High visibility clothing, compulsory for motorcyclists in france too

[barryd]

To be honest I dont worry too much about getting knocked off the scooter in France. Firstly the roads mainly where we go are quieter but I find the French drivers and most of mainland Europe much more bike aware and considerate. I do about 4000 miles each summer on the scooter and this year we decided to have 5 weeks in Flamborough in Yorkshire. Every single journey just about anywhere be it Bridlington, Filey, Scarborough or Whitby involved a near death experience. The standard of driving and observation is just shocking. I even had a road rage incident in Bridlington where they seem to have carved up the entire town centres roads. Traffic lights I filtered to the front as you do on a scooter and this bloke at the front went ape £$%^. Screeching his wheels and blaring his horn in an effort to get ahead and put himself, us and everyone at risk. Im not sure a high viz jacket or even a bloke running in front with a red flag would make much difference to be honest.

 

[alwaysared]

A top box on a m/bike is no big deal, but I think all two wheeled users should be wearing florescent jackets anyway.
Phill

Or just teach car drivers to open their eyes! Why should I be told what to wear on my motorbike?
But I do have an idea, why don't we put two wheels at the back instead of one, that should stop us falling off and while we're at it we could put two wheels at the front, that way the car drivers will think we're one of them and they'll see us!
Anyone who wants to wear an Hi-Vis should wear one, but please don't tell me I have to wear one.



Regards,
Del

 

[Byronic]

That's what we need more laws more regulation more enforcement.
Then I can just hear the complaints "boohoo I forgot my fluorescent
jacket got a £100 fine, who makes these petty laws up!
Advice, information who can argue with that, take it if it makes sense to you
just let the rest make their own decisions. It's the price you pay for freedom.

 

[Channa]

Wearing bright clothing , daylights are not the problem it is a bit of make belief.?

The science behind it all is saccadic masking the way we observe as humans, it is believed it gets worse as we get older.IT IS a trait of the human species nothing to do with groups of road users

YouTube

A short road safety video that explains

Channa

 

[Byronic]

The Fire Brigade vehicles are painted red. Not the preferred colour to
be better seen under many lighting conditions. But certain shades of yellow are.
The Spanish Brigades and others are yellow.
Bring in a law, change them!

 

[alwaysared]

Wearing bright clothing , daylights are not the problem it is a bit of make belief.?

The science behind it all is saccadic masking the way we observe as humans, it is believed it gets worse as we get older.IT IS a trait of the human species nothing to do with groups of road users

YouTube

A short road safety video that explains

Channa

So that's why they see us until we get on the bike!

Regards,
Del

 

[Channa]

So that's why they see us until we get on the bike!

Regards,
Del

Nicely prove my point ! the only accident shown was when a bike was moving at speed which is the saccadic part.

So no bright clothing headlamps will save us but perhaps educating folk in the link I provided will ! Authority not for the first time is barking up the wrong tree

Saccidic masking is not a new idea part of the reason aircraft dashboards are laid out the way they are and pilots taught how to scan properly so no important info is ignored same applies on landings and take offs too I am told

Channa

 

[Byronic]

Own up who wears a fluoro. jacket with POLITEinscribed on it
I'm informed other motorists tend to notice you then, strange I can't think why.
Probably the fairly SAD effect

 

[Byronic]

Try riding a motorcycle in Spain :lol-049::sad::scared:
It's actually scary but then the Spanish think it's a good idea to stop on the sliproads to motorways if a car is coming :lol-049::scared::scared:

I don't only try riding a moto in Spain I've actually done it! I think quite a few on this 'ere
forum have, no problems, only scooter kids in towns embarrass me at the lights!

At times, particularly on a light low speed bike when entering a motorway
from a slip road it can be the safest option to stop short on the
slip lane, because to force your self into a full nearside lane would be
suicidal, and it's illegal to take to the hard shoulder.
I'm not ashamed to admit I've had to take this evasive action on
the A12, a motorway in all but name. Never occurred on my 650.

 

[Deleted member 52918]

In the end it comes down to personal choice so if the choice is made by an individual to not bother with their own safety, then those same individuals shouldn't be surprised if something unfortunate happens to them.

When I'm driving a vehicle I look for everyone else who is using the road, same as all drivers should, when I used to ride a m/cycle, I'd pay more attention to cars etc., & when cycling or walking on the roads, I get the feeling that everyone wants to kill me but, since I started wearing bright gear, no not Lycra, (if I wore Lycra I'd probably cause loads of accidents) I've noticed that most people give me more room when they pass.

All I do is wear an orange vest over my clothes, it's no big deal.

Phill

 

[Byronic]

Would the wearing a burqa (helmet under), with a cardboard cutout of an AK 47
stuck diagonally across your motorbike front get you noticed ?


Yes I know, by the police!

 

[Fazerloz]

I don't know which Spain you have ridden in Charlie, but it's not the same Spain as me.

 

[barryd]

Ive ridden in Spain without any problems. The only place where you really need your wits about you ive found is big cities but that applies everywhere and around places like Nice and Monaco. The problem there though is other bikes. There seems to be a fashion on the busier parts of the Cote D'Azur of humongous powerful scooters the size of Harleys that just belt around all day long so you need eyes in the back of your head as well as left right and forward. I love it though, bit of a buzz. It all seems to work though and ive never seen an incident. Cars just seem to accept that the scooters rule the road down there and actively get out of the way. Stick yer leg out to say thanks and everybody is happy.

 

[Channa]

I have only ridden on the Spanish islands and it was pretty non eventful bar one wheelie that left the wife stood in the middle of the road (not used to scooters)

I rode twice to the cote d azur and south west(solo) on the fazer and France I found easy. my theory so many youngsters / kids on mobylette scooters whatever they can lay their hands on motorists are more aware.

Channa

 

[peter palance]

may beeee

Where do you put all that on a bike if you haven,t got a top box?

on your back! .pj

 

[Fazerloz]

Anyone who wants a bit of excitement on two wheels needs to try keeping up with locals during rush hour in Rome. Those young girls can teach you a thing or two. Its far more hectic than anything I've ever come across in the rest of Europe. I need to try the far east.

 

[Byronic]

Lol my 650 was my low speed bike .
You must have been lucky as the *******s will try and close any gaps on a motorway they don't like bikes filtering through traffic and it's the cars that stop on the slip roads they'd be getting my boot in their door if they want to play games :mad2:

Is that because you only rode it slowly, and your fast bike was a 50cc moped?

Anyway times have moved on, 650cc will get as fast as 98% will ever go or more likely think they went.
Of the remaining 2%, 1% are serving time, and the other 1% are usually old blokes parking up their micras
or motorhomes telling me how fast they used to go back in the day when they "used to have a big bike didya not guess" yeah impress me.:lol-049::wave:

 

[Byronic]

Anyone who wants a bit of excitement on two wheels needs to try keeping up with locals during rush hour in Rome. Those young girls can teach you a thing or two. Its far more hectic than anything I've ever come across in the rest of Europe. I need to try the far east.

You've obviously not tried the frontier crossing Gib to Spain rush hour going home.
Hundreds of scooters all knowing where there going and doing it day in day out means not letting
anything get in the way, quicker than Marquez....possibly.
Dubai at Ramadan takes some beating, no dinner, all that lightheadeness!
Not the quantity of riders just the quality.

 

[trevskoda]

Or just teach car drivers to open their eyes! Why should I be told what to wear on my motorbike?
But I do have an idea, why don't we put two wheels at the back instead of one, that should stop us falling off and while we're at it we could put two wheels at the front, that way the car drivers will think we're one of them and they'll see us!
Anyone who wants to wear an Hi-Vis should wear one, but please don't tell me I have to wear one.



Regards,
Del

So you dont wear a seat belt in the wagon then.:hammer:

 

[trevskoda]

Try riding a motorcycle in Spain :lol-049::sad::scared:
It's actually scary but then the Spanish think it's a good idea to stop on the sliproads to motorways if a car is coming :lol-049::scared::scared:

Same here which most dont know,if you cannot enter from a slip onto main m/way you must give way or stop,father inlaw had to stop when he could not get on with thick lane of trucks just of the boat so he stopped and a girl thumped into his rear,police done here for careless and told here she should have stopped and f/inlaw was correct in giving way.