Think! Take longer to look for bikes.

[Sparky191]

How is it retarded? They don't put him in the first frames to make a point. The point is, did you really look carefully enough?

As for going too fast? Nope, he looks like he was doing around 30 to me.

Wouldn't have made a difference biker wasn't there to be seen. However the ads designed to shock you, which fair enough it does. Quite often I found bikers to be hidden by A pillar in the car when stting at an angle to them. They can be completely hidden unless you move relative to the A pillar which 9/10 of the time you won't. Thats just the mechanics of the body/head sitting in a seat.

Fact is bikers and cyclists (for a whole range of reasons) are much harder to see against other traffic. So you have a choice rely on a driver to see you, or assume everyone can't see you. Even the worlds best driver or biker will have moments, seconds when they are distracted or simply not looking in the right place. Thats just reality, and its obviously those moments when accidents happen. So you have to drive/ride accordingly.

I like the idea of promoting the double scan. I also like the idea of teaching good driving habits, automatic driving habits which you can make part of your daily technique. As most accidents with cars and bikes happen when cars don't see the bike.

Equally most accidents with bikes happen with inexperienced bikers. So therefore they should target a campaign against these aswell. Teaching how to make yourself more visible, and never assume you can be seen.

At the end of the day we're all trying to NOT to kill each other, so the blame game and throwing responsibility over to the other party is not going to save your life. You can't improve someone elses skill, however you can improve you're own techniques. So a bit of humble pie and an openness to improve goes a long way.

 

[St0rmer66]

Equally most accidents with bikes happen with inexperienced bikers. So therefore they should target a campaign against these aswell. Teaching how to make yourself more visible, and never assume you can be seen.

The CBT is pathetically easy. When I first started riding to and from sixth form every day in September of last year it was actually SCARY the amount of things I nearly messed up on. I had naff all experience really, I didn't even know the highway code properly (this is NOT tested in the CBT, yet you can just go on the road anyway?). Theory test should be before CBT tbh, and that's coming from me who hasn't even done it yet!

 

[Claw]

I had an accident almost identical to that video although I was lucky enough to be thrown over the car. The view from the bikers eyes of the car pulling out and him flying straight at it triggered some nasty flashbacks for me. Jesus christ I won't be sleeping tonight

I wonder how many other bikers are getting flashbacks after watching that.

Happened to me in the early 80's, wrote my bike off, and the car i hit, it was a fiat 126. If anyone on here has never heard of them they were made out of coca cola tins and about the same size as a smart car, well maybe a bit bigger but not much.

I came up to a bend, in a housing estate, and saw the car waiting at the junction around the corner. Went around the bend and she pulled out i hit her square on Went over the car roof and got up. I was more concerned about my bike which i could see was knackered with oil all over the place.

I had loads of witnesses who saw what happened and were now making sure i was OK. I asked the stupid woman why she did that, and quote "i saw you but i thought i could beat you coming out of the junction".
Now before you think i must have come round the corner and slammed the throttle open, from going around the bend to the junction was about 30' and was probably doing less than 20mph at impact.

She said it was her fault, all the witness' said it was as well, and she kindly wrote and signed on a bit of paper with the time and date admitting it was her fault as well, which was counter signed with a witness. I don't think her insurance company was too impressed with her though.

I now wear a full fluorescent jacket over my armored gear, the back and front of my bike (Honda ST1300) has what looks like police/ambulance high visibility markings over it. I'm still very careful though, just incase.

If any of are kind enough to move over as I'm passing you'll always get a thumbs up, and if your in a cue of traffic and I'm filtering, mine will be the bike with the headlight on FULL, just while I'm filtering though.

25 years after that first accident I've been lucky and it hasn't happened again..... so far (touches wood)

 

[Sparky191]

Personally I have no problem with bikers with their lights on. Generally they are not behind you long enough to be a nuisance, and I'd prefer to be able to see you.

 

[v0n]

Being as I only put my full beam on when I am around a driver who I can see isn't paying attention I'm guessing other bikers must do the same. Maybe says something about your driving?

Ever driven in a car on unknown B road with car approaching from the other direction with full beams on? The closer it gets the harder it is for you to judge his distance and position, because your eyes can't see the road around him - the only reference point in your field of view. It's the same when you switch full beam on behind a car. It's dazzling and blinding point behind most of motorists can not judge distance or position of. Effect is multiplied by the fact the light is appearing and dissapearing behind the car so the eyes can not adjust to it at all. It actually makes you less visible. What's even worse, you have to presume many drivers in older cars without adjusting mirror will turn inside mirror out of their sight because of your behaviour which will put you in even worse position.

Don't use main beam for more than few seconds. Ever.

 

[Treefrog]

Holy hell! That made my heart pound! I still get this on my MTB as well.

You filter at your own risk in a bike. On a clogged motorway, I'll creep past at 20mph or so - I can pretty much come to a stop instantly if a moron pulls out or decides to get out of his car to see what's going on. That is one thing that annoys me about other bikers - burning down between cars on a motorway which is at a stand still. So dangerous.

Unsafe speed is unsafe regardless of where. Although I don't class driving down a narrow aisle between loads of stationary objects to be dangerous. Stationary objects don't jump out in front of you When they're moving though, that's a different matter

In town if there is 2 lanes of traffic, I will go on the outside (RHS) and nip in by the lights. However a lot of the times people don't leave a gap by the curb of traffic island. And I have to hope that the car behind the lead car will let me in. However, if it's too dangerous to filter I won't. Though if there is a gap in the middle of the 2 lanes, I will go down there, if it's safe to do so and it's wide enough. I do it past police cars too and sometimes with police bikes. I always give a little nod to people acknowledging that I'm passing.

Agreed. With a slight caveat - if I can't see a place where I can stop safely, either at the front, or in a long enough gap, then I'll wait. I'll pass them at the next set of lights, or the one after, or whenever. It's all about balance and control IMO, manouevring through these stationary obstacles.

I will always thank drivers who are courteous and driving safely. i.e. I will give a nod, or raise my hand a little at a T junction as I pass a van or car to thank them not for pulling out on me, I do the same for people who let me filter, and for people who generally drive defensively and with a good awareness.

Exactly. If they're willing to do the decent thing it's only polite and mannerly to say thank you.

Yes a lot of bike riders don't give the others a good reputation, but dammit they are so much more exposed - let them behave like idiots and injure themselves without you being involved trying to play cop. Bikes will filter, bikes will go quicker, bikes will be harder to see. It's the way it is.

Mainly the younger, inexperienced ones it has to be said - same with car drivers. But for all the discomforts, dangers, time to get dressed, sweaty summers and freezing winters, I'd still rather be on two wheels. Sod the stereo, the heater, the 3-way reclining seat, the sat-nav, and all the other gubbins, I know what I prefer.

 

[lordrobs]

Shame theres no "think car" adverts stating the dangers of sitting in peoples blind spots, sitting just out of your blind spot and blinding you with a main beam to the side mirror, going around a car which is just about to turn right, weaving in and out of traffic with inches to spare, riding up the middle of a two way nsl road with heavy traffic going both ways, completely ignoring any kind of speed limit etc etc.

Maybe targetting the bikers would be a more effective strategy to ensuring they stay safe?

EDIT- reading that back it sounds like i'm saying its all down to the bikers- i'm not. I'm just saying that some more emphasis on the bikers should be given as at the moment its all "car drivers look out for bikers" and nothing of the shoe being on the other foot.

 

[n3vrmind]

i do agree that drivers dont pay nearly enough attention to bikers

but then i also think it goes both ways, like bikers putting themselves in your blind spot especially when working their way up traffic, if you overtake on a bike and you want the car infront to see you then you should put yourself in visibility of the rear window not sit on the lane marking ready to overtake again, i always make way for bikers but there have been a few occasions when one has worked their way up traffic pretty quickly and not given me chance to see them (as proven by the way they continue up traffic ahead of me)

 

[Treefrog]

I do agree that drivers don't pay nearly enough attention to bikers.

But then I also think it goes both ways, like bikers putting themselves in your blind spot especially when working their way up traffic, if you overtake on a bike and you want the car in front to see you then you should put yourself in visibility of the rear window not sit on the lane marking ready to overtake again, I always make way for bikers but there have been a few occasions when one has worked their way up traffic pretty quickly and not given me chance to see them (as proven by the way they continue up traffic ahead of me)

I can't speak for anyone else (obviously) but making sure I can see the driver's eyes in their mirror is my way of giving them every chance to see me - even better if I can see their eyes flick to the mirror and know that they've seen me. And preferably the RHS door mirror over the internal mirror for a couple of reasons: 1 - oncoming traffic can see you more easily, 2 - if they stop suddenly I have more chance of avoiding a collision because I don't have so far to move over to be clear of the vehicle, and 3 - I have better visibility down the road. Even more so if it's a lorry, or van with no rear window. Putting yourself in someone else's blind spot is stupid - no arguments there - but it's a fairly safe bet that it'll be through ignorance or inexperience, not intent. And you'd be amazed (horrified) at how many car drivers don't bother checking their offside mirror before pulling out to overtake. Last time I was in that situation was when this ****ing idiot decided to rev it and spin his tyres to go past a bus that had pulled in to a stop. Unfortunately I was alongside him at that point, having cruised past some 20-odd cars at about 15-20mph, with a well adjusted 60/55W headlight which was pointing at the door mirrors. If he'd looked there is no way on God's green earth that he could have not seen me. As it was I was forced to go the wrong side of a traffic island to avoid this SFB, who couldn't get through the gap between the bus and the island anyway!!

 

[Fr0dders]

No, because they call it filtering.

I don't have a problem with bikes filtering in the appropriate circumstances, and I generally move over as best I can, but some bikers seem to think it is their god given right to filter even where the gaps between cars simply aren't there.

agreed. on my run through rush hour traffic every morning i see one or two cyclists who filter through the stationary traffic at approx 10/15 mph or so meaning that if any1 should pull out on them etc.. they've got time to react.

This i have no problem with

i do however have a problem with the nutters who think its their god given right to zip in and out of lanes and squeeze through tiny gaps and ride and speeds well above what the rest of the traffic is doing treating the gap between oncomming traffic as a special bike 50mph lane cutting back into my lane at will once traffic comes the other way.

trouble is, it seems that 75 % of sports bike owners are covered in the above. I do notice a marked difference in those that ride the big heavy tourers and harleys and what not.

my other big hate is kids on scooters with no clue. He had no headlights in on a dim morning, he was wearing all dark clothing, black helmet and not one bit of lightly coloured or reflective clothing

i just didnt see him at all. I didnt hit him, but he pulled up alongside of me at the lights and started having a go. I had a go back mind, but truth be told i bloomin nearly followed through when he appeared in my rear view mirror.

 

[jumpy]

Harsh advert with a valid point about road safety awareness.
My better half rides a 125 (well, she used to until she got her car license and discovered what it was like to get to work in the morning warm and dry ) and every time she went out on it I would worry about her having an accident, given that all it takes is one teeny lapse of concentration for her to end up smeared all over the road- doesn't bear thinking about.
However, I wish there were more of the same designed to encourage some bikers to not ride like the road is their own personal race track.
Most weekends near where I live (near Mallory Park) you get these 'trains' of biker tools roaring around the country lanes and A-roads, overtaking on blind bends and accross staggered 'T' junctions and crossroads, travelling well in excess of the speed limit for the road - one second you check your mirrors and there's nothing there, the next, some nob in a power-ranger catsuit comes steaming up behind you and nearly takes the front wing of your motor off trying to get back onto the correct side of the road before the oncoming trafic gets too close.
Not all bikers (and in all fairness the same can be said for car drivers too) ride like *******, but those that do deserve everything they get; only pitty is that their highspeed crashes dont always only include them.

 

[lordrobs]

The one thing that always interests me when the talk of car drivers seeing bikers comes up is the talk of people on bikes looking at the drivers side mirrors to know that they've looked and seen them. For me to see that a biker is there takes a half a second glance, not even any need to move my head. So is it really true that the biker behind is concentrating so intently on my mirror that he sees this little adjustment of my eye?! If so i'm suprised he has the time to look where he's going!

2 - if they stop suddenly I have more chance of avoiding a collision because I don't have so far to move over to be clear of the vehicle

Surely if your traveling at an appropriate distance from the car infront this isn't an issue?