Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple Jim
I've had low-level arguments about this with guys who think I'm being overly cautious when I do things like slow down before passing someone in the opposite lane who waiting to make a left turn across my path. I slow down to a speed that I believe would allow me to stop or swerve out of the way when he doesn't see me and goes. The arguing guy believes that at some point you just have to "commit and go", or you'd end up yielding to everyone, all the time, and of course that's not true.
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We're on the same page.
A while back Motofool said something which led me to the epiphany that there aren't really any fixed-states or static-moments when riding. I get my best flow and feel at my safest when I am in a constant state of flux. Every moment the situation changes -- the road surface, the road angles, the traffic, the potential dangers, the escape routes -- so every moment I am adjusting my speed and position on the road. I don't see this process as constant yielding, I see it as continual adjustment to my surroundings... and it feels good!
Ok... maybe I wouldn't be constantly adjusting on this road:
We don't get those kind of roads over here though anyway
Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple Jim
In this case, I don't think it's reasonable to think that the car driver should have seen him. If I were in a lane splitting situation, I think it would be reasonable to assume that none of the other drivers around me would notice me. And not just because they're bad drivers, more like because they've had a lot of driving when lane splitting wasn't allowed, and their brains are not programmed for it.
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Absolutely! I remember that before I started riding I never had any awareness of bikers when driving a car. I was always checking my mirrors and shoulder checking before turning, but I didn't have bikers in my mind as a particular type of hazard. At the time I didn't know any bikers, I hadn't ridden before and no-one had ever mentioned to me the special considerations a driver should make for bikers. I don't think I was alone. I think many -- perhaps even
most -- drivers just don't have bikers on their radar. Pedestrians too. I now always make a special effort to check for lane splitting bikers when walking through tight traffic, whereas I never used to. (we don't have "J-walking" laws over here... we cross the road at any point when we sense it is safe)