The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) (http://www.trafficsafety.org) is
a coalition of private employers and government traffic-safety experts who
focus on reducing the human and economic impact of traffic crashes suffered by
workers. The theme of the organization’s annual ‘Drive Safety Work Week 2007’ campaign is what their research
indicates to be the top five driving sins;
- Being Inattentive While Driving
- Following Too Closely
- Traveling at Improper Speeds
- Ignoring Traffic Signs and Signals
- Backing Up Unsafely
First, allow us to consider our own roadway-behavior while riding. From the landmark 1981 Hurt Study (use your
search-engine to look for ‘Hurt Study’) comes a finding that addresses NETS’ number-one
driving (and riding) error, “ Lack of attention to the driving task is a common factor for the motorcyclist in an
accident.” Experienced riders know that riding a
motorcycle is an active experience, not only physically, but especially
mentally! Motorcycle crashes caused by inattentive driving often begin well
before the rider swings a leg over the bike; perhaps the rider’s domestic scene
is not serene; maybe the workplace has it’s problems; maybe yesterday’s letter
from the IRS is still in the forefront of the rider’s brain.
Rider-fatigue, too, can diminish our capacity to pay full attention to the driving task. So, consider
your mental and physical state while riding, as even before mounting. When your
fanny is attached to a motorcycle, your mind and brain must be fully devoted to
the riding task.
NETS lists ‘Following Too Closely’ as the second
most common driving error. Are we, as riders, guilty of tailgating? Well, don’t!
Total stopping distance, particularly in an emergency, consists of three
separate components; Perception Distance, Reaction Distance and Braking
Distance. Depending on the motorcycle’s speed, some distance will be traveled
as the rider both sees, with the eyes, a threat ahead, and also ‘sees’ or
comprehends the threat with the brain. More distance is consumed as the hands
and feet react and move toward the controls. Finally, even more pavement passes
under the wheels as they are under braking-force, slowing the bike or bringing
it to a stop. The MSF recommends that riders maintain a 2-second following
distance under ‘Ideal Conditions,’ and since we rarely ride in ideal
conditions, more than two seconds between us and the vehicle ahead is a prudent
tactic. Sure, other vehicles will hop in front of us – that’s fine. Our job is
to continually create the time and space we need. Do it.
Next, “Traveling at Improper Speeds:” Traffic engineers and
researchers with the NHTSA have long known that the safest driving conditions
exist when traffic is traveling in the same direction, and when at least 85% of
motorists are traveling at, or slightly below the same speed (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/). As
motorcyclists, we can enhance our riding safety by matching our speeds to that
of surrounding traffic, or riding one or two miles an hour faster than
surrounding traffic, a mildly-assertive riding tactic. Of course, MotoSafe does
not encourage lawless speeds, but we often must balance the risks of riding
substantially slower than the flow of traffic against the risk of receiving a
traffic citation for unlawful speed. Some riders may make the decision to
simply avoid the roadways that are known to flow at warp-speed, and others
accept the risk/reward tradeoff of riding near the same speeds as surrounding traffic.
The main issue here is to minimize the speed-differences between our bike, and
that of other traffic.
Fourth on the list is ‘Ignoring Traffic Signs and Signals.’ Considering our inherent vulnerability as
riders, it is unlikely that many riders consciously ignore these roadway
instructions; rather, we can surmise that those riders who do ignore these do
so due to inattention to the riding task; the prescription to ‘engage brain when aboard two wheels’
applies. Finally, ‘Backing Up Unsafely:’ Other than Honda Goldwing and BMW K1200LT
pilots, it would seem that we are likely
immune to this driving error. But what about the other guy?
Currently, about half
of motorcycle crashes are multi-vehicle events – the bike hits another roadway
user, or the other guys hit us. So, let’s think about the Dangerous Five from the
other side of the coin; are there ways to identify and predict when another
driver is sinning in these five manners, causing increased danger to us, as
riders? Like ‘Backing Up Unsafely?’ We can look at the rear-end of all vehicles
in close proximity to our travel-path as potential threats, and predict,
mentally, that one of these will suddenly back into our right-of-way. A very
incomplete list of clues would include the appearance of back-up lights, or a
driver looking backwards over a shoulder, a car-door closing, and much more. Can
you think of more Unsafe Backing predictive
clues?
A glance of another driver’s posture and body-position may help you predict that the other guy
hasn’t seen (and mentally recognized) a signal or sign. Perhaps a patently
aggressive driver can be expected to consciously disobey a traffic signal;
without making a value judgment, it seems that a disproportionally high
percentage of these hard-core aggressive roadway users drive clapped-out old
beaters, resplendent in rust, gray primer paint, broken windows and the like. Can
you and I be a bit more alert around these vehicles, predicting the worst
outcomes while we are near them, and taking appropriate preemptive actions to
separate ourselves from these? Sure! Do it. Any other clues to help us predict
that another motorist will likely ignore traffic instructions? Write to
MotoSafe!
Other traffic ‘Traveling at an inappropriate speed’
and causing undue risk to us, as riders, can be easy to spot – or almost
impossible! Once the sinner is ahead of us, going in our direction, the sinner
is visible to us, but of very little threat. Our risk to this driving-error of
others occurs when the speeder approaches us from behind, mainly, or is
approaching from an oncoming or oblique direction. Proper searching and active
scanning, proper ‘Situational Awareness,’ requires that we keep a vigilant eye
in our mirrors – should a vehicle surprise us from the rear, either by passing
or appearing suddenly, close to our rear fender, you and me as riders should
feel a deep sense of shame! Like the old hotel-chain slogan, ‘The best
surprise is no surprise!” Oncoming
drivers traveling at inappropriate speeds on straight roadways pose less of a
threat to us, as compared to those who transit corners, turns and curves too
fast. When we can see these sinners, when it apparent they are traveling at a
high rate of speed and approaching us in corners and curves, our mission is to
adjust our speed and position to create the greatest possible distance between
our two vehicles as we approach and pass one another. How ‘bout those blind
curves and corners, though? Suppose we all simply adopt a blanket universal prediction
that each blind turn, curve and corner will present us suddenly with an
oncoming driver travel at the wrong speed, likely to encroach into our path and
right-of-way, and take preemptive actions automatically as we approach these
situations – adjust our speeds downward and move to another lane, or move to
another position within our lane so as to create the greatest possible
space-cushion while in the region of least visibility. Think about upcoming
blind hills, too, even on straight roadways. Remember, if you can’t see, don’t
go there! Think about the discipline of setting speeds in these
conditions so that you ALWAYS have a clear view of at least four seconds of
pavement ahead of you. Can’t see four seconds of asphalt? Slow down! Do it!
Finally, other motorists who are visible as they approach us from either side (i.e.
intersections) are possibly the easiest to spot, if they are in fact visible to
us as they approach our roadway. Look for them at intersections, and take
action to time your transit of the intersections well before or after the
speeding vehicle. How about those intersections that hide the view of
intersecting drivers from us? Again, let’s predict that the blind intersection
will contain a speeding, inattentive motorist – think about covering your
controls, shedding some speed while it’s easy to do so, and putting the brain
on High Alert.
Tailgaters! Don’t you just hate that! Consider keeping a greater following distance, yourself, from
vehicles ahead when a tailgater is tormenting you in traffic. Let’em pass –
legally! Think about protecting your
travel-lane by riding closer to the centerline, forcing a following motorist to
make a legal pass, completely in the passing lane, rather than trying to
‘share’ your lane and possibly forcing you too close to the side of the road. But,
we are NOT equipped to defend our
lane from a tailgating driver, so don’t!. But here’s a nearly fool-proof
technique to fix tailgating drivers: Nearly all who tailgate another do so
unconsciously, they do it habitually. Try using the ‘Slow Down/Stop’ hand-signal (left arm out to the left, forearm
down, palm facing the rear) for about five seconds. Well over 90% of the time,
this will wake up the offending tailgating driver, who suddenly recognizes you
as both a motorcyclist, and a flesh-and-blood human who is in a risky
situation; nearly always, the newly-aware tailgater will back off and give you
the space you are asking for. Then, give’em a ‘thumbs up!’ That is likely to keep the former tailgater
alert and further away from you. Works nearly like magic!
Finally, the winner! Inattentive drivers! How can we identify
and predict threats from inattentive drivers? Wow, let us count the ways. . Here’s
a few: Cell-phone usage, Bluetooth appliances visible on the drivers’ ears,
kids loose in the backseat, fast-food bags visible in the auto, drivers who are
inappropriately multi-tasking – eating, applying war-paint, shaving, reading an
so much more. Write to… well, you
know. We’ll pass your techniques on spotting inattentive drivers along, so share…
The primary cause of crashes on roadways is usually an interaction and untimely confluence of
several unrelated events and factors. If NETS is correct, we can significantly
increase our safety-level by both riding properly and responsibly, and by actively
and aggressively searching for other on the roadway who are sinning in these
areas, and then taking appropriate preemptive actions. Think about it. Do it!
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