creeping almost. She got out of the road and continued to back up. I thought, shit lady watch my car! Did she see it - NO! Backed right into the side of it. I was not able to stop her from where I was. She starts to drive away (yep was attempting to sneak off) when I appeared and banged her passengers door, she about shit!

She says to me, oh sorry I did not see your car. Its a car FFS, it is parked, no sudden appearances due to the speed it was travelling at as an excuse. This female just did not consider what was around her, did not look, and was about to simply drive off.

[jrandom]

Great thread Mom, ta.

As some of you might have noticed, some previous discussion of the situational awareness concept in relation to the recent fatal multi-bike crash in Canterbury resulted in comments along the line that encouraging SA equates to 'offloading responsibility onto others', presumably so that proponents of SA can then be free to ride like twats.

Some people are kinda twisted, eh? Scary.

Situational awareness is a prerequisite to survival, no two ways about it.

Something interesting I noticed on Monday - over an hour and a half of racing in the rain at Taupo, while hard work, was actually less complex and less dangerous than my daily 17km-each-way commute.

Riding on the road offers endless opportunities for Darwinism to work its magic. Let's do what we can to make natural selection work in our favour hey!

[Ocean1]

comments along the line that encouraging SA equates to 'offloading responsibility onto others'

And if you quote the fuckers again you're going on "ignore" as well.

[FJRider]

Riding on the road offers endless opportunities for Darwinism to work its magic. Let's do what we can to make natural selection work in our favour hey!

And avoid being "in the wrong place at the wrong time"... and if it looks like you are almost there... get out. Those little voices...

[Little Miss Trouble]

They are just installing northbound overtaking lanes in there, ending at a blind left hand corner. Now I have money that says as soon as that "improvement" is completed there will be another life or lives lost there.

Who the hell comes up with these plans? Surely if joe public can see that thats a dumb place to end a passing lane the engineers whos job it is to study this sort of thing should be able to figure it out too?

[Mom]

Who the hell comes up with these plans? Surely if joe public can see that thats a dumb place to end a passing lane the engineers whos job it is to study this sort of thing should be able to figure it out too?

Yep, yep, yep... Out of interest the fire siren has just gone off here, engines heading north (Dome Valley) The traffic is pouring into town, SH 1 is choc-a-block.

[Little Miss Trouble]

Yep, yep, yep... Out of interest the fire siren has just gone off here, engines heading north (Dome Valley) The traffic is pouring into town, SH 1 is choc-a-block.

*shiver* the volunteer fire fighters siren always makes my stomach drop when I'm up home at my mums

[FJRider]

Yep, yep, yep... Out of interest the fire siren has just gone off here, engines heading north (Dome Valley) The traffic is pouring into town, SH 1 is choc-a-block.

Alex in chock-a-block too... New World car park is full. Had to park on the street. 40 meters to the door... life is tough...
Its only 27 deg. here might go for a "follow the campervans"...

[Maha]

Yep, yep, yep... Out of interest the fire siren has just gone off here, engines heading north (Dome Valley) The traffic is pouring into town, SH 1 is choc-a-block.

I Have just come from Cycletreads (New Pilot Road 2's all round) and came back via 16 and Woodcocks. There are signs before Silverdale saying ''Queues at Workworth use alternative route''....I went the alternative way cos I wanted to and, SH16 is not busy at all, I dont understand why the travelling public dont use that rd? do they not see the signs? do they not mind sitting in slow moving traffic in the heat with screaming kids?

All the better for us on bikes I guess?...

[Ixion]

I hate those bloody signs and advertisements. That's our road they have no business allowing cages on it at all, let alone encouraging them.

Why shouldn't cages be required to stick to SH1? Serves them right.