Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival thread

BigFitz. I think it was you who suggested on this board, pointing at any driver that looks as though they might want to cut you off. I've got to say I have found that advice invaluable as a daily rider in downtown Los Angeles. Works like a charm every time. Or when it doesn't they are those drivers who glare at you like they're mad you didn't crash cause that's what they were going for when they cut you off.

 

I believe he was commenting on the fact that the noob didn't realize he wasn't giving anyone space in front or behind him when he was randomly switching lanes, AND the fact that everyone picked up on it rather quickly and changed lanes as a group so they were riding in the correct formation for spacing.

 

just a story to think about. yes, the noob up front was riding like he would alone not thinking about the guy in front of him or the pack behind. everyone behind was riding very well.

 

It was me, and it does work. I'm still not sure exactly why, but it really does get people's attention; kinda "stops them in their tracks." Which is the idea.

I didn't invent it; a long-time road rider told me about it years ago so I tried it (like you) and discovered how well it works.

Not as good as a headlight modulator though. (My new best buddy in city traffic.) I still use the "pointing trick" too.

 

How would the "Federally Mandated Draconian Jammer" be able to discern if a passenger or driver were texting ?? (drifting off topic a bit)

But there's a restaurant jammer that I'd like to wire into my bike.
Imagine riding in a 1,000 foot field of no cell phones !!
Of course, that might distract people into "redial" mode :cry:

 

Your wish is only a credit card number away.....LOL


http://www.chinavasion.com/index.php/cN ... t-jammers/

Seriously though, I have no idea how long it takes to "jam" the incomming signals or even if it would work as a mobile device....then again, there probably is some validity to the issue of someone frantically trying to troubleshoot there lost signal which might create a bigger problem!!

jeff

 

It wouldn't. That's one of the reasons I termed it "draconian." It would also be NICE if it could allow cellular voice calls while not allowing texting; but that distinction won't be made either.

Personally, it's worth the sacrifice. If I need to make/receive a call, I can pull over, if that's the price I have to pay to get people to put down the damn iPoof and drive.

 

Re: Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival threa

Personally I think the 'hands free' legislation is a total crock! Someone deep in conversation is completely distracted, their mind is not on driving. Whether they have one hand on the wheel or two isn't going to make any difference, they are focused on that phone call!

HANG UP AND DRIVE!

 

Here in the Peoples Republic of Maryland it's now illeagal to read a text while at a stop light or moving and a primary offense

Who tickets the state police or any other cop?

One, in a marked car, almost ran me off the road in my truck while on his cell phone with one hand and typing on the laptop with the other doing 70mph.

You can't fix or legislate away stupid, if it wears a badge or not.

 

Amen to that brother, I was watching yesterday, expecting to see a drastic reduction in the amount of visible cell phones, both being talked on and plunked on.....no difference from PG county to Pasadena.....

Most people didn't care about the law before and it's evident, they don't care now either. Someone on their phone is only mildly safer then the texter, neither is paying real attention to the road(and US) and the only real difference is that we can see that the texter isn't looking at the road....where as the talker will look right at you and never "see" you but you won't know that part. Again, don't trust anyone!!!

The law might actually help IF the state and county boys would start writing tickets but it's not going to happen and the governor is too busy making "make gay marriage legal" videos and doubling the tolls to make saving lives any type of priority.



jeff

 

Here's the bill that passed. It's not in the COMAR book as yet.

http://mlis.state.md.us/google_docs$/20 ... hb0221.pdf

It makes no exclusion for cops or their laptops.

If I'm ever pulled over for it I will insist the cop ticket himself under the same code or get me a cop that will ticket him.

 

On the way to work this morning, the inbound superslab suddenly went "all stop." A trooper was at the side of the road with a DAV, and all the traffic was "checking up." About a dozen cars up, some twenty-something on the phone in her Honda drove right into the back of the pickup truck ahead of her, creating a whole new debris field for me to pick my way through.

She pulled over to the side, still on the phone. I'm pretty sure the trooper saw the whole thing.

 

I'm telling you fitz, I've seen people drive right off the road while trying to finish that text on that damned phone....people are sure strange...they will risk their car or life in a crash rather then NOT finish that text message!!! These are normal, rational people but they've come to attach so much importance to their phones/other communucation devices that the device becomes more important than anthing else....it is almost as if the cellphone radio waves interfere with rational thought.

They think they are hiding it but it's so easy to tell.....the quick glances into their laps. What are they looking at? All you have to do if you're in a car is to watch their eyes in the mirror.....maybe we should all watch, then when they look down, lean on the horn..and scare the crap out of 'em

jeff

 

Here in WA our handsfree law makes specific exemptions for anyone that needs to contact dispatch as part of their driving job. Frankly I'm fine with that.
I trust the UPS guy or that 18wheeler to be able to fry up a damn steak n eggs in the passenger seat while safely operating their many multi-ton rig better than I trust some soccermom to be able to stay in her own damn lane and resist the temptation to apply make up for the 15 minutes it takes to get to the mall.

Cops? well I'm no fan so I'll keep my biased opinion to myself.

Ultimately I don't think mandating hands free only is enough as MANY studies have shown it's having one's attention elsewhere that raises likelihood of an accident. Even brainscans of people while driving alone vs while chatting in depth with a passenger show less attention is going to the task of operating that ton n a half of machinery.

 

Re: Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival threa

I am a new rider (two months) and one thing I can say is now that I am older I definitely think about being safe first. This has been a great read.
I agree with previous advice to ride within your comfort zone. Right now, I am exploring parts of southern Ontario and today I saw a few cruisers coming up and down off this bit of road ahead of me. So although not a main, I figured it was bike friendly and maybe a good find. I took the right, (passing a Harley waiting at his driveway) and started up this ditch on both sides, single lane road. About a mile in, it turned into a twisty and up and downy kind of road but with all this black tar? stuff that made the road really smooth and feel way too slippery for me. It seemed to go as far as I could see on the few straights and I wasn't having fun - way out of my comfort zone. The "old me" would have said "go on, you can do it, but the "new me" said you don't know this road and how far this stuff goes on, turn around find something else, this aint fun. Luckily I find a good spot to turn around. Okay I admit, waiting for the same guy in the Harley to pass me so I could turn around to go back wasn't that cool but I would rather that, then going down. The pain of an ass burn lasts longer than the sting of his grin.

I ride to live and be free not to be stressed or dead. Much thanks BigFitz for this thread! To sum it all up: Practice, practice practice, wear good gear, stay alert, ride smart and you'll be a "longlife" biker.

Btw: What is that black tar? stuff? and why do they put it on these kinds of roads? And with more experience, if bikes do ride on it then I will to?

 

It sounds like you ran across a stretch of new "Tarmac" that had been freshly tarred.

Are you talking about the type of road surface that's formed by spreading a type of gravel, and then "tarring" over with a heavy tar layer that depends on traffic to then knit it all together?

If so, that's how it's constructed; it's an inexpensive alternative to more permanent paving solutions.

 

Re: Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival threa

I have seen that but no it's not new tarmac and it's not the stuff on gravel roads. It is not like the stuff they use to fill the cracks either - its more like someone spilled a black, oily? substance on the rough asphalt road, often along the middle of the road that spreads out to the sides. A lot of times it's in both tracks too. It makes the road really smooth and to me feel slippery. Often seen on single lane country roads around Ontario. Sorry hard to describe better than that.

 

Bump

 

Another seemingly harmless thing to watch out for: cagers pitching their cigs out the window. I got hit in the faceshield with one yesterday and I have to say, I'm not terribly eager to repeat that experience.

 

Catch it, catch up, throw it in their window ... or maybe keep something to throw on their windshield and see how they like it ... Oh, if only ... Hmmm ... quick dry enamel paint balls ... see how their windshield and paint job like that ... of course, you have to "run" like hell afterwards ... <evil grin> Or maybe you just accidently drop 3 or 4 steel ball bearings in front of them to drive into ... hmmm ... new radiator? I know, I'm bad, sometimes I'd just like to even the score with those twits.