Author: Loren Nelson

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Motorcycle Blind Spots

All vehicles have blind spots; areas that the driver cannot see. These are usually to the rear and rear quarter. Larger vehicles have larger blind spots that could hide several cars or a truck. Even small blind spots can hide motorcycles!

This is a problem because if you bump a motorcycle, you are more likely to cause a lot more damage than if you bump another car or truck. The rider will be off and at the mercy of passing vehicles.

Motor cyclists need to be aware of this as they ride. Keeping a long way back in a separate lane or far over in the same lane, will ensure that the driver can see you. Keeping well ahead will help too. So what to do when you need to pass someone?

You need to know where the blind spot will be, to the side of the vehicle and broadening with distance. You then need to get through it quickly and swerve away from the vehicle you are passing at the same time, just in case.

Plan ahead, just so you do not rush straight into another vehicle’s blind spot in your hurry to get through the first. Also look out for aids, such as side mirror indicators, which might just catch a driver’s eye and keep you safe.

Drivers themselves also need to help. They have to keep bikes in mind as they plan each move and be aware that there is always a blind spot. This is where use of wing mirrors comes in and experimenting with frog-eye and extension mirrors, on top of the normal side mirror, may assist.

However, you will still have a blind spot big enough for bikes to hide in and you should be extra careful when moving from one lane to another.

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Why is it so dangerous to switch lanes?

As you motor along at high speed, why not take advantage of the space on the freeway and pass the guy in front by switching lanes? This move is not as easy as it looks and can be dangerous.

The problem is that while you are tailing someone, they can see you through their rear view mirror and you can see them. As soon as you start to move there are problems all round.

First off, you have blind spots in your vision. A large area down each side of your car will be invisible to you, even with side mirrors. A car travelling in the adjacent lane, a bit behind you, will not be seen by you. However, it will be hit by you if you move out.

You have to give lots of indication that you intend to move out. When you do move, do so slowly and smoothly, giving time for others to use their horn or move out of the way if there is a problem.

Then you have to consider where you are moving to. As you move alongside the car in front, you will be moving into its blind spot. The driver will not see you and in driving along with all the other distractions, may forget you are there. Are you ready if he decides to move out into your lane? Keep over and be ready to sound your horn to remind him you are there.

As you move past, keeping an eye on the car you are passing, because the job is still not finished. You may now be moving into the blind spot of another car in a lane further out to yours, or of a car in front of the car you are passing. Switching lanes can make you invisible!

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Safe Travelling In Your Motor Home

Your motor home will be your pride and joy and source of much fun and adventure, but you need to ensure you are travelling safely in it.

It’s really a question of getting your head round the fact that you are no longer driving a car, with its familiar shape and size and compact trunk. A motorhome is a big vehicle with its own problems.

Firstly, what is in it; not just a few cases and a map or two? Before you even start the engine to move you must ensure that everything is tidy and safe. Are the chairs and tables lashed or stowed so they cannot move? Are smaller items like crockery secure? Anything that can slide or roll must be lodged somewhere so that nothing gets broken, but also so that the weight of the vehicle does not shift as you drive.

Another difference is that you will probably be carrying fuels. Are you cooking with gas or paraffin? These are dangerous and need to be secure and away from anything which could start a fire. A leak onto the road or any moving parts could be catastrophic.

Make sure all cables and hoses are off and your windows and skylights are locked shut.

Once you do get going you need to take account of the extra dimensions. Cross winds are a problem, especially on exposed ground or over bridges. You will not have the pull-away power you are used to and will have to wait.

You will have trouble adjusting to restricted vision and reliance on more mirror work than normal. Look out for more blind spots of greater size which can hide more. Consider how to tackle the vast blind spot areas not only behind you but also to the side. Keep safe, look out!

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Things To Know When On Our Roads

Here are some ideas of things you really ought to make sure you know before you set off on that journey.

  1. Laws. You should have a valid licence and be familiar with the laws on insurance and use of roads where you intend to drive. You must comply with any restrictions on your licence and any laws affecting the journey you want to make.
  2. Regulations. Not as clear as laws, but often just as bad if you mess up. Each state will have regulations about dozens of technical issues such as the amount of tyre tread you should have, the pollution emissions allowed, the specification of seat belts, how loads must be fixed and many others.
  3. Geography. Find out where you are going and what the roads are like. Are there any major obstructions at present? Are there any tolls? Where are the gas stations and where will you stop?
  4. Inside your vehicle. You need to know its limitations, its pull away capabilities and its quirky gear issues. You also need to know where the buttons for lights and horn are, how to move the windows and the seats and how to turn on the window heater and the indicators.
  5. Outside your vehicle. You need to be familiar with the shape and dimensions of your car. Can you see the end of the bonnet or does it dip down so there is more room? Can you judge the length to the rear? Do the side mirrors give you a good view? Do they need adjusting and where are the blind spots? Is there a tow bar sticking out which you cannot see? Is there a roof rack or travel system above which you might forget?

Answer all these and your journey will be much safer!

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How do you use a towing mirror?

You are driving along towing something behind your car. It might be a caravan, a trailer of some sort; it might be related to work or holiday. Your normal vision from your wing mirrors is obstructed and you need to use a set of towing mirrors.

You will find many versions on the market and you need to try them out on your car before you drive. Some are sold with one particular model of car in mind and others fit all sorts. You need to ensure you have one that will suit your car.

You can buy flat or convex mirrors. The latter give you extra width of vision but a stranger perspective and you need to consider which is best suited to you.

The mirrors you attach must be outside the normal side mirrors, but not too far away from the car. Different states and countries have different laws and regulations covering this. You do not want to be looking too far away from the car and you do not want to create another obstacle to fellow road users by having things sticking out the side too much.

The towing mirrors need to be fixed and adjusted for your driving. This means checking that you can actually see them and that they are showing you not only the side and rear quarter, but also some of the area behind the elongated vehicle.

All of this needs testing and trying before you set off. Sit in the car and check and adjust the mirrors so that you have the best view possible. Have someone walk slowly round the vehicle so that you can get used to what is visible and what still isn’t. You will need to note the blind spots and keep them in mind as you drive.

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Do motorbikes have blind spots?

All motor vehicles have blind spots, including motorbikes. Motorcyclists might think the smaller structure of their vehicle means they do not have a problem, but that would be complacent.

The rider can only look forward for most of the time. Rear vision is almost entirely reliant on side mirrors. They will each show an area to the rear and rear side of the rider’s forward area of vision. They will not show the whole picture.

Since the rider can see to the side, with a quick glance every now and then, it is easy to assume that the rider has a full view. However, careful assessment of the movement of vehicles around the bike will show that there are blind spots.

These are smaller than those on cars, trucks and other larger vehicles, but they are there even so and should always be borne in mind.

Since the blind spot is small, a short delay in movement, particularly from one lane to anther, will usually reveal whether there is a car lurking there. It is unlikely that the blind spot will conceal a larger vehicle.

The biggest problem is with other motorbikes. These are small, often fast moving and less likely to be traveling in an entirely predictable path than a car. Bikes are more likely to weave within a lane, whether by accident or design, road or weather conditions. Even another bike rider might find it difficult always to remember exactly where fellow bikers are.

The rider should consider additional, blind spot mirrors and acquire the habit of a quick half turn to look behind the shoulder. Properly adjusted mirrors will give a wider field of vision and reduce the blind spot.

Blind spots can kill riders and they need to deal with them just like other road users.

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Where is my blind spot?

You are driving along the road, keeping a careful lookout for dangers. Yet, did you know that a large area around you is invisible to you and that other road users could be very close to crashing into you before you ever saw them?

You are fairly safe looking forward as long as your window is clear. You can also look sideways through windows as long as your passenger is keeping out of the way.

Have a look in your rear view mirror. Again, if there is nothing in the way, you should have a good view directly behind the vehicle. The problem comes in the area from 90 to 180 degrees from your forward vision. The big problem comes if you think your side mirrors cover this area. They don’t.

Your side mirrors show the view down the side of the vehicle. They show further out to the side, the further back you are looking. If you keep the side of your car in your side mirrors, a vehicle could be very close to your side without you seeing it. If you push your side mirrors out, to catch a wider view, you will leave a gap right next to your car which you will not be able to see.

A vehicle following you will be easily visible in your rear view mirror. It will then pull out of your vision as it moves out to overtake. It will drift into vision on the wing mirror eventually, but may disappear again before you can actually see it from looking out of your side window.

So, as you hurtle along the freeway about half the area to the rear of your side on view will be invisible to you. What can you do about that?