Concerning the million dollar arm:
That is one of the type of things i got a problem with in Taiwan, when people just come up to you and start telling you about incredible stories (she took 40kg because she used anti-cold for too long, she got that constant cold because of the medicine she took as her periods stopped completely one day…).
Because of my cultural background (i’m french) it tooks me a while not to feel insulted when i am told something sounding completely unreal (it is a french thing, we feel you are considering us as an idiot to tell us bull****).
Or is it because i am in the south, and in a not very bright satellite town of tainan ?
I’d like to point out the million dollar arm was a true story…it just didn’t happen in a vehicular accident. But I thought the fact that his arm was cut…and that he sued for a million was still relevant to this thread. It shows that Taiwan cares a lot about bodily harm. I personally know this to be true because a scooter hit me from behind once and he tried to sue me for the cuts he sustained from his fall…even though the accident was his fault…he still had a chance of winning some compensation because I indirectly helped to cause him physical harm.
Well, I think our accident previously posted has finally drawn to a simpering conclusion. The defendant got 45 days in jail for failure to provide enough to satisfy our damages - regardless of how meager. We submitted all the receipts to the insurance company for the uninsured portion of our damages. Together, about 150,000. Insurance paid, together, a total of about 16,000 and upon complaint we were told we would need to get the balance from the defendant. Family attorney explained that the defendant had the legal minimum insurance which pays next to nothing. We have filed the lawsuit against the defendant and will no doubt get a worthless judgment.
Now, million dollar settlements and all that stuff aside, don’t expect a windfall from an accident. Most younger drivers in their Hondas with their coffee can exausts have near zip for insurance and they will simply laugh at any threat of a judgment. I for one will increase my insurance limits upon renewal and hope that I am not at fault in the next accident and . . . I know there will be a next time.
[quote=“dablindfrog”]there are peoples who like to talk shit everywhere ed,
meme en France,surtout autour de la cannebierre…[/quote]The thing is, at least in Marseille, they sound gullible, and that sort of makes me feel a whole lot different.
As for the arm mordeth, i was only taking it as an example to relate to impossible stories that i hear around here, specially since this dear lady driving her car with a cup of coffee managed to sue and win so much from Mc Donald when she accidentally drop the coffee on her lap (check the stella awards on this subject).
As for Enigma, i spend a long enough time in hospital after a scooter accident in the UK to want to ever avoid anything similar.
Since that, i drive dead slow.
As for Enigma, i spend a long enough time in hospital after a scooter accident in the UK to want to ever avoid anything similar.
Since that, i drive dead slow.[/quote]
Studies have shown that the safest speed is 5 kmh faster than the flow of traffic. This prevents you from being passed regularly…and keeps you from riding in other’s blind spots…etc.
As for Enigma, i spend a long enough time in hospital after a scooter accident in the UK to want to ever avoid anything similar.
Since that, i drive dead slow.[/quote]
Studies have shown that the safest speed is 5 kmh faster than the flow of traffic. This prevents you from being passed regularly…and keeps you from riding in other’s blind spots…etc.[/quote]
Somebody needs to explain this to the yahoo in the pink helmet on the WINO 50 that does 30 kmp faster and lays the scoot down and sits upright as he flyes by. The dumb f***. By the way, the dumb ass “studies” are no doubt done in a country that has other “safe and sane laws” to protect the public. . . . . or I could be wrong. Give us a link to the ASIAN study and I will be more serious about it.
Mordeth;
I always seem to be picking on you and I don’t mean it that way. You are 100% correct in your observations. My experience is different than yours and I’m certain that you and everyone else understands that. Please don’t misunderstand. I respect you opinion and . . . .well, I like mine more. Perogatives and all that. But, I actually do agree with you more often than not.
You need to shit on me a lot more than that if you expect to be able to apologize for something .
It wasn’t an Asian study, most likely it was American… I’m quoting someone who took the MSF course in America. By doing 5 more than the flow of traffic…you won’t find yourself in someone’s blind spot for prolonged periods of time. And you will be decreasing your risk of being hit from behind and being side swiped from someone passing you.
When something mechanical forces me to ride slowly…I find it very nerve wracking.
I agree with Mordeth about the 5km an hour thing. Even in Asia I would agree that it makes sense. Your own observation skills will alert you to dangers infront and there is less danger of being passed and squashed from behind.
Since Christmas my front wheel has been clipped 3 times due to scooter junkies passing and cutting in too soon - I’d ratherstay ahead of the crowd.
I agree too. I’ve been riding a loaner scooter for the last few days while I get a rebore and new camshaft (don’t ask!) and it is fecking scary! It bounces around like a damn tennis ball and maxes out at 80kph or so. Can’t stay in front of the pack so you have to ride in the middle or sit waay back and keep into the side of the road and just hope nobody rides up your arse. I don’t know how you guys do it!
[quote=“Mordeth”]
Studies have shown that the safest speed is 5 kmh faster than the flow of traffic. This prevents you from being passed regularly…and keeps you from riding in other’s blind spots…etc.[/quote]
I don’t agree. If your speed is a little faster than the flow of the traffic, it means that you are passing people. It also means that there will be a lot of people faster than you that will pass you (close to you) rather than pass the people that you pass.
On a small way (on a bridge, for example), when you will want to pass someone from the flow of the traffic, you might see in your mirror at the last moment someone riding a lot faster than you behind you, and in order to avoid a collision with him, you may come back on the right and collide the one you wanted to pass.
That’s what happened to me 2 years ago, I was not faster than the flow, I was riding at 40 km/h and I wanted to pass a bicycle. The guy behind me was at about 80 km/h, the limit was 40, the flow there is usually at 45, and I had no time to slow down enough to avoid the collision with the bicycle. The impact was pretty small, luckily the bicycle had nothing, my scooter got smashed, and the hi-speed guy had nothing since I avoided the collision with him [he probably didn’t even notice he was a problem].
Your theory doesn’t work, a lot of people drive a lot faster than the flow and your theory doesn’t care if you become dangerous for the flow. That sux.
:raspberry:
[quote=“karmaGfa”]…you might see in your mirror at the last moment someone riding a lot faster than you behind you, and in order to avoid a collision with him, you may come back on the right and collide the one you wanted to pass.[/quote]What do you mean? You should check your mirrors in plenty of time BEFORE changing lanes. At the last moment, again BEFORE changing lanes, you do a “lifesaver” shoulder check. If during either of these checks, you see comeone coming up fast behind, you don’t pull out. Simple as that.
The key to safety is flexibility. I don’t think that Mordeth was suggesting a fixed speed of 5kmh faster than the average speed of the rest of the traffic. I imagine that what he means is something about having the flexibility to respond to changing conditions. It does sometimes seem that if you are on average going a little faster then most other traffic, you can create more space and time to respond to events in a safe way. (That is, provided that you have the necessary road sense and ingrained safe habits to do so.)
Of course, you also need the flexibility to be able to slow down when needed.
What I mean is that I did check many times in my mirror, as I always do. The problem is that I saw nothing coming until I was on the left side where I saw this guy going so fast behind me that it made me immediatly decide to move back to the right side and use the break the faster than I could. The guy behind was really faster and the way on the bridge was big enough only for 2 scooters side by side.
So you caused a real collision because you were afraid of a possible collision? Why didn’t you do a quick, light double tap on the brake to activate the brake light as a warning to the guy behind? Or speed up just long enough to pass the other guy and move back into the right lane? Or just speed up and do the double tap?
Look, I really don’t mean to attack you in any way. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. I just don’t see how you can use your own misjudged situation to try to make a point about what you think Mordeth is saying.
i’ve learned to ride a bike back in germany some years ago and i believe they tought us well. a shoulder check is the minimum you do - but if you find yourself in front of everybody it will result in neck strain from turning your head constantly from left to right and back. hard to focus on the rest of the traffic, too. so i constantly check the mirors, i always know whats going on behind me. (at least so much that i can reduce the risks)
when i first got my bike i always wanted to be ahead of the crowd for exact the same reasons (and the precious little new toy i had) you guys mentioned before. but nowadays i let the punk kids do their crazy races, i’ll follow slower, with the flow or behind it and try not to be as stupid, careless and irresponsible as them. let them sort it out by themselfes. sure it sucks, and sometimes i twist the throttle and i’m up-front due to the frustration that builds up, but at the next traffic light we’ll have the same game again, and again… i have learned not to care if i am the last one to arrive at the stop light, i don’t have to keep a face… and i never had a crash or even a close encounter of the sort you guys describe. does that mean i ride safer? maybe. does it mean i am the better rider? can’t say. still consider myself as a beginner and i maintain a healthy dose of fear and carefulness when i’m on the bike. keeps me alert. and it works for me.
[quote=“Stefan”]i’ve learned to ride a bike back in Germany some years ago and I believe they tought us well. a shoulder check is the minimum you do - but if you find yourself in front of everybody it will result in neck strain from turning your head constantly from left to right and back. hard to focus on the rest of the traffic, too. so i constantly check the mirors, I always know whats going on behind me. (at least so much that I can reduce the risks)
when I first got my bike I always wanted to be ahead of the crowd for exact the same reasons (and the precious little new toy I had) you guys mentioned before. but nowadays I let the punk kids do their crazy races, i’ll follow slower, with the flow or behind it and try not to be as stupid, careless and irresponsible as them. let them sort it out by themselfes. sure it sucks, and sometimes i twist the throttle and i’m up-front due to the frustration that builds up, but at the next traffic light we’ll have the same game again, and again… I have learned not to care if i am the last one to arrive at the stop light, I don’t have to keep a face… and I never had a crash or even a close encounter of the sort you guys describe. does that mean i ride safer? maybe. does it mean i am the better rider? can’t say. still consider myself as a beginner and i maintain a healthy dose of fear and carefulness when i’m on the bike. keeps me alert. and it works for me.[/quote]It is important to maximise space between yourself and others. I am generally in front of most of the pack but behind the most crazy of the scooter punks. But it depends. Depends on the road and traffic conditions, the particular situation, and also how I am feeling. If for any reason I am feeling upset or angry I will make a conscious effort to slow down and take extra care. This is what I mean by flexibility.
I agree that a healthy dose of fear is a very good safety mechanism.
The shoulder check thing is mostly for lane changing or pulling out.
not a possible collision, a clearly imminent and a big one. I prefer to collide a bicyle at 10km/h than to be collided by a 125cc at hi-speed.
Because the guy would probably see it after the collision [did I say he was really fast ?].
I have a weak 50cc. Speed up with it mean many seconds. I only had 1.
To go faster than the flow make the flow going faster, as you are a part of the flow. Is it too difficult to just follow some rules and ride at the correct speed rather than to start to make your own ones for your own purpose ?
My point is that it is probably safer for the driver to go a little faster, but probably not for the rest of people that drive at the normal speed since they are passed more often. So globally, if you driver a little faster than the other, you will ends with some people driving a little faster than you for the same selfish reasons, and the security wouldn’t improve. In fact it would be the opposite since the overall speed would be faster.
.
and it is fecking scary! It bounces around like a damn tennis ball and maxes out at 80kph or so. Can’t stay in front of the pack so you have to ride in the middle or sit waay back and keep into the side of the road and just hope nobody rides up your arse. I don’t know how you guys do it!
(there is no one with wood…)