| Author | Message | ||
     Geofg |
From: American Motorcyclist Road Report: Unseen Gorillas and Motorcycle Safety [While watching a video, some subjects were given an "easy task", while others were given a "hard task".] "During the video, a woman carrying an umbrella walks through the scene. In another version, a woman in a full gorilla suit walks through. In a third video, the gorilla stops in the middle of the scene, thumps its chest, and walks off. Heres the scary part: Forty-six percent of the subjects did not see the umbrella woman or the gorilla in the first two versions. In the third version, 50 percent didn't notice the gorilla. In the Harvard study, called "Gorillas in our Midst", the subjects engaged in the hard task were less likely to notice the umbrella woman or the gorilla than were subjects performing the easy task. The more their attention was focused elsewhere, the less likely they were to notice unexpected occurrences." In case anyone wants more reading material, here's the actual journal article for the Harvard study mentioned above: http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~cfc/Simons1999.pdf Let's hear it for defensive riding techniques, eh? -Geof | ||
| Mikej |
I've sat in an intersection before, and half-way through the intersection an opposing car started to proceed. I stopped right there in the middle of the intersection right in front of the driver and looked at the driver square in the eyes and literally saw that person wake up to the realization that they weren't really paying attention. The driver stopped half-way across their stop line. I then proceeded on with my journey. That driver was probably fully awake for the next three blocks or so. | ||
| Rick_A |
I flicked someone off today for starting to make a left turn, creeping into my lane HEAD ON, while I approached an intersection. I rarely use the horn. The finger just feels much more satisfying. | ||
| Geofg |
That's the thing, though, Rick. According to the article, there's a nearly 50% chance that driver never even saw your  . I think that's what bothered me the most about the article. 'course I always ride like they're trying to kill me anyway. -Geof | ||
| Aesquire |
Article from years ago... they interviewed drivers in the "typical" left turn in front of bike crash. A fairly large sample in socal. The "I didn't see him" excuse people nearly 100% did not ride a motorcycle, had no close relatives that rode, etc. The conclusion was that these people literally did not see the bike because the object in front of them had no place in their world. sorta reverse Zen. No know, no see.  | ||
| Rick_A |
Well, that's the thing, see. He apparently saw me because he stopped halfway across one lane. I then slowed down in case he changed his mind...so the jerk-off starts creeping across the road again...starting to intrude into my lane. Finally he stops completely and I flipped him the bird as I passed. The speed limit was 55 and I was doing at least that speed so I was certainly concerned! | ||
| Geofg |
Rick, And you know, the cager was probably thinking "friggin motorcycles, coming outa nowhere like that..." I've got a harley-riding friend who keeps used spark plugs to toss as attention getters in situations like that. Too extreme for me, but then I don't ride a Harley. (and I've never seen him actually toss one, either.) Aesquire, I do have to admit, though, that my hometown is crawling with motorcycles, and I never noticed until I started riding myself. We *really* are invisible to the majority of the drivers out there. -Geof | ||
| Joey |
Twice, cars have come close enough to me, i.e., moving into my lane, that I could have kicked their door with my steel-toed boots! The trouble is, I didn't think of it until later. Here's my Paranoid Bit: There is someone out there who wants to kill me. Each time he tries, he is in a different car, truck, or whatever. He wears disguises, sometimes a man, sometimes a woman, sometimes young, sometimes old. Sometimes, he will make more than one attempt in a single trip. I'm amazed at how quickly he can change disguises and vehicles sometimes! I think he has some mastery of the time-space continuum, as once he tried to get me from two different angles! I think he is in the Air Force, because it seems he comes after me a lot more frequently on the Air Force base in DE, especially when I'm wearing that reflective vest. Since I got my white helmet, I've noticed that he has a somewhat harder time finding me. Could he be looking for the black helmet that matches my Blast!? He is persistent, I tell you! He still finds me! I'm hoping my loud pipe scares him off sometimes... | ||
| Sarodude |
Vehicle Profiling You should have a distinct feel which which types of vehicles (makes, models, age / condition, maybe color) are more likely to be occupied by inattentive cagers. Driver Profiling Follows closely behind the vehicle profile. Some people can't walk and chew gum but someone was compelled to give 'em a driver's license so they could hurl a 3 ton SUV around inattentively - while chewing gum, yaking on the phone, disciplining the 7 month old and 3 year old in the back seat, and fixing the mascara that she screwed up 'cause she had to take her hands of the applicator to turn the corner. Great thing is this: Watch for the exceptions! Our marvelous governments, who treat driving as a GOD GIVEN RIGHT, seem to want to license anyone who can contribute to the macrocosm of vehicle purchase, repair, chemicals, fuels, taxes, insurance... It's really sad that something like flying is statistically safer than driving. It's really SCARY sometimes when I'm negotiating San Fernando Valley or LA Proper traffic. I frequently question my sanity. Then I get out of the straight jacket as soon as possible. -Saro | ||
| Rick_A |
I don't know how many times I've muttered under my helmet, "check your f'in' mirror!" Loud pipes are no safety from the blind, I guess. | ||
| S1joel |
Spending 40 hours a week riding on an Electra-Glide, I have many close encounters with cars trying to assasinate me. The worst offenders seem to be the SUV's (I own one). It is such a great feeling to hit that little red switch, turn on the blue lights, and let the citations start flying. If they don't see my 1000 pound black and white Harley with it's shining crome, I know that they would smash me on my Buell. I vote ticket books for all badwebbers!!! (I thought I was a competant rider until I took the two week police motor course, definately tougher than any other course I have ever taken!) | ||
| Rick_A |
I saw an officer on a police bike do about the tightest U-turn I've ever seen on that big bastard...scraping plenty of parts as he went around. Pretty impressive. SUV's, pickups, and minivans...the bike killers. I ride my bike maybe two hours a day...but during heavy traffic times and often early morning and night. At least one driver scares the crap outa me daily. There's so many smashed-up cars around here...it's ridiculous. | ||
| Mikej |
"SUV's, pickups, and minivans...the bike killers. " No, inattentive drivers and inattentive other riders are the bike killers. While there are some models and brands of vehicles that seem to have a higher propensity to attract aggressive tailgating self-centered inattentive arrogant own-the-road bastard vehicles propellers (I hate to call them "drivers" ), I've had near encounters and have also had courteous encounters with almost every make of vehicle. The highest negative encounter rate used to be with Mercedes and Volvo drivers, now it seems to be with Lexus, Cadillac SUV, and sporty Hondacar drivers. This summer it will probably be Hummer drivers with the local Hummerville having recently expanded and with them buyers getting incentives and tax breaks due to owning a 6,000Lb+ vehicle and sales of them beasts going thru the roof. One good thing about that is that all you have to do is loosen one valve stem and you'll flatten all four of their tires at once (if the newer models have the tire equalization system)(not that I would ever consider doing such a thing)((even if the bastard did try to run me into a ditch and fly thru a school zone nearly hitting several kids while on his way at 10am to get to the bank where I followed him to)). | ||
| Bomber |
MikeJ the "baby" hummer are not so equipped, least not the ones I've seen . . . .. the good thing about all of them, and their SUV cousins, is that they're easy to spot . . . .. the lil honda sporty cars are tougher to see, and they're getting to be a both as well . . .. I have a feeling the vehical profiling is slightly different in different communities . . . . and you're right, of course, it ain't the vehicals, just like it's not the guns, that kill people . . . .. | ||
| Chainsaw |
To the International BadWeb Contingent: Are cagers crazy in Europe too? It seems to me Europe may have a higher per capita MC riding population. I wonder if that statistically helps keep bikers alive over the pond...just wondering. | ||
| Joey |
Like the big guy's T-shirt read in "Happy Gilmore", staring that Adam dude: "Guns don't kill people. I kill people." Here's one: Get 4 B-Bs, some superglue. Pull the valve-stem caps off, one at a time, put a drop of superglue in each one, and drop the B-B inside. When you screw the cap back on, you should cause a slow leak that will persist so long as they keep putting ther caps back on. Not that I would condone such actions ... |
