Brain Games and cagers

[dacheedah]

Ok, I was watching Brain Games on nat geo. They were explaining how the mind can only focus on one thing well and multi tasking. They did some tests and at some point explained that most accidents with motorcycles are cagers who turn left in front of bikes. The cagers are looking for cars and since they do not have motorcycles in their minds they actually dont see the motorcycles since they aren't looking for them, they are looking for cars and trucks. It seems to me if this were true the government would do a better job to educate drivers to look for bikes or place reminders at key intersections to get drivers into the habit.

[RandyR]

If more drivers were prosecuted the others would suddenly start to think more clearly.

[GolfVenture]

Maybe M/C could be equiped with a sending unit and cars have detecting units, informs cagers that a M/C is on their 10 oclock 200 feet ahead.

[djh3]

Good reason I have the headlight modulator. If I can get them to look twice because its something they are not use to seeing it draws thier attention to me instead of their d#@! phone.

[silent67]

The MAN does not care about you, he just wants your money.

[yamtom]

Hi,

 

I am with you on the headlight modulator. I wonder how many of us are using the wigwags. I would be very curious to know, how many of us, use wigwags, and how many of us have had close calls or been involved in these left hand turn things. I suspect ,very very few as a percentage have had left turn accidents with wig wags. I saw the brain thing on nat geo also and was totally amazed.

 

Not to change the subject, but I am a recumbent bicycle rider, also, and I found that I got on avg about three more feet clearance with cars going by, on a recumbent, as on an upright. They just dont know what to make of it. I also got more clearance, using an upright flag with the bicycle, but I got the most clearance, with a horizontal flag, coming out the side of the bike, I wonder how much clearance I would get with both horizontal and an upright flag on a bicycle.

[darthandy]

One thing I found that seems to help is to make the front of the bike look "non-motorcycle". For instance my Triumph Sprint has twin headlights. I've lost count of the number of cars that start to pull out or turn in front of me and then suddenly jam on the brakes as the driver does a double take. The twin headlights look out of the ordinary (I assume) and get their attention. This is why I always have my passing lights turned on with my RSV. Same deal...they start to move then stop suddenly. Again I assume it's because the image that hits their eye is out of the ordinary and gets a (delayed) reaction. There was an article on this subject in a bike mag last year (Sorry, can't remember which one!) that indicated that bikes with multiple front lights were less likely to be cut off and the reason stated was that the image confuses drivers and therefore gets their attention. My "close calls" have dropped enormously since I got the Triumph and then the RSV so there sure seems to be some indication that it works. Mind you, I still ride paranoid anyway...no way am I going to trust that blue haired old lady in the Buick with her left turn signal on (And this coming from a gray beard...who sold his Buick!)!

 

Andy