Filtering on Motorways

Originally Posted by thor

Thanks guys - they never talked about this on the DAS. After I get my bike and ride for a couple of months I was thinking of taking some advanced training to ask these sorts of questions. Maybe I can just ask you lot instead!

I was lucky- there was an accident on the way to the test centre and we were going to be late. The instructor suddenly said, "Okay, we're going to be late unless we do this; last lesson- filtering" and then proceeded to give us a quick hat while we sat in traffic, then a practical, through 3 miles of gridlocked traffic

We did the whole "lets pretend we are couriers in the west end" thing. Wicked fun! But no filtering on motorways though.

Going from picadilly to shaftsbury avenue, the other student was too far over to the right. Instead of gunning it, he indicates and slows down! The instructor shouts over the radio, "Turn off that indicator! We're in central london! Nobody cares!". I laughed so hard, a scooter rider heard me and gave me funny look!

Originally Posted by thor

You are absolutely right - that was a stupid idea wasn't it?

Yup. My other half was filtering through standstill traffic on the M25 and some plonk sitting in the currently not moving fast lane opened his door and got out. Emergency stop time. The guy who narrowly missed being taken out with his door, looked at stu as though HE shouldn't have been there and proceeded to wander across the 3 lanes to a mate sitting in another car for a chat.

Having spoken to another non-biker about the incident it would seem that people seem to think it's ok to get out of ur car on a motorway when there's heavy traffic 'to stretch your legs' without fear of being hit by other moving traffic...

How dumb is that?

i tend to put my lights on full beam when filtering on the motorway in hope they'll see me.

Most just make the gap smaller but at least i kniow they have seen me

Have been recommended to ride with full beam on in the daytime/especially in bright sunshine to aid being seen. (not when it gets darker and it's more likely to dazzle others though).

Have also seen a recommendation to put hazards on (though only newer bikes have them) when filtering. Have never done that though, as I'd feel like a bit of a twonk. Maybe better to feel and look like a twonk than be knocked off though?

If it's not going to dazzle people, then I ride with full beam on, whatever the time of day.

Originally Posted by shutdown

i tend to put my lights on full beam when filtering on the motorway in hope they'll see me.

Most just make the gap smaller but at least i kniow they have seen me

Me two, only when filtering dual carriageway or motorway tho, other times it just annoys drivers and makes them more prone to wanna knock you off

Originally Posted by thor

If it's not going to dazzle people, then I ride with full beam on, whatever the time of day.

That's pretty dodgy- it makes it harder for them to judge your distance.

I have full beam on when filtering (even at dusk- at least they see you), but not during the day.

To me it seems my primary risk from car drivers is from them pulling out in front of me when they haven't seen me. When there's more space it's not so neccesary but in Streatham (for example) I seem to need all the help I can get. It also seems to work as an attitude thing. Loads of the drivers around there are right cowboys and won't give two figs about breaking all kinds of safety considerations and drive really agressively, but having the full beam on (during the day, bright sunlight) seems to make them drive nicer/better. After all, most people don't give a **** about scooters and feel it's some kind of macho thing to race them or dominate their space, bikers included.

Have to say when I'm in the car, I hate it when bikes (or cars for that matter) have their lights on full beam, it really dazzles me. When a bike is filtering through stationery traffic there is nothing worse as I get the light in my eyes from my mirrors and its damn painful.

In Streatham a bike did just that and then sat just behind my car, I couldn't see anything. To make matters worse, he then inched the bike closer til he was sitting right next to me, I ended up leaning out the window and asking him to turn his lights down.