Further on the Nanny State

I took to wearing a hi-viz bib on my normal commute during the winter
as it seemed for a bit every fucker was pulling out in front of me.

It did seem to make a slight difference, most noticeably on the
motorway where people do a little double take to check it's not a
Police bike. Not bad for a black Bandit.

 

Fighting out of the orange corner, sponsored by Oranjeboom, because
it's a lager not a tune, we have DNC "The Biiiiiiiiig, the
Haaaaaiiiiiry, the Pieeeeeeeeerced Oneeeeeeeee"...

 

But you've forgotten your contradictory use of "always" in the first
post, which incidentally referred to cyclists, and "usually judged to
be at fault" in the second, which in any case you only applied to
accidents involving "a child or elderly person ". So the second
statement is "a mile away from what you said before."

 

I think you're mixing us up with the froggy.rec.motorcycles group.

Next time I'm stopped by the Police for advice I'll be giving the
officer my very best Paddington Bear special hard stare.

 

Back when I had the black R90/6 (1976) I went through a brief period of
wearing one of those day-glow orange, with reflective stripes,
waistcoats that motorway maintenance gangs and some bike plod used to
wear at the time.

I also rode with my dipped headlight on before it became fashionable -
partly because I took it to France and was warned by Gendarmes that it
was the law there, so it became a habit.

Unfortunately, I didn't conduct a controlled experiment by riding it
much with no light and no hi-vis jacket. I used to notice some quite
extreme "**** a bike is coming" effects from car drivers just about to
pull out from side roads. This was, however, when beemers were still
comparatively rare and many of those on the roads were police
patrols[1]. So it might have been the overall 'silhouette'[2] that
created the reaction.

As Pip said, if you can't see a headlight, you probably won't see a
hi-vis tabard. In any case, as many bikes are fully faired these days I
can't see how bright clothing is going to help that much. Perhaps by
nanny state law all bikes will be required to have lurid paint schemes.


[1] Thames Valley were just getting them at the time of my infamous
brush with one of their unmarked MGB V8 GTs.
[2] Not exactly the correct word as they were seeing me head on, perhaps
outline would be better.
--
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YM this?

http://journal.shouxi.net/qikan/article.php?id=228302

or this?

http://www.cooperbiketraining.org.uk/news/download/safety2page.pdf

 

.... until daytime running lights are mandated on cars. And there have
been several efforts in some European countries to do exactly that.

 

well, you filter like a twat all around Bishopsgate and Finsbury
Circus, and then sort of incongruously there's this great big nearly
empty bit of dual carriageway right in the middle of the City - what
else is there to do but gas it aware from the lights at Moorgate?

It's damn-near entrapment, if you ask me...

 

For example, although recent work, as yet unpublished, casts doubt on
white helmets making you safer and there seems to quite a bit of
variation in how much reflective clothing makes you conspicuous.

 

There was a poster campaign in CH a few years back, with the slogan
"Engine on, Lights on". Didn't seem to have much effect, thankfully.

Having said that, the rather random use of lights, mainly seen in
France, does piss me off. The slightest hint of mist at night and 70%
of road users put their full front&rear fogs on, but then on a dull,
damp cloudy morning they drive around with either none or just their
sidelights on, so I have to extra careful of invisible cars when
overtaking.

 

That wouldn't matter a whole lot. A simple "I feel I was unjustifiably
stopped from going about my business" would be sufficient for the complaint
to be investigated. That'd cost the local plod a minimum 2500 quid and that
plays fucking hell with their budget.

Enough people complain and they'd run out of cash to buy bibs and we could
all carry on as before.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

boring old ****.

 

"g) A tendency of motorcar drivers only to give
way at intersections to police motorcycles "

Perhaps apocryphal:
A Merkin bike cop was knocked off his bike by a woman at a junction. On
getting up and approaching her she said, "I'm sorry, Officer, I thought
you were just some kid on a Honda."
Perhaps it illustrates the above point, in that twats like her are
simply more careful when they observe a bike copper, and drive like
cunts in front of ordinary riders. Thankfully it seems to be relatively
rare that the arseholes of her mindset don't go the full way.

 

As does English Law.
Mr Justice Leggover in 1956 [1] declared it is the cyclist's prerogative
to wobble.

[1] It may have been another judge and another year, but the comment is
correct.

 

Austria wanted to mandate this, too. Or has, but then people are
ignoring it.

Well, the rule in Britain is that you have to turn all your fog lights
on if there is a chance of fog within 200 miles.

 

Just a thought, but wasn't "Blaze" camouflage very effective by breaking
up the silhouette of a fighting unit. Surely by introducing bright lines
at diagonals to the main silhouette of a biker you are in fact reducing
the ability of a car driver to recognise the other road user as a
motorcyclist.

 

Next time you do that could please highlight the difference, I really
struggled to see *lawful* there.

Lawful indeed.

 

As per Grimly's story, I don't think the problem is other road users
seeing a motorcycle, it's them actually giving a shit.

 

happened to me a few months ago, fortunately in the afternoon so I was
sober. All traffic inc. cars was being stopped. I was polite & subserviant
as I was wearing an illegal visor.