Ttaskmaster Posted July 17, 2010 Posted July 17, 2010 I find watching the wheel itself is better - The instant it starts to turn, I'm taking action. That said, I rarely find any problems. Only ever had a few near misses in my time... and one soon to be Missus!! Ha ha - Did you see what I did there? I made a funny
Paulwhite Posted July 17, 2010 Posted July 17, 2010 I find watching the wheel itself is better - The instant it starts to turn, I'm taking action. That said, I rarely find any problems. Only ever had a few near misses in my time... and one soon to be Missus!! Ha ha - Did you see what I did there? I made a funny you funny fooker you
xv535 Posted July 27, 2010 Posted July 27, 2010 All great comments. You always have to look out for your own safety and riding is getting more dangerous because a lot of the drivers are using their cell phone to talk or text instead of watching the road. I almost got wiped out by a car pulling out from a side road two weeks ago. I have always watched cars at junctions extra close. I now flash my headlight from low to high and try to use the full width of my lane so they see the extra movement. Just another trick to catch their attention....and to live to ride another day!
LiamALu Posted August 4, 2010 Posted August 4, 2010 All great comments. You always have to look out for your own safety and riding is getting more dangerous because a lot of the drivers are using their cell phone to talk or text instead of watching the road. I almost got wiped out by a car pulling out from a side road two weeks ago. I have always watched cars at junctions extra close. I now flash my headlight from low to high and try to use the full width of my lane so they see the extra movement. Just another trick to catch their attention....and to live to ride another day! Mhmm, I definitely agree with you on the junction bit. I was push biking it into work earlier in the year and a lady in a land rover was coming out of a junction. She had stopped before the no stopping box waiting for the opposite side of the road to clear, but she was so fixated on getting out of this junction that she wasn't even looking at on coming traffic I.E me and as I was passing the box she drove straight into the back of the bike sending the back swinging out! Luckily I managed to stay on the bike and keep from falling, but I tell you what, I thought I lost my life for a second! To make it worse the woman didn't even stop, she just carried on and drove off! As I pedalled down the road all I could see were drivers sat in traffic with looks of horror and shaking heads mouthing 'are you okay?!'.
barkwindjammer Posted August 4, 2010 Posted August 4, 2010 All great comments. You always have to look out for your own safety and riding is getting more dangerous because a lot of the drivers are using their cell phone to talk or text instead of watching the road. I almost got wiped out by a car pulling out from a side road two weeks ago. I have always watched cars at junctions extra close. I now flash my headlight from low to high and try to use the full width of my lane so they see the extra movement. Just another trick to catch their attention....and to live to ride another day! in old Blighty that would be a signal to another vehicle to pull out
andy_rob_a_bank Posted August 4, 2010 Posted August 4, 2010 great thread here, lots of good info - will have to try take it onboard
xv535 Posted August 5, 2010 Posted August 5, 2010 Hey Windjammer I'll keep that tip in mind if I ever ride a bike in Scotland....better yet, I think I'll drive a car to avoid being pasted at an intersection!! RM
Ttaskmaster Posted August 5, 2010 Posted August 5, 2010 in old Blighty that would be a signal to another vehicle to pull out Wrong. BANG. You're dead. You just rode into the oncoming truck that the headlight-flasher could not see. Also, do this on a test and you fail instantly on safety. It states quite clearly in the Highway Code that the flashing of headlights is to alert other road users to your presence, just like use of the horn. It also specifically states it's NOT a signal that it's safe for you (or anyone else) to move on. It may not be safe but they cannot be sure as they can't see what you can. YOU have to see for yourself that it's safe. Same as relying on a car passenger to tell you if anything's coming from the left. Over time, the flash has gone from meaning "notice me" to "notice me waiting for you to go first". If you want to signal the latter, do something like wave your hand, nod your head sideways (I do this all the time on the bike), or just slow to a stop and let them go first. Cars pull out on bikes because when the bike goes down even a slightly uneven road, the car sees the headlight appear to flash from dipped to high. Kinda the same as when someone has a torch pointed at you and they turn it just a few degrees - To you it flashes, right? Same thing here and it happens on most roads to some degree. Sorry to sound all GRRRRRR about it and I know most people do this wrong, but this small fact could (and often does) end up leaving us permanently paralysed and all sorts of nasty things. If you survive the incident, the law will rule against the mis-interpreter. 87% of bike crashes involve another vehicle pulling out on them. A high percentage of them claim that the biker "flashed them out". Us bikers must always be at the very top of our game just to make it down the shops and back!!
barkwindjammer Posted August 5, 2010 Posted August 5, 2010 All new road bike models have the headlight ON when the ignition is on, i.e. when your travelling you have no choice (unless you put an in-line switch to the headlight) there is argument and counter-argument about whether this is safer, as Ttasky points out-when moving toward a vehicle waiting at a junction your headlight is gonna without doubt 'appear' to flash, thats unless the road is as flat and smooth as a billiard table - so its a bit of a gray area whether this is safer (more visible) or can easily be mis interpreted as a 'Flash' to pull out Volvo cars have had this feature for decades-but they dont have bouncy headlights
barkwindjammer Posted August 5, 2010 Posted August 5, 2010 Hey Windjammer I'll keep that tip in mind if I ever ride a bike in Scotland....better yet, I think I'll drive a car to avoid being pasted at an intersection!! RM best hiring a truck http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8574600.stm
xv535 Posted August 5, 2010 Posted August 5, 2010 I agree with the comments about the bike light appearing to flash when you hit a dip or a bump. These are good points, but in Canada where I ride, flashing your light is a warning, it is not telling someone that they have the right of way. On a straight stretch it is a warning of danger ahead (ie the danger might be an accident or even a radar trap ahead.) I think Barkwindjammer inadvertantly raised another issue. There are a lot of local 'customs' that a new rider might not know or a rider from another country might not know when travelling. I could get my self in trouble by flashing my lights thinking I was warning someone not to pull out when infact, they think I was telling them to pull out. This just emphasises that in travelling to a different country one should be extra carefull. RM
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