It's important to gauge a motorcyclist's speed (lane, bike, driver)
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I'd be curious about whether there is evidence that supports the idea that it's harder to judge the speed of a motorcycle.
There is plenty of anecdotal and scientific evidence that shows motorcycles are more difficult to see because of their smaller profile. This is also the same reason why it's difficult to gauge their speed. It doesn't appear as if the size of the profile gets larger as the bike gets closer. This is especially true when drivers are specifically looking for cars which are 3 times as wide and take up the whole lane.
A study conducted by Patricia DeLucia, a perception specialist at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas reveals that a fundamental perception problem might be causing these accidents. It is possible that the reason motorists routinely misjudge a motorcycle's speed and distance is its size.
Essentially, when motorists see an object in the distance their brains take into account two pieces of information. One is derived from an objective calculation based on size of the object and the rate of expansion as it gets closer. Another piece of information comes from depth clues as a mental shortcut. In processing this data, our brain concludes that the bigger an object is, the closer it is. Often, this is not always true.
Undoubtedly, when observing a motorcyclist approaching another motorist is more likely to inaccurately calculate its distance away than another car or truck. This causes accidents by pulling out in front of them, changing lanes into them and rear ending them.
It is very easy for a motorcyclist to protect himself against ignorant car drivers. Just drive at the same speed as the cars around you, and accelerate at the same rate as the cars around you. You won't need to worry, then, about drivers misjudging your speed or your acceleration...
You do remove one form of danger, in another vehicle misjudging your speed. But you increase the danger of another vehicle traveling the same direction not seeing you because of blind spots or inattentive drivers. There's a right way, and a wrong way to do anything and from experience it seems like hanging out at the same speed as traffic can be somewhat dangerous...this is only from personal experience, and not from any scientific studies.
It is very easy for a motorcyclist to protect himself against ignorant car drivers. Just drive at the same speed as the cars around you, and accelerate at the same rate as the cars around you. You won't need to worry, then, about drivers misjudging your speed or your acceleration.
The fact that you can accelerate a lot quicker than a car does not mean that you MUST, nor that car drivers need to assume that you might or will or that you have a right to in traffic.
Or, to rephrase the OP title: It is important for motorcyclists to operate at speeds and acceleration rates that are consistent with the predicted speed of normal ambient traffic.
You have obviously NEVER ridden a motorcycle. Were you an experienced cyclist you would NEVER write something like this.
When my wife & I are out cruising (in the city) I'm almost always going well UNDER the speed limit. I regularly have vehicles pull out right in front of me because, for some reason or another, they simply didn't see us - and this despite the fact that I'm on a big cruiser, with an ultra-bright headlight that's on high beam.
There's the idiot girl, yapping away on her cell phone, that will swerve into my lane without looking or signaling. There's the NASCAR wannabe, running the red light because he's on his way to The Tobacco Hut to get a carton of smokes and a case of Bud.
While there are idiot motorcycle riders, who feel their calling is to ride as fast as possible, the overwhelming majority of idiot drivers are in cars & pickups.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GarageLogic
You have obviously NEVER ridden a motorcycle. Were you an experienced cyclist you would NEVER write something like this.
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Couldn't have said it better myself... I have scraped a lot of riders off the pavement that were going no faster than the cars around them. SPLAT... Not pretty. I lost 3 friends in 3 weekends when I was in my 20's, all to careless AUTO drivers. Decades later, I'm still living on borrowed time (and I stay well insured... LIFE, not health, so I gotta go 'All the Way' when I get smacked. That is usually not a problem when a motorcycle rider is matched with a car or truck. I just hate to think of what won't be left of my vintage bikes... One less
While there are idiot motorcycle riders, who feel their calling is to ride as fast as possible, the overwhelming majority of idiot drivers are in cars & pickups.
Unquestionably you are a seasoned, smart rider.
Sadly though, we've had threads about this and in comparing vehicle and motorcyclist fatalities and looking at thing like excessive speed, under the influence etc. the bikers are much more likely to have been in the wrong.
You probably hang around a more mature group of riders and so you notice the bad drivers.
I just think you aren't seeing the less responsible operators that are more common than people like you.
Shocking statistic of the day: For every 44 registered supersport bikes, there is a death EACH year.
You're right, and I would not, exactly for the reasons described above. I am not suggesting that visibility is not problematic, but that cyclists have the same responsibility as anyone else to ride defensively, mindful that other drivers, for a variety of reasons, cannot be depended upon to ensure your safety for you.
If cyclists know that they have reduced visibility and that other drivers cannot or do not judge them well, it would be prudent for the cyclist to ride accordingly, and assume their own responsibility for avoiding situations in which other drivers poor judgment can be disastrous to them.
By the way, blind spots and inattentive drivers are a hazard to car drivers, too, who also have the burden of anticipating erratic traffic and unskilled drivers.
Sadly though, we've had threads about this and in comparing vehicle and motorcyclist fatalities and looking at thing like excessive speed, under the influence etc. the bikers are much more likely to have been in the wrong.
You probably hang around a more mature group of riders and so you notice the bad drivers.
I just think you aren't seeing the less responsible operators that are more common than people like you.
Shocking statistic of the day: For every 44 registered supersport bikes, there is a death EACH year.
Actually, I see them. I see the accident reports, and I see the obituaries. About 2 years ago I had a guy on a crotch rocket pass me on the Interstate, in a metro area, while pulling a wheelie. About a mile later he was laying under a truck,and what was left of his motorcycle was in the median.
I see several common elements:
1. Young and/or inexperienced rider.
2. Crotch rocket.
3. Speed.
4. Alcohol.
You are right about crotch rocket/sport bikes. Those things are made to RACE - and even an old fart like me would have a hard time not racing one. But it's not old farts like me riding that style of motorcycle.
In instances like making a right on red, u turns, changing lanes, and ESPECIALLY pulling left into traffic. If you see them coming but are not 100% sure how fast they're going, it's always best to give them the benefit of the doubt. What may appear to be 25mph can very well be 90mph. Since the weather is getting warmer and we're starting to see more riders on the road, we're seeing a shift from the "I didn't see them" excuse to "I didn't know how fast he was coming" excuse. Emphasis on excuse... sorry wont cut it to their family if they end up dead.
I will refuse to apologize for the death of a organ donor speeding on the road at unsafe speeds. They take their own life in their own hands with being a idiot.
I drive the speed limit and that is the gauge I use for predicting all oncoming traffic. Talking to any of their survivors for me will just be fact finding for any future law suit.
While there are idiot motorcycle riders, who feel their calling is to ride as fast as possible, the overwhelming majority of idiot drivers are in cars & pickups.
Why don't we just all agree that there are idiot drivers of all vehicles. No reason to be pointing fingers.
Why don't we just all agree that there are idiot drivers of all vehicles. No reason to be pointing fingers.
Please read Post #38, and heed the advice given.
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