Re: New Style Bike Test
 

My instructor always got on me for cornering position for the test but added that with the "but when the test is over, make sure you do advanced riding to pick up on the 'proper' way...
They never teach about car blind spots either which I think they should, I try to make sure I am always in a drivers field of vision etc...anyone get taught by their instructor about blind spots of cars (trucks I can expect, i.e. staying back but cars?)

Re: New Style Bike Test
 

Do you not know where a car blind spot is?

Re: New Style Bike Test
 

Is it reasonable to expect someone who's never driven or ridden on a road before to know this? Or would you more likely expect a person in a state of innocent ignorance to expect car drivers to make lifesaver checks as you have drilled into you in training for the test?!

Re: New Style Bike Test
 

Where the driver can't see you :p
I guess the easiest way to think of it is where the life saver check you do is for, normally where you can't see the drivers position between the rear and side of the car...I'm thinking multi-lane roads etc

I've just seen enough situations when in a car where drivers come across lanes when their rear and your front wheels are about level... I'm not a car driver though, never had a car license, hard to believe at 35yrs I know...
I just thought if they teach riders the life saver why not about the position where you'd expect a life saver check from a car driver too...?

Re: New Style Bike Test
 

It's reasonable for people to not know, but having met Kai at southwold on the EAR I just thought he might have known, that is all. However I must say that if I remember correctly isn't it covered in the highway code?

Re: New Style Bike Test
 

For trucks certainly it's covered from the rear, keeping well back, and my instructor was always telling me "make sure you see those mirrors"...just can't recall anything covering blind spots you can be in when in another lane etc...

Re: New Style Bike Test
 

That's the point, you can't expect some c**t in a cage to be bothered to move their head can you.

A 20 minute chat with someone who knows what they're on about would get most of the hard won points of survival across far better than any silly cone wobbling exercise.

Re: New Style Bike Test
 

I certainly feel when on a bike that I should make myself known at all times and am weary of "blind" drivers at junctions and alike...common sense stuff or stuff they should teach? Teach IMHO...

I know you can't get real experience across in the training but I don't think this one point was ever even mentioned...most likely because it's not tested for :(

edit: Can some of you more experienced riders maybe get a list together of all the points worth mentioning that experience has brought you? It would make a good sticky I think!

Re: New Style Bike Test
 

http://www.intensive-driving-courses.../blindspot.jpg

That is the area on a car where the blind spot is.
Safest way to stay out of it is to either stay directly next to or behind the car... or of course infront ;)

Re: New Style Bike Test
 

Stuff like road position, planning on approach to junctions, cornering position.
Dead simple stuff that you can easily build on with practice alone but getting that "eureka" moment to try it on your own might take some time.

Lets face it more bikers are killed by collisions with cars and falling off on corners than by the serious catastrophe of "death by putting a foot down while riding slowly around a cone"