Think CAR!!!!!

dc_grimm said:
As a motorcyclist I also want to give my input.
I commute everyday between Centurion and Midrand.
I do not speed and only when cars go less than 80km/h do I even concider lanesplitting and try to not go more than 20km/h faster than the cars.
I have also never broken a cars mirror because I felt that they were being retards.

What does happen more often than not is a car jumping from one lane to the next without indicating or barely indicating.
This is dangerous for bikes as well as cars.

Indicators are supposed to be used to indicate your intentions not your actions.

That is all.
Click to expand...

I fully agree with you that the motorist should indicate. But I am talking about a cpl of personal encounters I've had. Where the guy comes screaming along the line inbetween the cars and then you just see him at the last second before you change lanes. I know not all bikers do this, but a lot of them do. If you are stuck in traffic you cannot always see 3 cars behind you and you might miss the biker coming down the middle. That'a all I'm trying to get at. They should also "Think Car" and not always expect that we can see them or hear them for that matter... You might also have a loud pipe on your car, or a loud stereo... So yeah
 
Devill said:
Yes drivers of both bikes and cars can be idiots.

Ps the bold part I hope is not when I am doing 65km/h in a 60 zone as that would make you drive +- 95km/h in a 60 zone :p

If the bikers could just realize that in peak hour traffic when motorists see a micro gap they will 50% of the time indicate for 1sec and then go for the gap. Having to react to a "harder to see" bike is a problem.

Now we can debate about this and that for ages, so let us say it is 50% the motorist's charge and 50% the bikers... who will be hospitalised if not killed when something goes wrong and an accident does happen?

So for all the bikers out there it is just because we don't want to see you with broken pelvis bones that we remind you you are the smallest thing on the road. ;) :D
Click to expand...
We know the risk and it is a risk we take every day we ride.
In general we are helping you all because every bike on the road is one less car.
And not to mention less fuel use and less emissions.
 
Devill said:
Yes drivers of both bikes and cars can be idiots.

Ps the bold part I hope is not when I am doing 65km/h in a 60 zone as that would make you drive +- 95km/h in a 60 zone :p

If the bikers could just realize that in peak hour traffic when motorists see a micro gap they will 50% of the time indicate for 1sec and then go for the gap. Having to react to a "harder to see" bike is a problem.

Now we can debate about this and that for ages, so let us say it is 50% the motorist's charge and 50% the bikers... who will be hospitalised if not killed when something goes wrong and an accident does happen?

So for all the bikers out there it is just because we don't want to see you with broken pelvis bones that we remind you you are the smallest thing on the road. ;) :D
Click to expand...

Listen accidents happen. And I will hold no ill against a person changing lanes in stationary traffic and we collide with me doing 10 - 15 km/h lane splitting. Accidents happen. But if I'm coming down a road and you just turn in front of me while I approach an intersection or just jump lanes when we're on the highway and you should hit me then... you had better hope I can't get up from that accident ;)
 
Creature said:
I fully agree with you that the motorist should indicate. But I am talking about a cpl of personal encounters I've had. Where the guy comes screaming along the line inbetween the cars and then you just see him at the last second before you change lanes. I know not all bikers do this, but a lot of them do. If you are stuck in traffic you cannot always see 3 cars behind you and you might miss the biker coming down the middle. That'a all I'm trying to get at. They should also "Think Car" and not always expect that we can see them or hear them for that matter... You might also have a loud pipe on your car, or a loud stereo... So yeah
Click to expand...
If I split and I see a car with his indicator on 3 cars in front of me I will stop and give them a chance to change lanes.
I know not allot of bikers do this.

The problem with these vs. and bad bikers thread is generalisation.
Yes you see so many bad bikers. But have you stopped to count all the good bikers (Let alone see/notice them)?
 
There is a car that drive around my neighborhood with the 'think bike' sticker that he cut and stuck on his car to read: 'Bike, Think!'.
 
I agree, especially in heavy traffic when bikers come fast in between slow moving traffic.

Car drivers look in the mirror and don't see them coming.
 
What's actually a bigger problem here where I live is the cyclists who enjoy cruising on the freeway and the others that calmly decide to ride next to each on a busy road while totally ignoring the cycle lane that is probably a half metre away.

I give way to bikers and generally find that they are a good lot - except for the guys that will wait on your left at intersections then turn right even if you are in a lane that traffic is permitted to move straight on in, and then shake their fists at you when you hoot at them.
 
Nocturnity said:
Well, I lanesplit in a responsible manner. I don't exceed 30 km/h faster than the cars are moving, I have an orange headlight protector and a really loud pipe on my commuting bike. Even so, I've been knocked over twice so far by cars turning into me when I am next to them. No indication that they are going to change lanes and as far as I was aware, no space for them to fit, which indicates that they wanted to muscle their way into a non-existent gap. I must admit that cars often "cut me off" but that's usually not a problem if the driver had his indicator on for at least a second or two before turning. I see what they're planning and slow down to let them complete their lane change. No problem! The things I have a problem with are the people who don't indicate or indicate while they're turning and poppies on their phones, sms'ing or talking while driving. They may not realize how badly they're weaving across the road but I do and it's really difficult to get past them because you don't know what they're going to do next.

I also drive my car on the odd occasion, so I don't really have an Us-vs.-Them mentality. There are a lot of idiots on the road, regardless of their mode of transport.
Click to expand...

This is why its not a good idea to overtake on the left. Like it or not, people are more aware of things on their right hand side, mostly because they sit on the right hand side of the car. I'm not saying its okay that they didnt look, I'm saying that every commuter has the onus on them to be cautious, if you were overtaking on the left then you were not being cautious.

I do agree that there are lots of idiots on the road, both in cars and on bikes.

AniV said:
As to the solid line - I will openly admit that I often cross the solid in order to pass cars. I am forced to do this because most of the cars do not keep to the left side of their lane and make it impossible for me to split past them inside the lane line. If I had to wait for every single vehicle in the queue to individually notice me and move over there would be no point to riding a bike in the first place. It would take forever. That being said - I will always try to keep as close to or on top of the white line as possible.
Click to expand...

You dont think maybe there is a reason its a solid white line and not a dashed line? Cos, you know, maybe the engineers knew it would be dangerous for any sort of overtaking on this particular stretch of road?

I would like to point out that bikers can be *******s. I drive carefully because I have a long distance to do every day and I'd like to stay alive. I have never smashed a mirror or kicked a car - this actually takes a fair amount of skill. A mirror has to be smashed a certain way using a certain part of your hand with a certain amount of force, or all it will result in is a broken hand or wrist for the biker.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you dont, but that doesnt make it okay for those that do.
 
Ancalagon said:
This is why its not a good idea to overtake on the left. Like it or not, people are more aware of things on their right hand side, mostly because they sit on the right hand side of the car. I'm not saying its okay that they didnt look, I'm saying that every commuter has the onus on them to be cautious, if you were overtaking on the left then you were not being cautious.
Click to expand...

Both my bumps have been from cars to my left (middle lane), when I was in the far right lane. The last knock, my knee took a bit of a pounding but I managed to keep the bike upright so I could get off the road. The guy that knocked me (white double cab) pulled over about a kilometre down the road (so I couldn't see his number plate), checked his damage, got back in and left.
 
Nocturnity said:
Both my bumps have been from cars to my left (middle lane), when I was in the far right lane. The last knock, my knee took a bit of a pounding but I managed to keep the bike upright so I could get off the road. The guy that knocked me (white double cab) pulled over about a kilometre down the road (so I couldn't see his number plate), checked his damage, got back in and left.
Click to expand...

Okay, misunderstood, sorry.
 
Ancalagon said:
You dont think maybe there is a reason its a solid white line and not a dashed line? Cos, you know, maybe the engineers knew it would be dangerous for any sort of overtaking on this particular stretch of road?
Click to expand...

I am specifically referring to lanes where the lane is wide enough to accommodate both of us. If the car were to keep to the left side of their lane and not hog the line, I would safely and easily (and completely legally) be able to pass the vehicle. If the lane isn't wide enough to accommodate both of us I will only go past on the white line if the traffic is standing still and it is safe to do so. I'm not going to blindly overtake. I try to stay out of the oncoming traffic lanes as much as possible.

At any given time I am wearing at least 3 layers of clothing (in Summer, that is, and up to 6 in Winter) and a helmet with a sealed faceplate. Standing still makes both me and the bike get very hot. We prefer to keep moving :)
 
It certainly goes both ways. Being a former bike rider I would always be very cautious of what the cars around me were doing. I do see bikers abusing the system and moving anywhere they want when they are actually endangering drivers as well as themselves. Cars need to be cautious of the same thing bikes need to be, but bikes are harder to see and need to be even more disciplined.
 
Pitbull said:
Listen accidents happen. And I will hold no ill against a person changing lanes in stationary traffic and we collide with me doing 10 - 15 km/h lane splitting. Accidents happen. But if I'm coming down a road and you just turn in front of me while I approach an intersection or just jump lanes when we're on the highway and you should hit me then... you had better hope I can't get up from that accident ;)
Click to expand...

I agree that motorists should not act like retards :D

dc_grimm said:
We know the risk and it is a risk we take every day we ride.
In general we are helping you all because every bike on the road is one less car.
And not to mention less fuel use and less emissions.
Click to expand...

Superman also saves the planet and makes everything better for everyone but he doesn't act like a cnut :p

All I was saying is that Think car is a better way of going about things.
 
I normally move over for bikers, but there are some serious idiots out there.

Lately I have noticed a lot of idiots on these 2 stroke scooters. WTF? These okes are nuts. The fly past you, smoke and noise like no other, and I have even seen some of them pulling wheelies from the robot.

There is the biggest **** I see most mornings in Randburg on a Suzuki motoard. Flies between cars, stands up and is just plain reckless.
 
Every group has it's good and bad members, taxis, bikers, cyclists, pedestrians and motorists. Don't let a few bad seeds spoil your view of a whole group.

It all comes down to respect, no one respects each other or the rules of the road.
Start today by changing your own actions and make the roads better place. If someone p!sses you off in traffic, don't pay it forward by making the next guy's trip to work miserable, just laugh it off.
And remember he who rides like a d00s wont be around very long, just let him go on his merry way.
 
I actually have a huge crack on my left mirror due to a biker that tried to squeeze between my car and another car at a traffic light when there was no space for him to get past in the first place. I understand that accidents happen but what annoys me is that he just rode away instead of taking responsibility.

I also dont get motorcyclists that have HUGE panniers on their bikes. Lane splitting doesn't work too well when your bike is as wide as a kia picanto, just saying...
 
n3cr0 said:
Every group has it's good and bad members, taxis, bikers, cyclists, pedestrians and motorists. Don't let a few bad seeds spoil your view of a whole group.

It all comes down to respect, no one respects each other or the rules of the road.
Start today by changing your own actions and make the roads better place. If someone p!sses you off in traffic, don't pay it forward by making the next guy's trip to work miserable, just laugh it off.
And remember he who rides like a d00s wont be around very long, just let him go on his merry way.
Click to expand...

I think ALL taxi drivers are bad, so yeah, the one that cut me off this morning spoiled my outlook on all of them again :) LOL
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X