You all have my permission to shoot me if you see me in those hi viz things. The best way of avoiding accidents is by learning to drive/ride properly,enough said!
If you look really carefully at the 'Polite' vests you'll see it's an anagram for 'I'm a complete twat and want to prove it!' Actually you don't even have to look carefully to see it.
the best way to reduce the odds of an accident is as you said... there is no way of avoiding something that is not your fault and you have no control over
I'm going off the point if this thread, which I don't like but I have to disagree with your 2nd point. I've had 2 serious smashes, neither of them I could avoid. Even if you ride/drive properly you can't always avoid total dickheads on the road. By the way I saw a complete arse do a 3 point turn on a slip road to a dual carriageway this morning. He could have killed someone. Then he must have driven back up it the wrong way! Off thread again but maybe we should start one about idiotic manoeuvres witnessed and survived. I still wouldn't wear a 'dickhead' vest.
But by improving ones driving skills, the odds of an accident are much less. The phrase wrong place wrong time can now read right place at the right time,hence not being in the position of getting into trouble. But i do readily accept some weird shit can happen to any of us, no matter how much training etc,we are human.
Maybe the 60's was the time to ride bikes. Today, surrounded by men in blouses, I'm suprised they piss standing up. Now, scrambler, yum yum
I'm sure cars and trucks are more likely to run you over when you wear these high-vis Polite vests. I reckon it's some form of target fixation.
Agreed Michel. Agreed. I do understand what you're saying. The more you can do to help yourself the better. However... There you are bowling along on a Saturday afternoon. You've done your bike safe course. Your an AIM member and some bloody exhibitionist decides to park his jet right on the back of your head. Now that... Is unfortunate. I don't know if it would have made any difference if he was in P1, P2 or P3. Possibly a 'Polite' jacket may have made the pilot reconsider before maneuvering to park.
Watched a lorry reverse the slip road between m5/m4 yesterday, in pouring rain and poor visibility where cars are arriving at a good 70mph, be ause he wanted london not wales. More gripping 10 minutes than eastenders
Ok. That's it. Let's have a new thread. What shall we call it. I know: You'll never guess what I saw on the way here today! Doesn't have to be today but reports of stupid drivers on the road. For example. I heard the A1 was blocked on Friday because somebody was 'Sunbathing on the road!'
...My boy leaps around in various superhero suits, all the 'bad guys' must be shitting themselves when they see him... Why be concerned about folk dressing up as fuzz? If it makes them feel good let them get on with it. Want to dress up as cock sock and knob jockey on a pannier laden GS? so be it... Dainese catsuit, race hump, race rep lid, race rep bike with sticker kits and number boards to pop out for a cup of tea and slice of cake... Whatever. Want to join a Tractor Chapter, leather waistcoat, open face lid, aviator shades and maybe tassels (hey y'all!!! Yeehaw!!) then fair eno... No sorry I've gone too far haven't I.
So if these are all silly/uncool looks, what is the way to go and what do you go in for yourself I wonder?
The problem with the "polite" vest is the likelihood that some road user will be yakking on his phone whilst driving at ninety-stupid mph, suddenly notice what he thinks is a police rider, slam the anchors on and cause an incident that would not have occurred if only the "polite" rider was being less of a d****e. Just my opinion, no offence intended.
I struggle with this idea that an accident couldn't have been be avoided. All accidents could have been avoided, which is not to say that all accidents will be avoided. There is a subtle difference, it you can't see it then I suggest you think about it. Accidents usually occur because we make mistakes. Unfortunately to err is to be human.
The idea that all accidents *could* be avoided is an abstract idea. It really has no value in the real world. It's a null concept. The fact is, defensive behaviours that keep you safe 999 times out of 1000 will fail once every thousand times. It you amend your behaviour to catch that one-in-a-thousand, you might be safe 9999 times in 10000. To catch the one-in-ten-thousand event, you probably won't get out of bed - ever. Yes, I am thinking of something that occurred to me, one time, twenty years ago . I reckon it could happen again, some time in the next ten years or so
Not sure about this. Yes, you can ride defensively, make sure your lights are on etc, etc but you can't totally eliminate the idiot factor. An accident caused by an idiot could be avoided by the idiot not being idiotic but being idiotic is sadly in the nature of idiots.
I think that is what I said Loz However someone who has had two serious smashes is either unlucky or may just be doing something wrong.
We can see and make allowances for idiots. We can ride in such a way as to give ourselves options depending upon what others do. It is the difference between passive safety, i.e. concentrating upon what we do, or active safety, i.e. including the potential actions of others. I agree that we will never eliminate all accidents but we can substantially reduce our own chances of being involved in one by recognising that we are the biggest danger to ourselves and not some myopic guy shouting SMIDSY. In most bike accidents there is no other vehicle involved FFS. For the record I do have a white helmet but don't have, and would never consider wearing, a "POLITE" vest
