To be annoyed at 'Think Bike' posters and other ads telling drivers to be considerate to motorcyclists ??

[Tinkerbell7373]

Every time I see one of these posters or adverts on TV it really irritates me in fact totally pisses me off
We are continually told to look out for motorbikes etc - when motorbike riders are thee most reckless, dangerous, inconsiderate people on the roads !! They speed, weave in and out of traffic, cut in when they feel like it and generally think they can do whatever they like !!! How about posters and adverts aimed at them saying 'Think Car' or 'Don't ride like a dick and you won't have, or cause, so many accidents !'

I've had a few scares with bikes in my time. Once as a relatively inexperienced driver at a roundabout in a 30 I failed to anticipate that the bike I could just see was actually doing 60+ rather than the speed limit as he approached the roundabout - saw him second glance and stopped just in time.

In foreign parts biker on twisty hill road coming round a blind hairpin on the wrong side of the road. Fortunately we were doing about 10mph in a LHD car so we could place ourselves right on the edge (3 foor deep drainage ditch) and allow him to not hit us.

Rest were living on a main biker play route - every sunny weekend and they were out - full throttle acceleration to 5th plus on a country B road. The number of times we were overtaken around the blind bends having given the opportunity on the long straight makes me think they wanted to have the buzz of a risky overtake... have also approached bends on the twistier sections and needed to do a near emergency stop as the biker was overtaking a tractor.

Knowing that the roads are bike roads we treat manoeuvres like we're on the German autobahn and look for the tiny speck approaching very fast - this has worked pretty well to date but the risk of an encounter on a bend is always there!

I live in an area that bikers seem to love. A lot (not all) don't appear to realise that the speed limit applies to them. I have seen some incredibly risky driving (riding?).

I know there are many responsible bikers (my brother is one and so was my ex), but the ones who aren't are very noticeable. For that reason OP, I can see your point.

for all those who have lost someone they love in a road accident.

I have seen a motorcyclist undertake on the motorway they seem to do it as standard. I've attempted to switch lanes to enable them to overtake and they insist on undertaking, I've been told that they don't like being by the barrier which i don't necessarily believe. So many bikes filter at speed they aren't checking that a car isn't switching lanes nor are they able to stop if they need to. If the traffic is going at 10mph a bike going close to 40mph isn't driving at a safe speed for the conditions.
That isn't to excuse the bad driving of other motorists. I've seen some equally horrific driving from car owners.

Love how you claim to not be ignorant, but earlier made the glaringly ignorant comment that not all bikers are dicks, only 90% ignore the highway code, seriously, take your head out of your arse you fool.

You claim to have held a driving licence longer than I've been alive, so you should know better by now, either that; or you're just clueless.

I've had one idiot reverse into me as I was waiting behind them, and one total idiot who knocked me off my bike at 50mph, both times they didn't see me, so yes "think bike" is needed, because clueless arseholes jump into their cars and in doing so jump into their own little bubble, ignorant of the world around them, and as as long as their safe in their 5 Star NCAP car, fuck everyone else.

YABU. If a bike hits a car - small dent. If a car hits a bike - broken limbs and possibly death. As a car driver do you want to kill someone, even if they are acting a bit irresponsibly.

DH rode a bike very sensibly for years and was regularly knocked down by drivers just not looking or suddenly changing their minds on where they were going. So glad when he sold it.

YABVVVU

My Dp is a biker. Three years ago he was coming home from work on a road which has a 50mph speed limit. He was doing the limit and a car pulled out without looking and he ploughed into the side of the car.

The handlebars smashed into his stomach, ripping his main artery in 7 places. He broke his sternum, had collapsed lungs and four broken ribs. The bruising on his body was unlike anything I have ever seen before. The entire front of the car was ripped off in the impact.

The driver said she didn't see him. She had already done two driver awareness courses and still failed to look properly at a junction.

She was fined £280 and £180 costs. Dp was off work for 2 years. He still has health problems now and we lost our house.

So yeah, think Biker.

Oh and that's ridiculous about a bike hits a car small dent. I've sat in a car when a person ran into it, the dent he left was horrific not to mention it totally scared my friend who'd just passed her test.

YABU for the massive generalisation.

There are inconsiderate cocks in cars, on bikes & motorcyclists though. If the campaign helps awareness then it's a good thing.

A campaign to help cyclists remember that red traffic lights apply to them would be useful too.

Haven't RTFT, but YBU!! VERY unreasonable. Don't judge all bikers the same, some of us are very courteous, ride to the rules and respect all road users. Some bikers are dicks, just as some drivers are dicks. I've had so many people pull out on me because they haven't looked properly, and that's what the adverts are trying to stop happening! I've been hit twice because the drivers 'just didn't see me', which is frankly a bullshit excuse for not even looking!

Yabu and attitudes such as yours are what worry me when dh is out for a ride.
If people like you can get so frustrated by the most vulnerable group on our roads, you are potentially exposing them to greater danger.

If was boss of the world everyone would have to log 1000 hours on the roads on 2 wheels (bicycle or motorcycle) before they could even start learning to drive a car.

I'd also replace driver air-bags with a retractable steel spike

There are few things here:

• yes, some motorcyclists drive like lunatics and in my opinion they should be banned for life from being in charge of a motorized vehicle
• it is your responsibility to see what is going on around you on the road. Bikes do not appear out of thin air. If they do that means you haven't checked properly. You need to have 360 vision (so all around your car) at all times and know where your blind spots are.
• people generally don't see things they don't expect. The signs and campaigns are there to make you look out for the bikes. When you are in the car with your kids make them play the game 'count the bikes' - it will be a good lesson for them for future.
• you have no influence on somebody else's driving. You can only adjust your driving style to minimize the risk of accidents.

YABU. I live on the isle of man. Every year we have the TT on our island. Last year we had 42,000 visitors mainly on bikes. We only have roughly 80,000 residents. Our roads are proper country lanes, some places we have no speed limits. This poster is everywhere because it is so easy to miss a biker. If a poster saves one persons life why does it matter that it pisses you off. Each year visitors die (as do competitors) sometimes due to being hit by a car. we have to share our roads with 1000s of bikes. I can't actually believe your complete ignorance on this subject.

YABU

DH was badly hurt by a driver getting frustrated trying to turn right and moving into the first lane at bottom on a blind hill - a car would have gone into them as well but the driver - especially if they had air bags - would have had better protection.

Uncle - 40 years as a rider - someone turned into him - luckily low speed apparently didn't see him. Now no longer rides.

Colleague - on round about got badly cut up no where to go but back of their window screen.

In all these case despite it being car driver fault their first thought was to blamed the bikers for existing. I expect they are still bitching about increase in insurance dismissive of their bad driving's longer term impact.

Near us - quiet morning car did U turn didn't look properly turned into a motorbike whose momentum made them hit a pedestrian. Pedestrian and motorbike were really badly hurt and the driver is on trial for dangerous driving - bet they wished they looked properly.

I'd say a lot of the issue is people not looking generally - sometimes it feels like my car has an invisibility cloak. The people who don't look aren't going to notice the signs - they don't notice the cars they pull out in front of let alone the bikes. The truck drivers watching films don't care otherwise they'd not be watching the film.

People not giving a shit is the issue - a few signs about a minority which has a very visible lunatic fringe isn't going to improve that...

27 years huh? Your op is the reason why drivers should have to re-sit their test every 5 years.

And bikers/cyclists are always being reminded about vehicles! Never seen the big sign on lorries and buses warning not to overtake??

It's only one of many safety campaigns out there including "speed kills" type campaigns aimed at Sunday-afternoon A road bikers.

A huge number of car drivers drive too fast, too aggressively and without looking where they are going. I know, some of them are my relatives. Now it's the duty of all other road users - horses, cyclists, bikers, to be festooned with lights, helmets, hi vis and scotchlite just so the poor defenceless drivers have a hope of seeing you in between checking their mobile phone. I seriously think a lot of drivers see any "lesser" road user, is fair game for barging off the road just for the offence of being in the way of them getting somewhere five seconds faster. Or they see a motorbike and think "I'm not letting him get in front of me".

When you do your motorbike test you do a lot about visibility, defensive riding, awareness of all the vehicles around you. There is far more emphasis than a car test. But there is not much you can do if someone simply drives straight into you because they couldn't be bothered to look.

YABU, obviously. Letting yourself-important and indignant irritation at the perceived unfairness of the frequent 'Think bike' campaigns outrank the importance of actually trying to prevent deaths and injuries is petulant and selfish. And ignorant of the facts, as many more knowledgeable posters have shown. I wouldn't go on a motorbike if you paid me, but oddly enough I don't want motorcyclists or car drivers to have preventable accidents either.

Op you're a fuxking dixk. I drive a car and also a motorbike. It's shit scary being on a bike. We have to be super aware all the time of twats in cars that might not see us and knock us to the floor. We're not weaving in and out, we are filtering. We have to do it. And frankly it's the main benefit of riding a bike. Why would we sit in a massive queue when we don't have to. Bikes are aware all the time, cars are not. Fact

"I have seen a motorcyclist undertake on the motorway they seem to do it as standard. I've attempted to switch lanes to enable them to overtake and they insist on undertaking, I've been told that they don't like being by the barrier which i don't necessarily believe. So many bikes filter at speed they aren't checking that a car isn't switching lanes nor are they able to stop if they need to. If the traffic is going at 10mph a bike going close to 40mph isn't driving at a safe speed for the conditions.
That isn't to excuse the bad driving of other motorists. I've seen some equally horrific driving from car owners."
*
^^

This. Last week in nose to tail traffic on a dual carriage way I watched a "filtering" biker come out of nowhere down the middle of the two lanes nearly mow down a man with a dog who was using a crossing. Cars need to "Think Bike". Some motorcyclists need to think full stop*

Come on people, stop feeding the GF.

I ride horses in an area with one of the most popular roads in the country for bikers . Almost without exception they have been courteous and considerate in the same way that lorry drivers are . Much more so than car drivers who seem to think that trying to take my foot out of my stirrup with a wing mirror is a sport.

I've also witnessed a biker taken out by someone who turned right across him and catapulted him 100 feet down a main road into oncoming traffic. I had to pin him down to stop him doing even more damage for 30 minutes until paramedics arrived . I've also reported hundreds of accidents where the motorcyclist has come off far far worse than the driver , and about 80 percent of those were down to the car driver . I've had to do cpr on 6 bikers in 23 years on the road. Two survived . 4 inquests where I had to talk to bereaved parents , sons , daughters and wives . The worst bit was when they thanked me for being there in their loved ones last moments , so they weren't alone .

Bikers get reminded all the time . On forums , in biking press and all police forces run Bikesafe courses , which teach defensive riding .

So if an advert keeps one more biker alive , I'm all for it .

Yabvu

As a biker myself (swmbo is also a rider) we have a lot more to deal with than cars.

You say about bikes filtering and then cutting in, we aren't cutting in, we just have a much larger space awareness about where we fit due to not having a metal box round us.

Filtering through traffic is also in the Highway Code, it's called 'making progress' and we are taught this when learning to ride.

It also says in the Highway Code, and during driving lessons, that you should check your mirrors before manoeuvres, such as lane changing, changing speed, opening doors etc... . If this was done then there wouldn't be a problem as you would be aware of the motorbike in the first place.

I agree with those pp who have said that drivers should have to take their cbt as part of driver training. After my cbt I found my awareness on the road was much greater and I was doing a lot more checks around me.

As bikers we are constantly looking at what is going on around us, we are looking at the road ahead, the traffic, what cars at junctions are doing. We do this to survive.

I think you need to look at motorcycle safety videos and see what we contend with day in day out from idiot drivers who dont know the laws. I would say there are more idiot I'll informed drivers than there are bad bikers, but that's from experience.

Oh and I drive a car and a wagon so I have experience of both sides.