Drivers not noticing motorcyclists

[Eater Sundae]

I can only say, this is common. My teenage son made the wrong decision in passing slow moving traffic. He committed himself to overtaking a car that was indicating right. He was going too fast to realistically stop, but he saw that the driver was hesitating. He went for it, and so did the driver. My son wrote his bike off, and the car too ( for insurance purposes). Fortunately he was wearing body armour, and escaped with severe bruising. The driver however, didn't see him. My son walked away. The driver was not at fault in law. make you own mind up. I use my rear view all the time!!! Andy

 

When I learnt to drive I was taught to check that nobody was overtaking me before I turned right.

[Eater Sundae]

We are having as many bumps and making as many insurance claims but the outcomes in turns of injury and death have improved.

 

Driving with one hand implies a lower level of control than having two-handed control. The HC suggests we should have full control of a vehicle at all times and the police will act against drivers if they see something that suggests actual or even potential loss of control.

 

Phone usage, hand-held, was just one more activity on top of eating, drinking, smoking that was felt needed to be acted against in law - such was the likely and actual explosion in phone use whilst driving.

 

I think they should have seriously considered going the whole hog and banning phone use altogether, even hands free. I think it is much worse than speaking to someone who is in the car with you, as the person you are speaking to does not get any feel of the road conditions, other traffic etc, and therefore doesn't know when to keep quiet and let you concentrate on what you should be doing.

[simonj]

Surely motorcyclists have an obligation to themselves and others to make sure they can be seen, whatever the conditions? Around 9.15 last night (most definitely getting dark) I approached the Halfway roundabout, looked right for traffic and only just spotted the motorcyclist doing about 50-60mph with no lights and dark leathers

[DragonofAna]

surely driving with one hand is against the law,i knoe someone who got find far drinking a can of coke while driving.not sure of the statistics but does not the accident rate still keep going up?

 

Driving with one hand implies a lower level of control than having two-handed control. The HC suggests we should have full control of a vehicle at all times and the police will act against drivers if they see something that suggests actual or even potential loss of control.

 

You have to take your hand off the steering wheel to change gear - unless you are driving an automatic perhaps. Should we also ban drivers from opening or closing the windows; turning on the radio; turning on the headlights. There is a bit of difference between smoking a cigarette whilst driving and drinking from a can of coke or such. Can you not see the difference?

[Tipex]

Alot of bike deaths on way to skeggy due to stupid bike driving.

[EmilyM]

I was once in a van with a colleague, he had a cigarette in one hand, phone in the other and was driving with his elbow, which was a bit scary. This was before it was illegal to use your mobile or smoke in work vans.

[spindrift]

Smoking isn't like talking on a mobile. Think about it, you are trying to hear what the other person is saying. That means you can't concentrate on driving.

[kenny gray]

as usual some stupid replies of course you have to change gear and maybe open windows or the car would be full of smoke.seeing as most journeys are for a short distance,makes you think why you would need a smoke,drink or use a phone.once pulled up at some lights in my van and the driver next to me was eating a bowl of cereal,bowl on the knee and spoon in hand.dont know if they had an accident but not clever.will wait for the comment justifing this.

[DragonofAna]

as usual some stupid replies of course you have to change gear and maybe open windows or the car would be full of smoke.seeing as most journeys are for a short distance,makes you think why you would need a smoke,drink or use a phone.once pulled up at some lights in my van and the driver next to me was eating a bowl of cereal,bowl on the knee and spoon in hand.dont know if they had an accident but not clever.will wait for the comment justifing this.

 

Nobody is justifying anything, but if you cannot see the difference between smoking a cigarette whilst driving, talking on a mobile, or eating a bowl of cereal then what's there to say?

What next - the kind of shoes you wear while driving, or whether you should wear a tie?

And the other thing is - what difference between smoking on a long journey - say 3 hours; and a short journey of say 15 minutes. If it is dangerour for one then it follows that it is equally dangerous for the other.

[EmilyM]

I wonder if the people who have said you can't drive with one hand are drivers themselves?

Most drivers who have been driving a while only have one hand on the steering wheel.