Safety Enhancements Time Has Forgotten

[Horse]

[iansoady]

I wonder why?

[JackyJoll]

I wonder why?

To avoid wearing this:

[slowsider]

Not entirely forgotten

[The Spin Doctor]

The most common injury IIRC is a fractured skull at the temple. So about 25 years ago (again IIRC) there was serious talk in Australia about mandating a kind of impact resistant headband when driving.

A friend of my brother was in his car with a mate and had a side-on impact at a junction... wasn't a big one but his mate was killed outright - hit his head on the side window.

[Horse]

Hence common fitment of side curtain airbags and occasional fitment of A pillar airbags (with knock-on effects on obstruction of view).

[The Spin Doctor]

Hence common fitment of side curtain airbags and occasional fitment of A pillar airbags (with knock-on effects on obstruction of view).

I believe it's just as likely to be from impacting the window glass itself.

[Horse]

Hence common fitment of side curtain airbags

I believe it's just as likely to be from impacting the window glass itself.

Glass / airbag / head

[mangocrazy]

One of my 'rules of thumb' is that anyone wearing a hat while driving a car is a dangerous person to be around. This mainly applies to old biddies and old duffers, but can equally apply to anyone wearing baseball caps be it a spotty yoof with it on backwards or a 50 year old bloke that probably goes to bed wearing one.

They are invariably driving too slowly or too fast for road conditions, or are clearly preoccupied with something else.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

One of my 'rules of thumb' is that anyone wearing a hat while driving a car is a dangerous person to be around. This mainly applies to old biddies and old duffers, but can equally apply to anyone wearing baseball caps be it a spotty yoof with it on backwards or a 50 year old bloke that probably goes to bed wearing one.

They are invariably driving too slowly or too fast for road conditions, or are clearly preoccupied with something else.

Shouldn't you be concentrating on your own driving rather than looking inside other cars to see if the driver is wearing a hat, and does your sweeping statement include traffic police?

[Horse]

Cliches often exist for a reason.

[Rockburner]

One of my 'rules of thumb' is that anyone wearing a hat while driving a car is a dangerous person to be around. This mainly applies to old biddies and old duffers, but can equally apply to anyone wearing baseball caps be it a spotty yoof with it on backwards or a 50 year old bloke that probably goes to bed wearing one.

They are invariably driving too slowly or too fast for road conditions, or are clearly preoccupied with something else.

Shouldn't you be concentrating on your own driving rather than looking inside other cars to see if the driver is wearing a hat, and does your sweeping statement include traffic police?

I find looking through cars to be quite useful for seeing the road ahead (where possible, natch), so it's often that I'll spot a cap-wearer 'in passing', rather than consciously looking for them.

[Horse]

One of my 'rules of thumb' is that anyone wearing a hat while driving a car is a dangerous person to be around. ...

They are invariably driving too slowly or too fast for road conditions, or are clearly preoccupied with something else.

Shouldn't you be concentrating on your own driving rather than looking inside other cars to see if the driver is wearing a hat, and does your sweeping statement include traffic police?

I find looking through cars to be quite useful for seeing the road ahead (where possible, natch), so it's often that I'll spot a cap-wearer 'in passing', rather than consciously looking for them.

As Mango says, often it's something in the way the vehicle is being driven that attracts further attention.

And, as per RB, over/under/through views wherever possible.

[NB car drivers that you can't see from behind. Either because of obstructions in the vehicle (cuddly toys on the parcel shelf, rear window misted, etc) or because they are shorter than the seat's head restraint, with potential limits on their view out of the car]

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

It was a light hearted comment, lets not get all hand bags at dawn

[Rockburner]

It was a light hearted comment, lets not get all hand bags at dawn

This is 'Staying Alive', handbags are mandatory at all times.

[mangocrazy]

One of my 'rules of thumb' is that anyone wearing a hat while driving a car is a dangerous person to be around. This mainly applies to old biddies and old duffers, but can equally apply to anyone wearing baseball caps be it a spotty yoof with it on backwards or a 50 year old bloke that probably goes to bed wearing one.

They are invariably driving too slowly or too fast for road conditions, or are clearly preoccupied with something else.

Shouldn't you be concentrating on your own driving rather than looking inside other cars to see if the driver is wearing a hat, and does your sweeping statement include traffic police?

Part of driving is being aware of other road users and anticipating their actions. So as part of scanning the road ahead for hazards I also observe the occupants of cars. I can do this without detriment to my general observation. You, of course, may find this challenging.

[The Spin Doctor]

Shouldn't you be concentrating on your own driving rather than looking inside other cars to see if the driver is wearing a hat, and does your sweeping statement include traffic police?

So here's a question... would you try to make EYE CONTACT with a driver when approaching a junction?

If you are you are "looking inside other cars".

It's all about gathering as MUCH information as you can. I did a commentary ride for someone a few years back, who was very dismissive... "you know the route, you know what will happen where and what to say about it".

Me. "So did I know there would be a dog wandering along the pavement apparently on its own and certainly not on a lead?"

Him. "I haven't got time to look at dogs on the pavement."

Me. "Then you'll probably not have time to take evasive action if it happens to cross the road in front of you."

End of conversation.

People have this idea that being able to spot things as you ride along - whether it's the fact that the car that's just pulled up at the junction is being driven by someone with baseball hat on back to front or a pair of bottle lens glasses... or a phone in the ear - is some kind of magic talent that only superhuman police, IAM or RoSPA riders demonstrate, or that you need to creep along at the pace of the average glacier.

It's not. It's KNOWING that it's useful to look for these little clues that matters most... and then it's just a bit of practice actually DOING IT for it to become second nature.

[slowsider]

How close do you need to be to determine the dioptre of their glasses?


Some days Hatman goes out without his cap. I'll treat all road users as if they've done so.
And I'm not aiming for eye contact, (which might trick me into thinking they'd seen me) but I'd like at a minimum to know which way they're looking.

[Horse]

Some days Hatman goes out without his cap. I'll treat all road users as if they've done so.

Previously posted:
As Mango says, often it's something in the way the vehicle is being driven that attracts further attention.

And I'm not aiming for eye contact, (which might trick me into thinking they'd seen me) but I'd like at a minimum to know which way they're looking.

If you can't make eye contact, then either you are not visible to the driver because of an obstruction or the driver doesn't have their head pointing in your direction so won't be able to see you.

[slowsider]

As Mango says, often it's something in the way the vehicle is being driven that attracts further attention.

As you mentioned earlier, that's something you can see when you cant even see the driver...