Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackwidow
i think sirens are annoying as hell, especially if they are passing right next to me and the sound just pierces my brain cells!
SOUND does get attention, thats why paramedics have it, thats why cops have it and thats why fire trucks have it. Even with those loud sirens, you still get the occastional retard crossing the intersection and smashing into a medic truck. Its a fact we have idiots in the world...but like it was said in this thread, every little bit counts. reflective clothes, loud pipes, defensive riding, they all increase your chances of being seen and heard.
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Like I already said: sirens, alarms, horns, bells, etc work because from the time you start riding in a car, you're hearing them as sounds that demand your attention. Everyone knows that a horn or siren means "Hey, you're in the way/in danger/a sh*thead that needs to learn how to drive."
Loud engines and exhausts carry
none of that in-grained 'warning' connotation. Usually, they're coming from someone's little riced-out civic or big-ass bubba truck, and they're ignored. Yes there are situations where a loud exhaust note will make you more noticeable, but there are also situations where standing up on your pegs and flapping your arms like a chicken would make you visible. Do you do it? No, because it's ridiculous and probably does more harm than good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reswob
You know how the doppler effect works, right?
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The doppler effect actually works
against the effectiveness of loud pipes. Whenever a source of noise is in forward motion, you would hear it from a
shorter distance away than if it was stationary because of the compression of sound waves.
EDIT:
Don't take any of this the wrong way. There's little I like better than the sound of a bike, and I -always- try to see what kind of bike is riding by, but like other people have said, fooling yourself into thinking you're any safer because your bike is loud is just silly.