Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

gill.net.in

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

311–320 of 390 posts

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#311

Post by stoneman24 »

HPsquared wrote: post #297
markbnj wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an almost-daily motorcyclist with 15k miles on my current machine (Suzuki DL650), I absolutely agree that the increased proportion of pickup trucks on the road increases the risks for riders, however I suspect it is mainly because the larger, heavier vehicles aggravate the effects of a general deterioration in driving skills and attitudes. One thing about riding a motorcycle is that you are, unless you have a deat…

I think cars becoming safer has ironically driven a lot of this behaviour. People feel safe themselves and don't take care. It's called risk compensation.

I agree modern cars are much better engineered to increase passenger survivablity.

Can’t remember the program (it was a very long time ago) but the crash investigation expert said a 6 inch spike on the driver steering wheel would improve driver’s perception of risk as it would be a very pointed reminder of risk.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#312

Post by bell-cot »

sokoloff wrote: post #167
bell-cot wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having driven (and engine braked) both diesel and gas manuals - yes, a diesel is much better at slowing "very hard". Beware of doing that if someone is close or inattentive behind you. With either one, any need-to-brake situation gets more complex - you need to decide "brake pedal, engine, or both?". But I'm not driving manuals because I want driving to be super-simple.

Interesting. I found my diesel Mercedes to not have much engine braking at all (which I attributed to the lack of a throttle plate or any throttling of airflow) as compared to similar size and weight gas cars (which have a throttle plate in the intake).

Supposedly, the engine controls in my VW diesel (90HP 4-cylinder "TDI" engine) cut off all fuel when the driver was engine breaking (no throttle, RPM's above current desired idle speed). Perhaps they made other adjustments. It could brake pretty hard that way.

I'd guess the engine controls in your Mercedes handled that situation rather differently, for "Mercedes customers will expect..." reasons.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#313

Post by lupusreal »

haiku2077 wrote: post #228
toyg wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And bike power. Sportsbikes are often road-legal versions of actual racing bikes, with all that it entails. If a third of cars on the road were tuned-down Ferraris and McLarens, you bet they'd crash left right and center.

Weirdly, an adventure bike with higher horsepower will have cheaper insurance than a race replica with less horsepower.

Doesn't seem that weird to me. Having lots of horsepower available doesn't mean you have to use it. Conversely, having only modest horsepower is still more than enough to drive at a truly reckless speed on most if not all roads. The psychology of the biker, their inclination to go fast, plays a more important role than the raw horsepower statistic. It seems safe to assume that people who deliberately purchase a race replica, even one with only modest horsepower, are more likely to go way too fast.

In any case, insurance companies have a monetary incentive to go by the data. Whatever the cause, they evidently have data that says race replicas correlate with insurance claims.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#314

Post by jonasdegendt »

AndrewSwift wrote: post #189

I wondered once if it would be possible to ride a motorcycle safely if I drove carefully (everyone I know who rides has been in at least one serious accident). I thought: I could look at the data, but I see so many motorcyclists driving dangerously that the data wouldn't teach me much. So then I thought: I bet if I look at the accident rate for women riders it would be interesting. I found that in the UK, male riders…

It simply comes down to riding like everyone's out to get you. Another comment summed it up nicely by saying you essentially have to position yourself assuming no one has explicitly seen you.

I've done a decent amount of miles like that and I've barely had any close calls.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#315

Post by potato3732842 »

HPsquared wrote: post #297
markbnj wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an almost-daily motorcyclist with 15k miles on my current machine (Suzuki DL650), I absolutely agree that the increased proportion of pickup trucks on the road increases the risks for riders, however I suspect it is mainly because the larger, heavier vehicles aggravate the effects of a general deterioration in driving skills and attitudes. One thing about riding a motorcycle is that you are, unless you have a deat…

I think cars becoming safer has ironically driven a lot of this behaviour. People feel safe themselves and don't take care. It's called risk compensation.

I don't think that's what's motivating people. Nobody was dying in droves before. The expected outcome of the mean and median example of distracted driving been purely financial ever since cars grew seatbelts and accidents are more expensive than ever. There's probably some other explanation, though I have no clue what.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#316

Post by potato3732842 »

terribleperson wrote: post #181
godelski wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's interesting is fatality rates are increasing but injury rates are decreasing. Seems like something else might be at play. If it is more SUVs and Pickups then I think a brake light helmet would do a lot considering the danger those cars present is being harder to see those below them. But if it is something else, then maybe not as good of a solution.

Vehicles with a tall, flat face are more likely to kill instead of injure, from my recall of previous discussions on HN. That's been a trend in vehicle design for a few years now.

It's more complex than that.

The bulbous styling on your average "we would have called this a station wagon 40yr ago but now we call it an compact SUV because stupid laws" vehicle is driven in large part by a need to have big floofy plastic moldings full of airspace for a "soft" place for a pedestrian to land.

On the other hand you've got stuff like the Chvey 2500HD trucks that everyone screeches about that aren't designed that way and will propel a pedestrian back onto the pavement.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#317

Post by pnut »

lqet wrote: post #310

I live in a mountainous area that attracts huge amount of motorcyclists on weekends. Most of the fatal accidents I recall in the last years (usually around a dozen per year) were caused by right of way violations by cars, by excessive speeding of the cyclists, or by risky overtakes. I am not sure how a brake light would help there. Also, serious off-topic question to the motorcycle enthusiasts here: how do you cope w…

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/noise-camera-tech...

The UK is trialling noise pollution cameras that mail fines to your home, same as for speeding. It's an externality whose days are numbered.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#318

Post by potato3732842 »

alamortsubite wrote: post #203
radlad wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Freeway driving tends to be the safest driving, in any vehicle. This is because speed deltas are typically low, and there are no cross-streets or stopping. https://safetrec.berkeley.edu/2023-safetrec-traffic-safety-f... (Ctrl+F "Crash Location of Motorcycle Fatal Crashes")

I think the confusion may be that you commented on freeway safety, whereas the comment you replied to discussed highway safety. Freeways are limited access highways; not all highways are freeways.

Limited vs controlled access.

Nobody is cycling on either unless there's dedicated infra anywhere even the slightest bit urban. In rural areas cycling on a limited access road is generally "fine"

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#319

Post by Cthulhu_ »

kelnos wrote: post #202
aziaziazi wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nice idea! Cars owner sometime use a "children inside" sticker. Won’t work for a solo bike obviously but wonder if some other messages might be effective like "Dad of toddlers", "I might be a cop", "vulnerable human"… the smiley is easier to read through.

I have a negative visceral reaction to the "baby on board" stickers on cars. It feels really entitled; to me it says, "be extra careful with me, because my small child is more deserving of safety than other people".

IIRC it's also there so that in the case of an accident, people will look for the baby in case it's trapped somewhere or somehow left the car.

Re: My quest to make motorcycle riding that tad bit safer

#320

Post by Thedarkb »

briandear wrote: post #279
beloch wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Motorcycle fatality rates have been trending upwards, not downwards[1]. Brake lights on helmets may illuminate one of the culprits: An ever increasing number of American trucks with poor visibility. Sitting on a bike, you're even shorter than a pedestrian and more likely to be completely out of sight. Perhaps its time to start regulating for better visibility, as Europe has done. [1] https://www.iii.org/fact-statisti…

The vast majority of motorcycle crashes are due to excessive speed and inexperience of the rider. Also a car turning into the lane and failing to see the oncoming bike causes many, many accidents. I ride in Spain, and I don’t know anything about “better visibility” requirements” compared to the U.S. — out here there are giant trucks everywhere: delivery vehicles, industrial trucks, and even Ford Raptors. My close cal…

In Ireland, you can't ride a motorcycle above 125cc unless you've held your license for four years. It forces people to get genuine experience before hopping on a litrebike and sending it.
Post reply on HN