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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to expect motorcyclists not to behave like irresponsible twats on the road...

63 replies

RedButtonhole · 02/05/2015 17:18

especially as the emphasis seems to be on car drivers to "Think Bike".

Motorcyclist overtook me on a blind corner the other day, so close and at such a speed I swerved onto a verge to avoid him. I very rarely see motorcyclists who observe the speed limit and even witnessed one run a red light the other day at some roadworks, because there was room for it to slip through the oncoming traffic.

I know that this does not apply to all motorcyclists, but I drive the same road every day to work, its a nice open country road and popular with motorcyclists so I do see alot of this.

OP posts:
CalamitouslyWrong · 02/05/2015 20:14

Note: it was a national speed limit road and the cars slowed down to 30 for the speed camera anyway. There wasn't any speeding going on, it's more that people seem to panic and forget that it's ok to be going at 50 (which is what they'd be driving at before the speed camera) on such roads.

PandaMummyofOne · 02/05/2015 20:22

100% agree with Hirples! Every other road user is an idiot, and you need to predict their every move. That is the only way you can be safe on the road, regardless of vehicle.

Moreisnnogedag · 02/05/2015 20:24

I think we tend to notice poor skills in motorcyclists more as they are visibly so vulnerable. I have seen a car miss a bike by inches because they failed to check right again when turning. Surprisingly he effed and jeffed at the biker as if it was his fault!!

But I think this is what you had in mind...

ACSlater · 02/05/2015 20:26

I don't generally find motorcyclists too bad tbh. Does wind me up when they overtake into the tiniest of gaps though. But that's more risk for them than me so I just ease off and leave them to it.

I had a nitwit decide to try and undertake me the other day then ending up with nowhere to go and wildly gesticulating at me. Rolled my eyes.

Original poster
RedButtonhole · 02/05/2015 20:38

Magrat, I was responding to your post where you said I had generalised, twice. I don't see how that's agressive.

I accept whole heartedly that there are twats in all sorts of vehicles on the road, my point was that there isn't a whole campaign aimed at how considerate we have to be towards a specific group, who in my experience have all driven very dangerously. I accept that this is not the case for all motorcyclists everywhere, but certainly on the stretch of road I am regularly driving on, it can be terrifying.

I'm a considerate and careful driver, the fact that some road users behave like idiots wont stop me being cautious of them, I just feel there is an assumption that all other motorists are inconsiderate when it comes to motorcyclists and not enough emphasis on the fact that being on two wheels doesn't give you more right over road space than other people and does not exempt you from sticking to the speed limit.

OP posts:
CalamitouslyWrong · 02/05/2015 20:50

On the road popular with irresponsible motorcyclists (in nice weather, obviously; they don't go out when it's crap) near me, the police have put up loads of signs aimed at the motorcyclists. They aren't the 'think bike' ones aimed at drivers (although there are some of them); they're specifically telling the bikers to slow down and not overtake on blind corners/summits.

I'd imagine responsible motorcyclists do not need such reminders, but this road in particular is so popular with idiots. I always think it's a shame that more of the car drivers don't pay attention to them as well, because the road does also attract crap drivers who overtake when they can't see what's coming and speed (but slow down to 25 for the speed cameras).

I hate this particular road.

MagratGarlik · 02/05/2015 20:54

There was actually a recent campaign which targeted not only car drivers to "think bike", but also bikers to ride responsibly. I'll try and find a link to the ads on YouTube.

Personally, I think it is far too simplistic to ask drivers to " think bike " since most don't understand the issues they need to consider (like the tailgating example, or the lack of a reverse gear on a bike to name just two).

Personally I'd like there to be a clamp down on tailgater's and people using phones whilst driving.

CalamitouslyWrong · 02/05/2015 20:56

A general don't drive like a twat campaign might be what's actually needed. Grin

Original poster
RedButtonhole · 02/05/2015 21:12

See Magrat, I wasn't even aware of that, it definitely needs to be more publicised when the better weather comes in. I also agree that it might be useful to educate people on specific biking issues- I am careful bit perhaps not as aware as I could be.

I agree with you Calamitous, a general campaign would be a good idea. There's alot of emphasis on breaking the speed limit, but nothing that I have seen talks about the dangers of tailgating and other twattish behaviour.

OP posts:
Psipsina · 02/05/2015 21:16

Class A license here for 15 years as well as a car license since 1995, and I agree that a lot of motorcycles are ridden by utter knobs, who have a chip on their shoulder and an immature attitude.

I wouldn't want them anywhere near me as a motorcyclist or a car driver.

There are of course some awful car drivers too AND it is relatively easy for a car to miss (not notice) a cyclist or a motorcyclist because of the dynamics of the road, but I agree that sometimes it's the biker's fault, not the car's.

MagratGarlik · 02/05/2015 21:24

The ads are were actually a NI Dept of Environment campaign, but links to the ads are below. WARNING - I THINK THEY ARE QUITE DISTRESSING

The Government's Think Biker campaign has also been running something called "Never too Good" for a while, aimed at encouraging bikers to take additional training. I'm also working towards my IAM advanced test, which is subsided by my local council (it's cheaper for them to subsidize further training than it is for them to deal with fatal collisions), which I learned last week cost £2.1 million per fatal collision!

MagratGarlik · 02/05/2015 21:26

Of course, the problem is that the ones who ride around thinking they are Rossi won't do any advanced training anyway.

Original poster
RedButtonhole · 02/05/2015 22:30

Thanks for the links. I have seen a few ads like the one in the second link- showing car drivers how easy it is to miss a bike coming from different angles. I think that people do need to be reminded that bikes are harder to see and move differently on the road. But I have never seen an advert similar to the first one- plenty of ads like that aimed at car drivers but none about bikes.

I like the idea of what Calamatous mentioned- with extra signage put up aimed at cyclists and encouraging them to think about how they are using the road, as well as the reminders for motorists to "think bike" is a good way forward.

OP posts:
ApignamedJasper · 02/05/2015 22:39

Magrat, totally agree about the tailgating too. Really annoys me when you have someone right up your arse who is obviously trying to push you to go faster when a) I am doing the speed limit already and b) we are going steeply uphill and I'm on a 125cc bike that can't go faster than 55ish even if I wanted it to. I find that 9/10 times, the driver behind me is usually following so close because they are waiting for the slightest opportunity to overtake me, which they do so so closely I have to swerve out of the way to avoid getting clipped.

MagratGarlik · 02/05/2015 22:55

ApignamedJasper, mine's 500cc, so fast enough, but not sports bike territory. The top speed is about 120mph, but that doesn't mean it is appropriate to do that on the road, or indeed that I would even want to do that on the road (I am a mother, after all, I want to enjoy biking and stay alive...), so I stick to the speed limits, but some drivers expect me to go over them and harass me if I don't. I've discovered that I should not be identifiably (sp?) female on the bike, so, no pink, no flowers etc etc because this just seems to encourage a certain type of driver white van man to tailgate.

ApignamedJasper · 02/05/2015 23:11

I specifically don't go for any girly stuff either because I don't want to encourage anyone to think I'm an easy target, as horrible as that sounds, sometimes people do treat you different plus I like the look of surprise on people's faces when I take my helmet off!

I'm sticking to a 125 while I'm still getting experience for the specific reason that if I'm learning and will potentially make mistakes I don't want to make them at high speeds on a powerful bike. When I do get a faster bike I still won't be filtering at 150mph like that nutter on YouTube, I like my skin and other body parts attached and functional :D

Another thing some drivers don't seem aware of it that when there is a powerful cross wind howling at me I can't and won't go too fast because it makes be a bit more wobbly and unsteady and it is physically and mentally very tough to just try and keep the bike upright at that point.

SistersofPercy · 02/05/2015 23:57

Calamitous, same weekend, typical 'biker' road and we had a group of three who each performed some of the most dangerous overtakes I've ever seen including a HGV on a blind bend. Their riding was so bad I actually commented to dh about our dash cam proving what idiots they were when we found them in a hedge.

All in all they overtook about a dozen cars in very dangerous circumstances but the thing that had my jaw hitting the floor was that ten minutes later we passed them all sat in the lay by having a fag.
All those dangerous manoeuvres, all those lives risked as well as their own to overtake a dozen cars then stop and watch them all pass you again. Completely pointless.

Psipsina · 03/05/2015 08:04

Jasper, you will probably find once you 'graduate' to a larger bike that it will be far easier to hold the road. little bikes are great for learning but they are fickle and fidgety and they will get you into trouble as soon as out of it!

Another tip - when it's windy, or you're in the slipstream of a lorry or something, grip the tank with your knees. I don't know why it helps but it steadies you.

MagratGarlik · 03/05/2015 09:20

Jasper, another thing when riding in the wind, you may find that increasing your speed actually helps you, rather than making you more unsteady. It increases the gyroscopic effect and helps the bike stay upright. It's the same as if you are going slow in traffic, high revs help to keep the bike steady and stable.

Also, an ex-police rider told me don't try to correct the bike in the wind, just keep going and trust the bike to correct itself, otherwise you end up constantly over-correcting. It does work.

RunRunAsFastishAsYouCan · 03/05/2015 11:13

I don't understand why anyone with young children would even own a bike.

Psipsina · 03/05/2015 11:28

Depends on the balance of risk as much as anything. I got rid of mine, no point owning it with no time to ride it. I can see why others would keep theirs, but I never had time to ride it and it felt like a massive indulgence to use the little child free time I had, for that.

Still love bikes though.

MagratGarlik · 03/05/2015 11:47

We all take calculated risks in our lives every day. Personally, I ride safely, I don't take stupid risks, take additional training to ensure my skills are as good as they can be. Once I've completed the IAM test, I'd like to volunteer for the Blood Bikes.

Of course, there is always the risk of something happening (apparently the police don't refer to "road traffic accidents" anymore, but to "road traffic collisions", as an incident always has someone at fault). I also scuba dive, but have never had someone saying, "I don't understand how someone with young-ish children can dive", even though that is a high risk sport. I don't smoke, I rarely drink, I eat healthily, I keep reasonably fit, I'm not overweight, I don't speed, I don't use the phone whilst driving, to name just a few risks that some people might take.

ApignamedJasper · 03/05/2015 17:25

I scuba dive too, wonderful hobby but yes can be risky and no one ever tells you you shouldn't do it if you have children.

I do find that going faster helps in the wind, oddly, but sometimes if I go too fast I just feel so unnerved by the wind howling at me and it becomes quite difficult to hold on to the bike so I tend to slow down a bit until I'm comfortable again. I don't smoke or drink excessively either.

For me biking is not just a hobby it is my only means of transport as I don't drive yet.

This thread came to mind this morning as someone tried to turn left right in front of me on my way to work this morning. I had to swerve out the way to avoid her and she didn't even bother to look to see if there was anyone coming. If I was in a car I would have hit her because I couldn't have gone around her or stopped quick enough but then again if I was in a car she probably would have noticed me :D

firesafety · 03/05/2015 18:12

""I don't understand why anyone with young children would even own a bike.""

Cheap second form of transport when mine were young. We'd have really struggled with one car/children/work etc.

He was well-trained, and also rode a bike for work, but that was pre-children iirc.

firesafety · 03/05/2015 18:16

I also thought of this thread this morning when I saw an idiotic biker who nearly got taken out by a taxi driver.

Then I saw a car driver do not one but two dangerous manoeuvres within a few minutes and had DH not been switched on, he would have hit us the first time.

Other people noticed the biker because of the noise, no one would have noticed the car driver being a bellend.