Couple on Harley killed Tuesday.

[blaine]

Originally Posted by Sarris

My other bitch of the day concerns our Fla. law allowing a right turn on red. The law states that after a FULL stop, you can turn right on red if clear of traffic.

Here on P.E.I. we have the same law with the exception that there are certain intersections that have "Do not turn right on red" signs that everyone ignores.
:cool:

[music man]

Personally, when I am looking and paying attention like I should be in my car, I don't notice a car anymore or less than a motorcycle, AND, I get pulled out in front of just as often in my wifes big ass, dark colored SUV as I do on my motorcycle, which tells me one thing, if I am on my motorcycle, and someone hits me because they didn't see me, they wouldn't have seen me if I was driving a Huge, dayglow green Hummer.

Next time any of you are driving your cage, really pay attention to how easily you see motorcycles in traffic in comparison to cars, then tell me that the clothes that they were wearing or the headlight flickering in the sun, made you see the next one any easier.

I think if anything, people see a motorcycle just as often, but pull out in front of it more often because they are not really scared of getting plowed into by a little motorcycle nearly as bad as the big Dodge truck right behind it.

Because if people really believed all the hype about stuff like this, then everyones motorcycle would look something like this one, with an outfit and helmet to match.

[Water Warrior 2]

MM, we will have to agree to disagree on some of your statement. People are hard wired to see a car/truck far more than a motorcycle. If people are pulling out in front of your large SUV you should light it up and make it more noticeable somehow. My Ranger is a stupid grey color the same as asphalt and a bit hard to see. It does have DRL but I also turn on the driving lights or fog lights most of the time. Yeah, I know grey is bad but it was the best fit/options that I wanted and there was a lack of color variety when I was buying.

[music man]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

MM, we will have to agree to disagree on some of your statement. People are hard wired to see a car/truck far more than a motorcycle. If people are pulling out in front of your large SUV you should light it up and make it more noticeable somehow. My Ranger is a stupid grey color the same as asphalt and a bit hard to see. It does have DRL but I also turn on the driving lights or fog lights most of the time. Yeah, I know grey is bad but it was the best fit/options that I wanted and there was a lack of color variety when I was buying.

No problem with the disagreeing, but..... have YOU ever pulled out in front of a motorcycle and said to yourself, hell I didn't even see that little motorcycle over there if he would have had flickering lights I would have seen him, or if that was a car I would have seen it. No it is more likely that if you do pull out in front of a motorcycle (or a big ole' truck for that matter) it was simply a case of not paying close enough attention rather than you not noticing a motorcycle because it was smaller than a car.

Because I personally am "hardwired" to see VEHICLES, regardless of their shape, size and color. According to what you and others are saying, I would be less likely to have a wreck in my SUV if it was yellow than if it was black, I am sorry, but I just don't buy into that.

And this statement "If people are pulling out in front of your large SUV you should light it up and make it more noticeable somehow" is really disturbing. If a large SUV coming at you is not noticeable, do you really think that turning the lights on bright in the middle of the day is going to help you?

This all goes back to my original point, If the person in the other vehicle is not paying attention like they should be, no amount of lights/bright clothes/bright motorcycle paint or anything else is going to make them notice you, PERIOD. The only people that notice all that stuff are people that were paying close enough attention to at least LOOK at you to begin with.

Now at night, all bets are off, the more lights you have, the better off you are, unless you have so many that you are blinding people, LOL.

[Water Warrior 2]

I started driving cars with their headlights on during daylight hours in the early 60's. Why you ask. Greyhound cut their head on collision rate by 50%. People couldn't see a bus during the day. I was driving a Mini at the time. Visibility worked then and visibility will work now. Let's call it a draw and find another subject to discuss.

[alantf]

I don't know if they still do, but Volvo cars used to have headlights that couldn't be switched off (like bikes now). That was because where they were made (Denmark, Sweden?) had laws that headlights had to be used by all vehicles, all the time.

[music man]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

I started driving cars with their headlights on during daylight hours in the early 60's. Why you ask. Greyhound cut their head on collision rate by 50%. People couldn't see a bus during the day. I was driving a Mini at the time. Visibility worked then and visibility will work now. Let's call it a draw and find another subject to discuss.

Sounds like a good plan. :rawk:

[alanmcorcoran]

I'm don't know the percentage but I think sure but some (most? all GM?) newer cars in the U.S. have something called Daytime Running Lights or something like that. They're on my Suburban which is a 99 model. Basically, youe headlights are on all the time. I always suspected that once people get used to seeing headlights all the time, they won't notice them so much, and the accident rates will go right back up. The ultimate solution is Google's - cars that drive themselves. But how much fun will that be? I guess we can take consolation in the fact that might be longer before they have motorcycles that drive themselves.

[mrlmd1]

I have both the headlight modulator and flashing brakelight modulator with 2 extra LED lights 2x4" wired into the brake circuit on the back of my S50. There is no way someone can say they never saw me. I think you need to do everything possible to make yourself as visible as you can, Plus the Stebel air horn also is a little more insurance I put on.

[music man]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

There is no way someone can say they never saw me.

Sure they can, just like I stated earlier, If they are not paying attention in the first place, you could be driving a day-glo green 18 Wheeler with 200 bright spotlights on the front, back and sides, they are still not going to see you.

The horn on the other hand, as long as you have time to react and push the horn button, and they have time to react to the sound and not cream you, would work great, you will jar them into paying attention when they weren't, which is the general point of the horn to begin with.

And I don't want any of you to get the wrong idea and think that I am discouraging anyone from wearing brighter clothes or doing everything they can to make themselves as noticeable as possible, because I am not, what I am doing however is being honest about the fact that it is probably not going to prevent some moron that is texting his girlfriend from plowing you down.