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An open letter to anyone who drives

  • #21
I think no amount of training will make problem drivers pay more attention than they do now.  Drivers' brains filter out non-threatening scenery such as bushes, mailboxes, dogs, pedestrians, bicycles and motorcycles.  Some filter out more, some filter out less.  Some even filter out small cars.

Moving fast on crowded roads takes a lot of mental effort and very few people are as aware of their surroundings as they need to be.  Especially if they're not familiar with the road.  And even more especially as they get older.  With the population aging and more dependent on cars than ever before, roads will be the killing fields of our future.
 
  • #22
[b said:
Quote[/b] (herenorthere @ Sep. 26 2005,4:22)]I think no amount of training will make problem drivers pay more attention than they do now.  Drivers' brains filter out non-threatening scenery such as bushes, mailboxes, dogs, pedestrians, bicycles and motorcycles.  Some filter out more, some filter out less.  Some even filter out small cars.
I disagree. Like anything else, the more you practice something and have it drilled continually into your head, the more you will be likely to remember and use that information when the need arises. The more you ride on the roads, and see just how careless other drivers are towards motorcycles, the more likely you will be to be aware of them when you are the one in the car.

In California, to get a drivers liscence you must pass a simple written exam of about 40 questions, pass a simple eye exam, and then a short road course. The entire process can be over and done with in a matter of a couple hours. As long as you dont accumulate too many tickets, you are not required to take any exam to renew your liscence. In some cases people have gone as many as 20 or more years since the last time they took a drivers test. This does not make them "good" drivers, just means that they have been fortunate enough to not get tickets for anything. This is simply NOT enough. Personally Id like to see the test be more like 400 questions and a couple hours on the road course, and it should be retaken every 2 years. If thats too much for some people to handle then obviously driving is not for them. Remember people, driving a car is NOT YOUR RIGHT..  Its a privalidge and if you cant be bothered to learn to do it right, then you dont deserve it at all!!

I can go on and on and on about bad drivers...  its probably my #1 biggest pet-peeve.

Steve

EDIT:  
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]I've even seen bikers drive down the middle of the road in between two lanes of traffic

Suzanne, there is a reason why we do, and are allowed to do that. Unlike cars, most motorcycles do not have the benefit of a radiator and electric fan to cool them off. If we have to sit still in traffic our engines overheat and that causes serious mechanical problems. We are allowed to "split lanes" in order to keep air moving over our bikes to keep them cool. There are rules to that though..  Traffic may not be moving in excess of 25 MPH and we are not allowed to go faster than that while splitting.

Steve
 
  • #23
Its a law saying you can do that?? So...you're saying if the traffic signal is red and there are two lines of cars waiting for the green light, a motorcylce can ride down the middle...and then what? Go through the red light so his bike doesn't overheat? If traffic is moving...that means you are not "sitting"...so why do you have to move faster the car traffic? And...bikes must be mighty fragile if they can't sit still for more than the minute you sit for a red light.

confused.gif


If traffic is stopped long enough for a bike to overheat...I'd say something is going on that would prevent ALL traffic from moving forward including the bike.
 
  • #24
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Its a law saying you can do that??  So...you're saying if the traffic signal is red and there are two lines of cars waiting for the green light, a motorcylce can ride down the middle

Yes, thats exactly what Im saying.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]and then what? Go through the red light so his bike doesn't overheat?

LOL No..  we cant just blow through the light..  BUT if the bike is the only one sitting at the light, and the sensor doesnt pick you up, (some light trigger sensors only recognize the weight of the vehicle) you can leagally run the red light.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]And...bikes must be mighty fragile if they can't sit still for more than the minute you sit for a red light.

If traffic is stopped long enough for a bike to overheat...I'd say something is going on that would prevent ALL traffic from moving forward including the bike.

Its not that bikes are "fragile", its that they have no internal means of cooling. A car, even while sitting still, is circulating water through the block. If a car sits still long enough and the water temperature gets high enough, an electric fan is automaticly turned on to increase air flow through the radiator and thus cool your engine down. You would be surprised just how fast an engine can heat up..  especially on a hot day (and lets face it, summertime is when most people ride). If you have no means to bring that temp down, all sorts of nasty things can happen in a big hurry.

Try this..  light a candle and then hold your hand a couple inches over the flame and blow air between your hand and the flame. Count how many seconds you can hold your hand there before it gets too hot. Then do it again..  only dont blow air. I bet ya a D. capensis that the one with air moving will be longer.

The 2 quickest ways to destroy an engine....   1. Run it with no oil. 2. Run it too hot. No oil will do it fastest..  but the cooling thing is a close 2nd.

Steve
 
  • #25
finally! my kinda post, but, alas, i don't have much time here today to post on this one...

1- not all bikes are air cooled (and for that matter, some vw's are air cooled too, yet they can not "split lanes". i suspect there is another reason for allowing bikes to do this.). a lot of motorcycles are water cooled and as such should have no problem sitting it traffic for a red light.

2- as a few of you already know, this past summer i got my cdl and started driving a semi for a living, driving 2500-3000 miles a week. 2 weeks after i started driving professionally, i noticed a few things about drivers of "4 wheelers" (trucker term, not an atv). first is that there is a good percentage of the population that doesn't understand that an onramp on an interstate is there to build speed till you can merge safley with traffic. many drivers will get to the end of the ramp, and then slam on the brakes while finally looking for the first time to see if they can merge with traffic.
second, in general, my opinion is that a lot of people out there are quite simply oblivious to their surroundings. think it's ok to pass a semi only to cut back over 20' in front of them and hit your brakes? ever wonder what 80,000 pounds of steel feels like driving over your miata? if you are one that likes to cut off "big trucks" you might just find out.

3- i agree with the thought of more through training for people to get their drivers liscenses. i am now in the belief that drivers ed classes should cost a lot more (in the $1-2k range), and should be a lot more intensive, take place on a closed road course, and focus more towards awareness and vehicle control. simply stopping for 3 seconds at stop signs does not make you a good driver. i'd like to see drivers ed more more toward private driving (racing) schools.

4- as a professional driver, i agree that my views might be a bit biased. if you wanna discuss this further, reply or feel free to pm me, even only if you wanna tell me about the truck that cut you off today. lord knows that i've had it happen to me!

peace all, and happy driving!
tech...
 
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