safety tips from a fighter pilot in MCN

[66shinobi]

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/ ... d-be-seen/

has to be the first well written article ive ever read in MCN. what do you guys think? in my not so expert opinion, there are a few good thinking points there. i especially like the 3 focal point checks at junctions. i think this sort of stuff should be tought in driving lessons

 

[Rhydian]

Valid points but it's not something you can just take aboard and use in real world situations. The best way to stay rubber ride down is to plan ahead, just like chess if you already know where you want to go, how you want to get there and any potential dangers you give yourself time to react to sudden changes around you.

 

[CurlyBlakey]

I think it's great advice, once you've mastered the basics of forward observation there's some great tips for improvement there and you can tell he really gets what he's talking about!

 

[RoadcraftNottingham]

I personally found it long winded, confusing and not valid for everyday road use. Why would I want to read a number plate in my peripheral vision? Peripheral vision spots "things" in your side-line of vision, who cares if it's a 2007 Nissan, it's a car, seen, nuff said. This would be helpful if I was doing mach 1 with no other aeroplanes around. He makes it sound like there's no hope for us but there is. We naturally scan with our eyes anyway as long as we're concentrating, the only thing I agree with is that it's harder to see vehicles coming directly at us but with practise and concentration we can do it.

 

[66shinobi]

i wouldnt say its an all inclusive guide, but i like the idea of applying tips from other areas to a motorcycle context as there isnt much info shared between different communities. id be interested to find what everyones thoughts are specifically on the point of applying three different distance points to juntion checks?

i quite like the idea personally, and can see the reasonings behind it, especially if looked at from a car driver point of view.

currently quite chuffed at getting a reply from you Roadcraft Nottingham. id class you as a bit of an authority on the subject haha.

 

[RoadcraftNottingham]

lol, thanks. This is only my personal opinion but saying "do 3 checks, close mid and far" seems a little to vague and general to me. If you've done 3 checks and still haven't fully taken everything in, it's still not enough. Each junction and situation needs to be judged on it's own merits and how people look and what they look at is a personal thing. The main danger at junctions is the emerging car mis-judging the speed of oncoming vehicles, I've seen a lot ofYouTube uploads where the bikers going WAY to quick for the conditions, no wonder the car pulls out if he assumes the bike is doing a reasonable speed when in fact he's giving it the beans. It's also down to us as motorcyclists to slow down and move out to give the emerging vehicle more chance of seeing us.

 

[Rhydian]

lol, thanks. This is only my personal opinion but saying "do 3 checks, close mid and far" seems a little to vague and general to me. If you've done 3 checks and still haven't fully taken everything in, it's still not enough. Each junction and situation needs to be judged on it's own merits and how people look and what they look at is a personal thing. The main danger at junctions is the emerging car mis-judging the speed of oncoming vehicles, I've seen a lot ofYouTube uploads where the bikers going WAY to quick for the conditions, no wonder the car pulls out if he assumes the bike is doing a reasonable speed when in fact he's giving it the beans. It's also down to us as motorcyclists to slow down and move out to give the emerging vehicle more chance of seeing us.

You Sir have saved my arse on many occasions with your videos. I would love to see you publishing articles, because they'd be a lot better then the crap these mags seem to publish.