How could they NOT see us?

[pmdave]

At some of the seminars at the MOA rallies, the subject of conspicuity has been bandied about. Age old wisdom is that if we wear bright colored riding gear, flip on the headlight modulator, flash our brake lights, etc. our fellow motorists can't help but see us--and hopefully, get out of our way.

Research is hinting that being "seen" isn't all that simple. Apparently, people's brains choose what they want to see, and ignore what's of less importance. Someone has come up with a little computer demonstration to convince you of how this works.

http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/mot_mib/index.html

When you're watching this demo, visualize the yellow dots as motorcycle headlights, and the central green dot as an automobile.

pmdave

[dancogan]

http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/mot_mib/index.html

When you're watching this demo, visualize the yellow dots as motorcycle headlights, and the central green dot as an automobile.

pmdave

AMAZING! Scary, and simply amazing. At first you think it's an optical illusion, but it isn't. So now what do we do?

:dunno

[Cliffy777]

i am never going to wear three yellow dots....
that is pretty wild. not sure that i wanted to know that, now they have an excuse?

[Chacifer]

and I am never going to ride in a whirling vortex of blue crosses! Talk about dangerous!

[kbasa]

I've always maintained that the best safety equipment you can invest in is your brain. The rest of that stuff just passes responsibility for your safety off to someone else, and I'm not real comfortable with that.

[bobw]

The problem with drivers today is very simple...not fixable really, but simple.
When people get into their "cage" they are suddenly transported to their own little world. There are no other people around, only annoying boxes on wheels that get in their way. They cut in front of you....try cutting in line at the movies or someplace and you just might get your butt kicked...but they are the only ones that count at that moment.
They are talking on cell phones....there are very important issues that must be handled...or putting on makeup/shaving, reading, eating....any number of distractions. After all, they are the ONLY ones on the road.

[username]

green dots. yellow dots. spinning blue crosses. light bars. reflective tape. headlight modulators. flashing tail light LEDs. orange stars. green clovers. purple horseshoes. all necessary but insufficient for total safety. here's a fun sentence: you shouldn't NOT do it, but you shouldn't think it works either.

as riders, we need to take full responsibility for ourselves and never count on other drivers or other riders to see us and avoid us. i'm a fairly defensive driver and a somewhat alert person. i've often not seen bikes. im usually not in a huge hurry, and don't make sudden moves in my car. i was at a stop sign once, and i looked down the street, and saw nothing, turned my head, looked the other way, then looked forward. this is all in a second or so. i began to ease off the brake, and then did the standard double/triple check (i must look like a nuts when i pull out) and boom, there was a motorcycle. i could barely see it, even with the headlamp, because the light was just right that the headlight wasnt the brightest thing out there. (sunny day, specular reflections from shiny surfaces) so i put my foot on the brake and waited. but i couldve not double checked, or just pulled out.

we're smaller, and our velocity to size ratio is very small. it's hard to tell how fast we are closing on cars. human vision has evolved such that we are really good at detecting side to side movement but not stuff coming at us or moving away. i think it's a combination of most car drivers being spaced out and motorcycles being difficult targets to acquire. we need to not only be visible, but alert and have the controls covered when approaching potential problems like intersections and cars waiting to pull out. we need to practice swerving and rapid braking. we need to constantly be talkng to ourselves, like pilots do: "ok, if that guy pulls out in front of me, where will i go?" check your mirrors. know your degrees of freedom. know what you can accomplish on your bike in half a second. stay sharp. my goal, for life and for riding is to attain a state of effortless relaxed focus. im aware, im poised, im ready, but im not tense. im not fatiguing myself with my readiness. i can do it for snippets, but i still use a lot of energy doing it. my goal is to have it perfected in 20 years, at which point i will surely be struck by lightning, or a safe will fall on me, or something else beautiful and poetic will occur. :D

so what else do you do?

"work like you dont need the money, love like youve never been hurt, and dance like no one is looking." good advice, right?

ride like youre invisible, dress like youre going to be dragged down the road behind a dumptruck at 60mph, and smile like youre one of the few smart/lucky enough to enjoy life on a BMW motorcycle. that's what i do.

[Bob_M]

If the blue bars represent cars in traffic and the yellow dots represent motorcyclists
The horizontal blue bars represent cell phones
The verticle blue bars represent quarter pounder hamburgers
and the whirling is the result of coffee spilled into the CD player while kids holler in the back and the dog on drivers lap sees a cat.

The point is that drivers are not encouraged to pay attention to driving, and society continues to throw more gadgets and distractions at drivers. Cage drivers need more training and need to appriciate their societal obligation to share the roads responsibly. I regret that will happen only after hell freezes over

[The_Veg]

And car companies are more and more encouraging the driver to be insular and self-centered. And it sells like the proverbial hotcakes, or better yet like porn.
One of the reasons that I think my flight training has made me a better driver/rider is that I was taught to constantly scan the sky. The method was simple in theory but could be difficult to maintain in practise. It amounted to shifting one's eyes about ten degrees or so across the sky every few seconds. The pauses give the eye a chance to focus on the section you're looking at. But this method keeps your visual attention constantly shifting and active. Notice how similar the excercise with the whirling crosses was to fixating on the car ahead of you? The scanning approach works on the ground too, although modified somewhat due to hazards being more immediate. Try it and see how much more you notice.

[Scootertrash]

I remember reading "The Invisible Man" when I was a whole lot younger. I thought that was pretty cool to be invisible. Little did I know that all you needed was to wear protective clothing, a helmet and ride a 600 pound motorcycle to become invisible...

[pmdave]

One of the sayings from motorcycling old farts, was "Ride like you are invisible". Turns out that sage advice is really important.

One of our common myths is that car drivers don't see us because they are distracted--cell phone, newspaper, lipstick, etc. But the dots demo shows how it's not merely a matter of distraction. Rather, the human eye/brain system isn't programmed as neatly as we have been led to believe.

What we really need is research on "inattentional blindness" and "attention capture" that is focused specifically on motorcycling. It's an area that is VERY important to motorcycle safety, but neither the motorcycle industry nor the federal government have shown any interest.

In the meanwhile, it's important to recognize that how you ride and what you ride have an effect on your relative conspicuity, assuming the majority of drivers around you do enough scanning to send the signal of you on to the conscious part of the brain. There are a lot of little details you can use to help the situation.

Consider that the relative size change is what gives someone the clue about your approach speed and distance. A larger motorcycle typically appears to be faster and closer than a smaller, narrower bike. So, if you're riding a sport model with narrow bars, all hunched over into a race crouch, be aware that drivers waiting to turn left or pull out, probably will miscalculate your actual speed or distance as slower and farther away. So, approaching a possible "intruder", be prepared for a quick stop or swerve to avoid a collision.

"Being prepared" might include covering the clutch and brake levers, and actually slowing down 10 mph approaching a potential hazard--which enables a much shorter stopping distance. Slowing from 40 mph to 30 mph cuts actual stopping distance in half--regardless of the type of brake system on your motorcycle.

My point is, recognize that it's not so much that other motorists are blind or stupid, but that the human brain has limitations that require a motorcyclist to be very proficient.

pmdave :thumb

[pmdave]

Hey! maybe we could discuss this at the Between The Ears seminars at the rally in Lima.

Anyone have the capability of setting up a live display of the "dots" demo for a rally seminar?

pmdave

[dano]

I've always maintained that the best safety equipment you can invest in is your brain. The rest of that stuff just passes responsibility for your safety off to someone else, and I'm not real comfortable with that.


Couldn't have said it better myself!! :thumb

Your brain is the key to survival! Make it work for you. Think well ahead of the game. Prior to approaching an intersection, scope it out. Slow down, cover the front brake, and WATCH. Assume that someone is going to pull out in front of you.

The same can be said while just riding down the highway. When in traffic, it's no time to relax and enjoy the scenery. I find that by always over-taking cars, I tend to be more alert, rather than just keeping pace with them. I don't like to ride side-by-side any longer than I have to. Cage drivers tend to forget you're there.....until it's too late.

When passing cars, I do it and not lolly-gag around. Get by them and get it over with, and get into some clear space. I don't "follow" cars any longer than I have to either. Cager's tend to be distracted easily enough, and when doing so, they like to brake heavily to try and correct their inattentive ways.....putting you at risk if you are following.

It really is all about your brain. Colors, patterns, various lights, doo-dads, and whatever, are just stop gap measures. You can't trust any of them 100% of the time.

I've got 42 yrs. of street-riding under my belt. Only been down once on the street, and that was back in 1977. It wasn't my fault, and I saw it coming, and I was prepared for it. Still went down though. :banghead

Riding on the street boils down to..... "us against them"! If you think of it as a warzone, and prepare yourself for battle, you will have a better chance of returning home unscathed.

Use your brain......... :thumb

[SweetT]

This optical illusion is a good example of a trait left over from our "hunter-gatherer" days. All animals that forage (including humans) have an innate tendency to form a "search image" for whatever they are foraging for. This helps the animal cut through the excessive optical "junk" of its environment and find the food items its looking for. If you've got a nest full of chicks you want to maximize your foraging efficiency. Having a search image of a food item helps.

As cage drivers we're trained to watch for other cars, since that's what we encounter most often. Motorcyclists, I'm afraid, do not fit the search image and become "optical junk."

[GeoffMiller]

A couple of thoughts: I read in a trade journal somewhere that trucking companies who converted to LED tail lights reduced their rear end accidents by 35%! This discussion got me thinking about an accident a couple of years ago. A good friend of my daughter's was driving to school on a pleasant spring day. From a stopsign, she pulled directly in front of a bright green garbage truck, killing her instantly. I'm not sure there is anything that will be visible to all people at all times. I was always amazed riding in locomotive cabs at how many people will look right into the engines' headlights (which almost blind you), hear the airhorns which could wake the dead, and pull right infront. I go along with the idea that you should ride assuming that you are invisible to all others.

[BradfordBenn]

You mean I am not invisble!?!?!?

[GeoffMiller]

What? Did somebody say something? :D

[STRESS]

Remember Burt in the TV series "SOAP" he thought he was invisible. I think he rode a bike in one of the shows.
The problem today with people is they "multi-task". One can't give 100 per cent attention to something if another task requires input.
People get home, turn on tv, check e-mails, open regular mail , eat dinner and talk to someone or get on phone all at the same time if possible.

[RT_guy]

...Having a search image of a food item helps.

As cage drivers we're trained to watch for other cars, since that's what we encounter most often. Motorcyclists, I'm afraid, do not fit the search image and become "optical junk."

Maybe we could mount a laser which would paint an image of a Big Mac in front of the bike :D

[Montana]

When Dr. Stephen Most was with Harvard he performed research that examined why car drivers “didn’t see” the motorcyclist, even when we are right there in front of them. I have been hit and this was the excuse the driver gave to the police; we’ve all heard it.

A Gorilla in the midst: You may have heard of the Gorilla study; it has been mentioned in many motorcycling magazines. The study resulted in an explanation: “inattentional blindness.” Other tests involved detecting change. Now you can see for yourself.

http://viscog.beckman.uiuc.edu/djs_lab/demos.html

Generally, the results of the studies show that people don't see the unexpected; that when focused on the task given, other items are evaluated as insignificant and ignored unless the related to the task; and if it doesn't fit with what they are doing (in the case of driving, looking for other cars - the "like or not alike" categorization) or fit within their frame of reference, they ignore it.

In 2002 I attended the State Motorcycling Safety Administrators conference in Idaho (Jeff Dean and other folks from this organization were there) where Dr. Stephen Most presented many of his studies and we got to play along. The scary part is that, even after being told there was a gorilla, I would guess nearly ten percent of our audience still didn't see it in the picture until they stopped focusing on the details. This explains the cell phone driver problem, doesn't it?

Check out the studies where the experiment had people talking to another person while the person they were talking to was changed for another person (the door and the two guys at the counter).

What to do? Ideas include intuitive items - anything that might cause them to take notice. However, the study showed the gorilla could be yellow and still not be noticed.

We tend to notice what we are looking for. Pretty straight forward.

A reflective vest might be better if it has the strips in a recognizable pattern - the cautionary triangle shape, or how about a stop sign outline?

A lot of motorcyclists were excited at the new Honda Goldwing bright yellow color. It's a "like looks for like" situation, of course, we would notice the color, we're already looking at bikes when in traffic. Car drivers are typically looking for openings and at the general flow.

We all know that, when riding with other bikes, riding offset causes the headlights to appear to be an approaching car, which can be more recognizable to oncoming traffic. This also allows them to judge our approach speed, something not well evaluated based on one approaching light. Which results in them turning in front of us.

The researcher made an interesting comment, "Be more like a car." I thought about this for a couple of days. It seems easy to dismiss this comment as ridiculous. However, on the way home from work one day I tried a number of things to see if they negatively impacted how I wanted to ride. If they didn't then I can use them as part of my arsenal of defense.

Lane positioning is required for road conditions and to keep a safety gap in certain traffic conditions. When making a left turn, I now move over into the left track more consciously. This puts my blinking left turn light roughly in the same spot a car driver behind me or in front of me will expect to see this indicator if I was in a car. Same for a right turn - move over into the right wheel track, if all else is safe.

When stopping in traffic, a car driver is not as likely to notice a single, central brake light; they expect them to be on each side. I know the guy who hit me looked at me, then a split second later looked beyond me to the taillight of the car in front of me and decided he should close the gap. He told me this. So, again, lane positioning as if you are a car and not a bike can help.

[sgborgstrom]

When I'm driving my big shiny red fire engine with the strobes, siren and really loud airhorn all going you'd think folks would be pulling over in a 4 block radius...but no, they dawdle along, stop to turn left or better yet pull out in front of me. This happens at some point every shift. It's clear to me that for a certain percentage of the road-going population nothing penetrates their self centered view of the world. As username said:

green dots. yellow dots. spinning blue crosses. light bars. reflective tape. headlight modulators. flashing tail light LEDs. orange stars. green clovers. purple horseshoes. all necessary but insufficient for total safety. here's a fun sentence: you shouldn't NOT do it, but you shouldn't think it works either.

Ride defensively, keep out of blind spots and assume their aiming for you until proven otherwise.

Ride Safe,
Steve

[einnar]

When I'm driving my big shiny red fire engine with the strobes, siren and really loud airhorn all going you'd think folks would be pulling over in a 4 block radius...

I hear you there. I used to be a cop, and there were times that you could come up on someone with lights and siren going, cycle through a few different sirens to get their attention, and they remain oblivious. In times like that, I would honk the horn of the patrol car. I could barely hear it in the car, but the driver in front of me almost always looked up with a start at the rear-view, and then got out of the way.

They only hear and see what they want to hear and see.

[pmdave]

Based on what we see people do, we make assumptions, such as "they only see what they want to see". If you have reviewed the experiment I referenced, you may realize it's not so much a matter of what people want to do, but how the brain is "wired".

In discussing this with some of the "inattentional blindness" researchers (including Stephen Most, the guy who made the "Gorrillas in our midst" presentation at the SMSA conference) it appears that the subconscious part of the brain (the hypothalamus as I recall) filters all incoming data, such as what the eyes "report". A subconscious decision is made to only bring to the attention of the conscious part of the brain whatever is deemed important--say a T Rex trotting straight toward you, or a very attractive member of the opposite sex. It's an "automatic" process, not something controlled by the conscious part of the brain.

To put this another way, there's too much info for the conscious to deal with, so the subconscious flushes about 90% of the incoming info down the mental toilet. What gets sent to the consciousness and what gets flushed is determined by past experiences. For instance, NOT observing the attractive member of the opposite sex may lead to frustration, so the subconscious learns to pay attention. Ignoring a stampeding T Rex leads to close calls or pain, so the subconscious learns to pay attention ("attend to") all stampeding T Rexes.

So, it might well be that drivers who do not "see" motorcycles have never had any frustrating or painful results of ignoring motorcycles, and therefore, images (and sounds) of motorcycles are "flushed".

While researchers such as professor Most have done a lot of very interesting studies, very little of the research (I suspect none) has been focused specifically on motorcycles in traffic. I'd like to suggest that this is a very important area of motorcycle safety that is being ignored by NHTSA, MSF, MIC, etc. Until we get some quality research focused on why people do what they do (in relation to motorcyclists) we're only guessing about what we might do to manage the risks.

pmdave

[username]

For instance, NOT observing the attractive member of the opposite sex may lead to frustration, so the subconscious learns to pay attention. Ignoring a stampeding T Rex leads to close calls or pain, so the subconscious learns to pay attention ("attend to") all stampeding T Rexes.


this is good. next time i'm out with one of my head-swiveling-must-look-at-every-woman friends, and he elbows me and says, "did you see that girl?!" i'll say, "no, i was looking at the t-rex." :D

douglas adams fans will recall from his books that he also diagnosed this type of visual inacuity as an SEP. Somebody Else's Problem. they had a huge UFO parked next to a cricket pitch, and no one saw it. it was too much to deal with, and it wasn't there problem. this was also why their couch was able to materialize right there at the game, and then arthur and ford could hook up with slartibartfast. (i think that's what happened.)

i guess all i'm trying to say is, it was in a douglas adams book, so i'm thinking it is definitely true.

thanks.

[BradfordBenn]

It sounds funny, but this kind of explains the reason I feel more noticed when I wear the tiger ears and tail on the helmet....

[username]

It sounds funny, but this kind of explains the reason I feel more noticed when I wear the tiger ears and tail on the helmet....

i take it "noticed" is a euphemism? :D ;)

[BradfordBenn]

[QUOTE=username]i take it "noticed" is a euphemism? :D ;)[/QUOTE

Yup, for "Look at that guy with the tiger helmet. Man is he cute, especially in that Spaceman Spiff Suit." :brad

[RT DOG]

[--So, it might well be that drivers who do not "see" motorcycles have never had any frustrating or painful results of ignoring motorcycles, and therefore, images (and sounds) of motorcycles are "flushed".pmdave[/QUOTE]

So this actually brings some truth to loud pipes saves lives attitude. Expecially if people can associate the sound with an unruly Harly Rider rapping on there window. because they couldn't see there bike, because the alternator wasn't working well enough to see the head light on the Harly. It is amazing how simple we people really are just amazing.

[manicmechanic]

I believe the problem is that people have gotten too wrapped up in themselves and their own little space that nobody outside of their "world" matters. For example, the other day I was in the grocery for coffee for work. I came out and walked to the bike, noticing a minivan pulling into the next spot. After putting the coffee in the bag, I was putting on my helmet when I felt the van's door in my back. The occupant was getting out and "didn't see me, didn't even know I was there!" They didn't look, either.

IMHO, everybody just needs to get their heads out of wherever they are and pay attention to the real world.

[lorazepam]

I believe the problem is that people have gotten too wrapped up in themselves and their own little space that nobody outside of their "world" matters. For example, the other day I was in the grocery for coffee for work. I came out and walked to the bike, noticing a minivan pulling into the next spot. After putting the coffee in the bag, I was putting on my helmet when I felt the van's door in my back. The occupant was getting out and "didn't see me, didn't even know I was there!" They didn't look, either.

IMHO, everybody just needs to get their heads out of wherever they are and pay attention to the real world.

What he said.
I also have the wall o' lights mounted to the front of the bike. Cliffy can attest to their brightness.

[pmdave]

If people's brains make the subconscious decision to "flush the info", then the wall of lights, modulating headlights, loud pipes, etc. will only get sent to the conscious part of the brain if those "conspicuity devices" trigger the right response.

Fear is an excellent motivator. So is some personal interest (such as food, sex, curiosity, etc.) Whether bright lights, loud pipes, funny ears, etc. generate fear or attract personal interest is the important question. Could be that tiger ears on your helmet or the wall of light would cause the message to be sent on to the conscious. Or, it could be that these are merely annoyances that the subconscious wants to get rid of quicker.

As motorcyclists, we've long accepted that "conspicuity" devices such as flashing lights, horns, bright colors, et al will guarantee that other drivers can't help but "see" us. What the research suggests is that the only thing that matters is having the other drivers recognize something about the motorcyclist that helps them send the info along to the conscious part of the brain. That "something" could be a small detail such as a radio antenna that reminds them of a cop, a briefcase with IRS painted on it, or a picture of Dirty Harry pasted over the headlight.

While we can be creative and think up different ways to improve our conspicuity, we're operating in a vacuum until we see some research that points out why people see or don't see motorcycles.

Some riders would like to believe that loud pipes would attract attention, but that's not a given. First, it assumes that hearing a sound is as important as seeing. Indications are that we get something like 80% or 90% of our information via the eyes. Second, its assumed that if loud noises are heard and passed along to the conscious, the noise will provide some information about speed, direction, and distance. Third, a bike that has already passed a car is less of a collision risk, and the bike approaching a car has it's noisemaker pointed in the wrong direction.

You could get the idea that I don't think there is any safety advantage in running loud pipes, but the subject here is primarily the seeing/thinking process.

pmdave :wave

[amiles]

I believe that part of the problem is that all of us who drive are doing so distracted much of the time. Add that to the fact that in many cases we are operating on auto-pilot, that is to me, going through repetitive tasks time and time again in a pretty much subconsious manner. Remember when you first drove a vehicle, It took constant concentration just to keep it within the traffic lane. Nowadays it happens without a second thought.

after some period of time, the tasks of moving down the road become habitual, not requiring the effort as when learning. The problem is that we should always be at 100 0/0 alertness and are not. Failing this we need to develop a sixth sense about where danger is higher and give ourselves a kick in the seat under these conditions. Intersections in particular come to mind as an example of this. The Motorcycle Training programs cover this in a self survival context. It seems that in some way it would be good if the auto drivers could be made to see this in the context of what they will do to a cyclist if they fail to yield to him.

I was just reading an injured riders explanation of how he was badly injured by a driver turning in front of him He described it as "Gross Negligence" it may be so, but remember, all that driver is thinking he is doing is making a left turn, something he has done an enormous number of times.

Getting the motorist to realize that a seemingly small miscalculation on his part during such a commonplace maneuver can easily result in death, dismemberment, permanent paralysis and so on is a pretty tough visualization to keep fresh in his mind.

[pmdave]

You did watch the little experiment with the dots, right?

It's a demonstration of how the human brain tricks us, even when we think we're paying 100% attention. My point is, we believe we know what conspicuity is all about, but we may just be fooling ourselves. I believe that this is a very important area of motorcycling, but it's not getting enough attention--and therefore no research funding.

However, I'll take the bait and risk going off on a tangent: how to get car drivers to take driving seriously. I think the model is Europe, where driving is seen as a privilege, not a right. In the US of A, a high percentage of drivers treat driving as an extension of the rest of life. So, if you yack on the phone while having a latte or shopping for groceries, it seems acceptable to yack on the phone while driving.

I don't think there is a ghost of a chance of changing that, after years of easy licensing tests and unlikely arrest for dangerous maneuvers. As motorcyclists, I believe we have the responsibility to avoid getting crunched by other motorists. That takes very high knowledge and skill levels. There are a number of good tactics for managing the risks, but motorcyclists are generally as guilty of not riding at 100% as car drivers. I've been writing about riding skills for 30 years or so, but I continue to bump into riders--including BMW riders--who haven't even read the available information. (a shameless plug here for the books Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling)

And, may I also suggest, it takes some empathy and understanding of what the motorists around us are doing, because if we aren't "attending" to them, we might just have our subconscious fail to pass along important information--such as that left turner about to zip across in front of the bike.

pmdave

[jdcoffman]

It would be nice to see some factual statistics on collisions between "cars vs motorcycles" and "car vs car" I think just as many cars run into other cars as they run into motorcycles it just hurts us a whole lot more. So I can't get into the us vs them mode. I just know that it is extremely dangerous out there and try to drive accordingly. Sometimes instead of always being the vehicle out in front I will follow a cage hopeing left turning traffic will see him and if not I should be able to stop before plowing into the accident.
When I was younger I got enough traffic tickets that I am vigilant in watching as far down the road as I can and checking those rear mirrors often, not just for the police but watching potentially dangerous situations. Other times I might be in the midst of a group of incoherent drivers at which times I might use the speed advantage and get on down the road, course that only works if you don't catch up to the next group of incoherent drivers. :drink Now thats a great icon for driving responsibly.

[pmdave]

These numbers from the feds are a few years old, but typical of what's happening today:

bike-only accidents
motorcyclist injuries 14,000 fatalities 214

car-bike collisions
car occupant injuries 4,000 fatalities 17
motorcyclist injuries 21,000 fatalities 596

light truck-bike collisions
driver injuries 1,000 fatalities 0
motorcyclist injuries 7,000 fatalities 386

heavy truck - bike collisions
driver injuries 400 fatalities 0
motorcyclist injuries 1,000 fatalities 114

car-car collisions
occupant injuries 1,906,000 fatalities 12,215

National Center for Statistics & Analysis (NCSA)

Note that "light truck" includes pickup trucks and SUVs based on truck chassis. There is a theory that "light trucks" are responsible for the increase in motorcyclist fatalities. (when a bike hits a car the rider typically goes over the top, but when a bike hits an SUV it's *splat* into the side.)

pmdave :wave

[amiles]

About five years ago I completed my first ERC while in Ohio. I was surprised to note that during a class discussion when I mentioned a point from Proficient Motorcycling (which I had recently read) the ERC teachers said that they had never heard of the book. Last year in SC I took the local version of the ERC and they were aware of these books.

I was a bit disappointed in what I felt was the ERC's minimal discussion of safety strategies on the road. The classroom sessions both times seemed to be distasteful to the instructors. It seemed that anytime a good discussion got started we had to return to the text. (this class claimed a median of about 25 years of motorcycling).

The parking lot maneuvering was challenging, but I am not so sure of the correlation between it and avoiding roadway accidents. Perhaps having a Sigmund Freud stand-in explain that it isn't parinoia if they are really out to get you would help.

If we don't have the ultimate responsibility for our own safety then I don't know who does. Being wary of other motorists potentially dangerous actions and inactions is to me a top priority. "Reading" the roadway for hazards is another very critical issue.

This considered, I disagree that we would be wasting our time to try and educate the rest of the motoring world of the vulnerabilities of Motorcyclists (obvious to us) and continue to reinforce the need for careful operation of all vehicles. In addition putting pressure on Highway officials to correct dangerous conditions of the pavement (Our area must be the altar of the edge traps) seems like a worthwhile activity as well.

I hate to think that we should just "throw in the Towel" when it comes to the potential benefits of auto driver education and roadway improvements.

[jdcoffman]

These numbers from the feds are a few years old, but typical of what's happening today:

bike-only accidents
motorcyclist injuries 14,000 fatalities 214

car-bike collisions
car occupant injuries 4,000 fatalities 17
motorcyclist injuries 21,000 fatalities 596

light truck-bike collisions
driver injuries 1,000 fatalities 0
motorcyclist injuries 7,000 fatalities 386

heavy truck - bike collisions
driver injuries 400 fatalities 0
motorcyclist injuries 1,000 fatalities 114

car-car collisions
occupant injuries 1,906,000 fatalities 12,215

National Center for Statistics & Analysis (NCSA)

Note that "light truck" includes pickup trucks and SUVs based on truck chassis. There is a theory that "light trucks" are responsible for the increase in motorcyclist fatalities. (when a bike hits a car the rider typically goes over the top, but when a bike hits an SUV it's *splat* into the side.)

pmdave :wave
thanks for the stats. :wave

[pmdave]

The "old" Experienced RiderCourse (ERC) had a whole morning of classroom, including both traffic survival tactics and traction control. Then the rest of the day was spent on the practice range, getting more familiar with cornering, braking, and swerving.

I think that was an appropriate mix, given that experienced riders need to bone up on traffic, and that's primarily a mental process. Having taught the "old" ERC for many years, I think it was a good course that only needed a little tweaking to be even better.

However, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation did a complete rework, basically eliminating the classroom portion, and requiring the ridercoaches to try filling in the theory blanks out on the range. They call it the "ERC Suite", with the concept that there could be different ERCs for different purposes (two up, etc.) I think that eliminating the classroom portion was a huge error. Where novices need hands-on experience and aren't ready for too much theory, experienced riders won't find the "emergency" maneuvers from the ERC Suite of much use in real world riding, but really need accident avoidance strategies that are best studied in a classroom environment.

So, I can't recommend the ERC Suite to experienced riders. It won't hurt anyone, but it won't help much either.

Given my articles on the "trouble in training" over the past couple of years, I'm certainly on the MSF s**t list, so I wouldn't be surprised if MSF sent out a directive making it a sin to even mention the Proficient Motorcycling books in courses using MSF curricula. MSF does offer books on it's web site, notably Nick Ienatch's book "Sport Riding Techniques", but not the PM books. Perhaps SRT is the replacement for the classroom removed from the ERC.

pmdave :type

[amiles]

I do believe that the books were the most help for me. I had been away from motorcycling for a few years & The information in the books was a great refresher as well as introducing new concepts. I was also good that it named the various hazzards. The scenario based lessons helped me get into the thought process quite well. As I read the books prior to taking the ERC I couldn't help feeling that I was a good bit ahead of the curve when the strategy part of the class came in.

I think that it is interesting to note in the recent MCN that the police training takes place using machines that can be and are "dumped" with impunity as the students "push the envelope" To see this in an ERC class with one's own pride and joy is mind boggling. Not to say that no one ever dumps their bike, but I know that I and certainly everyone else carefully balances pushing the envelope with fears of expensive/embarassing damage.

While participating in the "range" work, I was reminded of the AAA club "bike rodeos" that were held at my Elementary school many years ago. Both being of great value in saving my hide over the years.

At this stage of the game I can't help but feel that brainstorming sessions with other concerned riders seem to hold the greatest potential for my self improvement. as well as riding a lot to stay in the groove.

[einnar]

pmdave is the author of the Proficient Motorcycling series?

Thanks for writing those books, and continuing to write about motorcycle safety. I've taken various courses on bikes, and poured over quite a few books on technique, but yours are the most practical that I've found. I find myself quite often 'practicing' when I'm not in traffic, techniques like the late apex, etc. I've even gone out some weekends to find traffic secluded areas to do just that. Practice something I've read in your book.

I recommend your book to new and experienced riders everywhere. (And that they take the MSF course after reading them! :) )

:thumb

[Montana]

We shouldn't overlook that "target fixation" is a big issue for the car driver, too. As I left for work yesterday, making a right from my stop sign (hey, my house is the corner house, it's my stop sign) I watched my neighbor cut our corner tight while making her left into our street. I watched her watching me as she nearly clipped my left hand mirror and it was obvious her line was tightening up as she rounded the corner.

When I was rearended years ago I heard the "didn't see ya" comment, but after he explained further, it turns out the driver was looking at me and then looking PAST me, forgetting I was there. He fixated on the tail light of the car stopped in front of me and decided he needed to pull up.

[wuli959]

One of the sayings from motorcycling old farts, was "Ride like you are invisible". Turns out that sage advice is really important.

I still ride by the axiom "Ride like they CAN see you and WANT to kill you". :bolt