A change in my riding habits

[dogman]

We just got back from our trip of 3629 miles (my fellow Canucks 5840kms) bike trip to the Maritimes. It was suppose to be further and another week but we decided to come back home early to be with our boys.

 

The point of the thread is my riding lane position on the road. I would generally be in the left of the centre part of the lane as most of you do to make yourself as big as possible to own that lane. Now I find myself out of necessity/survival to be moving over to the right side of the centre of the lane. The reason for this was on a two lane highway 80kms/h 50mph (one lane each direction) I literally saw hundreds of drivers going the other direction and looking down at their phone. They never saw me, in fact the survival part of it was that dozens and dozens of them came over the yellow line, into my lane and still never saw me. Some did and swerved back, but many did not. I quickly began to move to the right with on coming traffic then move back and this proved to be a very safe practice as many times cars crossed the line which would have made me take evasive action.

 

The same thing was happening on the 4 lane highways (2 lanes each direction divided or not) As I was in the inside lane and cars would pass me and again seeing them on their phones texting, not talking on them. Many would wander into the right lane without them realizing. As a result of a few concerning moments of me having to move over from getting side swiped, I would begin to move to the right side of my lane when I saw a car about to pass me.

 

When I was riding in the left lane (passing lane) I use to be in the right side of the middle part of the lane, but again the drivers in the right lane on their phones wandered over into my lane making me move over to the left part of my lane, so I again made it a habit of being on the left side of my lane when passing.

 

I always said and practice in my riding that the other drivers are out to get you on the bike, so it was a quick and easy adjustment to make as it was happening so often. And not just to me on the bike, but I saw lots of cars that got cut off and pushed onto the shoulder because other cars came into their lane.

 

My next group ride I will have to talk to the ride captain and the person who is right behind me, because if I see the driver with his/her head down, I am moving over a little. Nearly 35 years of riding and in all those years combined I have never seen so many people crossing over lines into other lanes. It is an epidemic out there.

 

Be safe everyone and of course have fun.

Edited August 8, 2016 by dogman
spelling error

[ReinyRooster]

Sadly I have also seen alot of what you mentioned.......I have also found myself doing the same. When are people going to get the message and put their stinking phones away?

[Gary N.]

There should be a jamming device that won't let the phone work when the car is in gear.

[BigLenny]

Sadly I have also seen alot of what you mentioned.......I have also found myself doing the same. When are people going to get the message and put their stinking phones away?

 

Sadly Reiny, they won't in our lifetime.

[ReinyRooster]

"Sadly Reiny, they won't in our lifetime". Ya, sad but true.

[camos]

There should be a jamming device that won't let the phone work when the car is in gear.

Great idea, get one for the bike so there is a 1/2 mile dead zone around it.

[Bert2006]

Get worse as the idiots are now also playing Pokemon Go while driving!:bang head::bang head::bang head:

[snyper316]

The ones that really scare me is the ones talking on the cell phone while setting at a stop sign they look right but never double check left.... been a few times I hate to say is I was on the bike because there is no way i could have missed them in the Tahoe but i was always taught to ride 30sec-2 minutes ahead if possible and when i know there are blind spots i left off the throttle till im clear of that road i end up pissing some ppl off but owell its my life not theres...

[stroker ace]

"Sadly Reiny, they won't in our lifetime". Ya, sad but true.

 

And gets worse by the hour.

 

I've been riding 47 years always have said was going for 50 years and rethink it. We've been bumped twice at red lights by people creeping forward while playing with their phones. We've had two near miss head on's missing by inches people on their phones. My bikes have been sitting, ( normally average around 30,000 miles a year ) I really enjoy riding but just hasn't been worth the risk as of lately maybe getting time to call it.

[SilvrT]

Speaking of riding position....

 

When I ride on a 2 lane highway, if there is no one in front of me but traffic approaching, I always ride to the right of the lane. That puts me into oncoming driver's vision sooner and also gives a larger "buffer zone" if someone approaching crosses the line.

 

Conversely, if I am following someone, I will ride in the left of the lane. An oncoming driver that is planning to pass will see me and not an "open hole". This also allows me to see better as to what's coming towards me.

 

On those 4 laners I tend to ride wherever I feel safest at the time.

[Marcarl]

Can't argue with you Dave, can bother the misery into ya. On the other hand, riding in the right track on a 2 lane puts a feller out of, not into, the opposing drivers vision. Not that circumstances wouldn't dictate a change at times, but generally the right track is a bad place for a lone rider.

[tufftom4]

I do not talk or play on my phone when I am driving and will not ride with someone who does if someone wants me they can leave a message.

[Venturous Randy]

Very loud air horns and ride with your finger on the button at all times.

I have not ridden any this year as my comfort level on the bike has never been so low. I need to put a battery in it and find a power draw and have not had the motivation to do it.

On two lane roads I always liked to ride in the left track as in a curve to the right it allows someone to see you a little quicker and it allows you to see around the curve a little quicker. The down side is the idiots that are coming toward me and hanging over the center line can get real close too quick.

We have laws in TN about texting and driving and I don't understand how I can see so many people doing it, but it doesn't seem like the cops see it.

Randy

[bongobobny]

There should be a jamming device that won't let the phone work when the car is in gear.

Carrying a baseball bat on board comes to mind...

[Gary N.]

Carrying a baseball bat on board comes to mind...

 

Fines don't seem to work....maybe smashing their damn phones would do the trick. In Ontario if you are caught speeding 50 km/h (30 m/h) over the speed limit they confiscate your vehicle and you get a big fine and lose your licence. They should do the same thing for using the phone....The risk is probably worse of something happening with the phone in your hand then speeding.

[SilvrT]

. On the other hand, riding in the right track on a 2 lane puts a feller out of, not into, the opposing drivers vision. Not that circumstances wouldn't dictate a change at times, but generally the right track is a bad place for a lone rider.

 

For the most part you're correct however...

 

Guess I should have clarified my post .... You're all alone and multiple vehicles approaching. Drivers anywhere behind the front vehicle ... generally those wanting to pass someone. If you're in the left side of your lane their line of sight is either blocked or reduced. They have to come to their left and sometimes even cross the centre line before they will see you. If you're in the right of the lane, they will see you much sooner.

 

 

Here you can see that V-2's vision of MC-1 is blocked whereas V-2 can clearly see MC-2

 

For my own protection, this is the rule I follow for obvious reason's. Have you ever been driving at night, behind another vehicle, perhaps a van of some sort, and wanted to pass so you squeezed over to the left a bit and saw the way was (or seemed) clear.... so you gunned it and crossed the centre line only to discover an on-coming vehicle with it's RIGHT headlight burnt out? You didn't see it because it's left light was blocked by the vehicle in front of you.

[XV1100SE]

...They should do the same thing for using the phone....The risk is probably worse of something happening with the phone in your hand then speeding.

 

I have to agree with you....that would help but still wouldn't stop people from driving distracted. Also bugs me when you see someone driving with their dog in their lap or hanging out the driver's window.

 

 

... If you're in the left side of your lane their line of sight is either blocked or reduced. They have to come to their left and sometimes even cross the centre line before they will see you. If you're in the right of the lane, they will see you much sooner.....

 

I do the same for the same logic. Also gives me a clearer view of what is behind the oncoming car. If no one is behind the oncoming vehicle then I'll go back to the left track after taking a look.

 

Other thing I'll do when approaching an intersection or a vehicle on a side street is move into a position in my lane where they can see me and I can see them. I'll even swerve back and forth so they pick up my headlight/driving lights (and ride with my high beam on during the day)

[Marcarl]

I agree with you Silver-T but riding in the right hand track gives the oncoming the idea that you will be turning off and so even though they might have you in their vision they don't really see you as a threat, so will easily enough disregard you. You're right that when a line of traffic is coming toward you, that next to the center line is a bad place, but too far over also blends you into the landscape or will give the fleeting thought that you are parked and there again you don't get registered into the opposing human brain and can get run off.

So maybe best to move over to the center line, with the high beam on and all lights blazing, and that being said, get ready to dive for the ditch anyways.

Always, Always leave yourself more than 1 out, preferably 3. In the right track you only have 1, in the left track you might have 2 or maybe not quite, so it looks like a dangerous place to be,,, heading down the road. Keep your eyes open, revise your plan and once you've done that, open your eyes and revise your plan again, and then don't forget to revise your plan again.

Just trying to be helpful, and just because it written down, doesn't mean it's the law.

[SilvrT]

I agree with you Silver-T but riding in the right hand track gives the oncoming the idea that you will be turning off and so even though they might have you in their vision they don't really see you as a threat, so will easily enough disregard you. You're right that when a line of traffic is coming toward you, that next to the center line is a bad place, but too far over also blends you into the landscape or will give the fleeting thought that you are parked and there again you don't get registered into the opposing human brain and can get run off.

 

I do wonder if some of this is theory or fact. Has there been surveys of drivers that support this or is it just opinion. Not that I disagree ... I'm just one of those "prove it to me" kinda guys. Personally, as a driver seeing an on coming motorcycle, I have never thought any of those thoughts.

 

"when a line of traffic is coming toward you, that next to the center line is a bad place, but too far over also blends you into the landscape" ... I do agree with that; however, if one has decent lighting it's pretty hard to blend into the landscape.

 

There is the "groove" between the centre of the lane and the edge (either right or left). It's the track where the cage wheels roll. That is where I ride ... either in the right one or the left one ... sometimes in the middle.

 

Regardless, I have always and will always in the future stick to my "method" as it has never failed me .... so far

 

(good banter!)

[SilvrT]

Also gives me a clearer view of what is behind the oncoming car. If no one is behind the oncoming vehicle then I'll go back to the left track after taking a look.

 

 

 

Yup ... one more reason I ride in the right track when traffic approaching and I'll admit, I do not move back to the left track until they have passed. My reasoning is that with all the distracted drivers out there as well as all the foreigners who've recently received the right to drive here in Canada and especially in the lower mainland of BC, one never knows when one of them will wander across the yellow line into my lane so staying in the right track gives them (or me) a much larger "buffer zone".

 

While these things I practice are my own opinion, to me they are based on simple logic and for me it works. It may not be the theory of the masses but frankly, I don't always agree with the masses. Just because that's the way it's always been done does not mean it's right or there isn't a better or different way.

 

While I don't ride with high beam on in the daytime, I do ensure that the lighting on my bike is gonna be seen. I always install very bright auxiliary driving lamps on my bikes and from the time I had my Wing I've run HID headlight as well. Now with the Roady I'm installing a Daymaker LED. That, along with the Kuryakyn passing lamps should be more than adequate to ensure my visibility to oncoming drivers.

[videoarizona]

For more info.....Take the riders advanced safety course. They talk about lane position ....Heck.. Even the basic course teaches that. I took it four years ago as a refresher. It was interesting. Going to go again maybe this Fall. I tend to forget some of the tips and tricks they teach...guess out of sight, out of mind!

[Flyinfool]

I do not have a personal rule for lane position other than it being an otherwise unoccupied position. I read about a study once that if you are constantly moving around in your lane, other drivers tend to give you more room and keep a closer eye on you because they can not predict you. If they are paying extra attention to me and keeping there distance, these are both good things in my book. As for oncoming traffic, I am also all over my lane to be able to see and be seen the best at any given moment, the best place to be is constantly changing. I also run with my Hi bean on in the daytime and am in the process of adding more lights.

 

If you watch the Ride Like A Pro DVD there is a section in there on being seen. They show video of the same bike against the same background using various techniques. By far the most visible to oncoming cars, or cars at a stop sign waiting to pull out, is weaving back and forth in your lane.

 

I paid road taxes just like ever other vehicle on the road and so I figure I own a full lane and I am gonna use MY full lane.

 

Of course NONE of this helps against someone that is not looking at anything but their phone.

[jimmy99]

Fines don't seem to work....maybe smashing their damn phones would do the trick. In Ontario if you are caught speeding 50 km/h (30 m/h) over the speed limit they confiscate your vehicle and you get a big fine and lose your licence. They should do the same thing for using the phone....The risk is probably worse of something happening with the phone in your hand then speeding.

 

This needs to happen. Better yet, the cops should get to smash the phone right there on the side of the road with a big hammer. It would be fun enough for the cops so they would want to seek out the people using them n get smashing, lol.

I drive truck and every day I see so many people drive and behave badly on the roads and at least half of the people that pass me are texting while driving.

 

I love riding a motorcycle, it is one of the few things that I do purely for me. It calms me, exhilarates me, and just lets me be me.

I find myself lately having thoughts of giving up riding, and I never thought that would happen.

 

Jeff

[dogman]

This needs to happen. Better yet, the cops should get to smash the phone right there on the side of the road with a big hammer. It would be fun enough for the cops so they would want to seek out the people using them n get smashing, lol.

I drive truck and every day I see so many people drive and behave badly on the roads and at least half of the people that pass me are texting while driving.

 

I love riding a motorcycle, it is one of the few things that I do purely for me. It calms me, exhilarates me, and just lets me be me.

I find myself lately having thoughts of giving up riding, and I never thought that would happen.

 

Jeff

 

Jeff, I hope it doesn't come to that for you because of others neglect, carelessness, or dangerous driving habits. You would see how bad the problem is more than most of us.

[dueyk1111]

i drive a cement truck for a liv'n, see people on there phone all the time!!! surprized my air horn isn't worn out. so glad i put 2, yep 2 on my venture. just love blast'n people with my air horns when i see them on their damn phones! i usually ride next to the center line, put led's in headlite 'n' drive'n lites! right at 4000 lumins' i like'm, people say they can really see me com'n.