Lifesaver

[Dave Grant]

Who thinks that they should make it compulsory for car drivers to do lifesaver glances when doing manovers. We fail if we don't, so why shouldn't they, if more car drivers did this, less bikers would be having accidents!!!!

[stevie69p]

I was actually told by my car driving instructor not to do them as i had the habit from riding the bike before I did my car test. I just felt safer knowing that I wasn't just relying on mirrors with their blind spots.

[rictus01]

Let’s face it, you’re lucky if they're awake, let alone aware of other traffic :roll: !

I'd be happy if they used the mirrors fitted to the vehicle in the first place.

Anyway if they were to look round it might make them spill there coffee in there laps/ smudge makeup/miss part of the phone call, etc.

The best you can do is fit the loudest can you can find :) , decent horns (not that Mickey Mouse affair that comes as standard) and work on the principle they're all out to get you :x .

It's worked for me for the last 23 years anyway (for the most part).

Cheers Mark.

[Graham]

People are taught to turn and look before changing lanes over here, If you didn't you would fail your licence. How the hell could It be any different there?

[Chris]

My wife believes that all car drivers should have to spend a day on a scooter or as apillion on a motorcycle. She has only been on the pillion a few times but said that it was an eye opening experience. she had no idea what the performance of a bike was really like before (and i took it easy as she was a virgin), and she saw firsthand how we are treated.
She is definatly more bike aware now

Chris

[Amanda M]

if the muppet that knocked me off my Sv had used his mirror or even turned his head slightly i wouldn't be £250 quid out of pocket... There is no such thing as a blind spot if you are looking properly.

Amanda

[vtwin]

As the mirrors are crap I rely on lifesavers totally.

[Nekkid]

Instead of trying to teach car drivers something new, why don't the car manufacturers fit blind-spot mirrors to all cars as standard?

[Benji]

I am not sure you would instantly fail if you didn't check your life saver, you will probably get minors leading to a major and thus failier but I can't say I checked my lifesaver at every single moment I should have on my test and I passed!

Cars do have to do a lifesaver, its just not called that, you do have to check over your shoulder in the blind spot when doing certain manourvers and in the same deal, if you don't you will get minors leading to a major and again, fail.

Benji

[jonboy]

Instead of trying to teach car drivers something new, why don't the car manufacturers fit blind-spot mirrors to all cars as standard?

Call me cynical but don't car manufacturers earn a substantial portion of their profits from spare parts?


.

[Dave Grant]

Chris... know what you mean. I took my Fiance on the back at the weekend, and she too was a virgin. She could not believe the cars on the road and just how much they don't look out for bikes... with the amount of us on the road now, you'd think they would look....

[wacko]

i think there's alot of car drivers out there who don't only miss seeing bikes but other cars aswell :evil: they havn't a clue what is going on around them, they miss everything until it is right on top of them. the only way to combat this is to have regular testing, say every 5 years upto a certain age then it goes yearly. there are alot of people on the road nowadays who shouldn't be there, they may not be involved in an accident but they will have caused it.

end of rant :lol:

[iprideaux]

the only way to combat this is to have regular testing, say every 5 years upto a certain age then it goes yearly.

It wouldn't really improve things much, car instructors and examiners are just as ignorant of bikes as ordinary drivers are. Making car drivers pass their bike test every five years, now that would really make things better. Drivers would either (a) be more aware of bikes, (b) decide that bikes are better and start riding regularly or (c) die horribly in bike accidents. All of these options are better than having hoards of brain dead tossers piloting half ton lumps of metal around.

[DeeJay]

well.... i thought this poll would turn out with this result....

new username (formally Dave Grant)

[Warren Isaacs]

A lot of drivers are never taught to look. Consquently, they never see.

I shudder to think how many times I've seen emergency vehicles with lights blazing and sirens blaring stuck behind some blissfully unaware muppet in a car. Obviously people like this should be removed from the road, but as long as we have a licence for life, with no retests, then the only way to be rid of such people is to wait for them to die or be banned as the the result of an accident, neither of which is very satisfactory.

AFAIK, even drivers over the age of 70 need only submit to an eye test every three years in order to maintain their right to drive. No reaction time test, no competence test, no observation test, and no hazard awareness test. How naive is it to believe that if you can read a number plate, then you are fit to drive? On top of that, there are drivers out there who passed their test 50 or 60 years ago. Things have changed, not just the volume of traffic, but even the rules of the road. How many of them have read a highway code since they passed their test?


Cheers
Warren

[Rob S (Yella)]

Today I was riding in the inside lane and a big silver Merc passed me slowley and just drifted over into my lane when he was level with me without looking or signalling. He must have known I was there as he was behind me seconds before. I had a choice

1. Blast past (NO, other traffic in front)
2. Break (putting myself at risk of the car behind hitting me)
3. keep riding to see how long it would take for him to notice.

I choose option 3, When my lane was a third gone I sounded my horn. (drivers window was open)
When my lane was half gone I pulled the clutch in and gave it about 9K of revs. (G-Force can)

when my lane was non exsistant I gave up and slowed down.

If he did a lifsaver to the left he would have seen me or did he know I was there all along but thought what the heck I'm in a Merc.

Evan the bloke in the car behind sided with me the poor biker and gave him a mouthful.

At least I had the pleasure of pulling alongside him and revving the nuts of the Sv to annoy him. (but he just closed the window)

Oh well ride to live to ride. :x

[Chris]

I think to some we are just sport to be played with.
While riding home last night, i was in the middle lane of a roundanout, as i passed the exit before mine i indicated and pulled across to the left hand lane. The prat in a silver Megane in the queue of traffic in the middle lane ahead decided that he should do the same, and indicated and swerved across narrowly missing my front in the process. As we approach the next set of lights (Still on the roundabout and which are changing from red to green), i blast past between lane 1 & 2 (he's indicating left still ) only to find out as he nearly hits me again that he actually wants to continue round the roundabout.
As someone said in an earlyer post if i'd only not bitten and seen the green mist i could have avoided the second incident.
Still no harm done except to my nerves (and underpants).
I'll remember in future once bitten (or nearly hit) twice shy.

Chris

[Amanda M]

So when they say 'sorry i didn't see you', is that 'I'm blind and cannot see, therefore shouldn't be driving cos my eyesight's so bad', or is it admission of driving without due care and attention because they have admitted not looking?
Hmmm, interesting