Taking It For Granted
Becoming the expert you have sought for so long to be can lead to its own problems.
Q: I’m an, expert how can this cause problems
A: It’s not so much about being an expert of having developed the expertise, but more that some riders will be sticking rigidly to advanced riding rules. Most people know that the right place to be for a left hand bend is out in the middle of the road so you get maximum visibility, but some advanced riders stay there when there’s oncoming traffic. The car or lorry only needs to deviate slightly and you’re suddenly dealing with a serious crash because of the combined closing speeds.
Q? That sounds scary…
A: It certainly is. I’ve watched people do this during courses and it’s very alarming. I may be following them and may even have observed an oncoming vehicle across a field but they may have missed it I often find myself wincing, thinking ‘what the hell are you doing, how could you not see that or anticipate it?’ That’s when its time to pull over for friendly debrief. Often they will say ‘It’s the right place to ride’.
Q? But isn’t it, technically speaking, according to the books
A: Not at all. Many advanced riders get this accuracy thing into their head, telling themselves they must be inch perfect, and to demonstrate that accuracy, they ride in the middle of the road, even when there is traffic coming the other way. What they fail to miss is the hidden message about advanced riding. That is to develop as a thinking rider. One who considers each event and corner even as it unfolds and applies their knowledge and expertise to that situation there and then. Sometimes I think there can be an arrogance with people who regard themselves as advanced riders and that seems to overcome common sense.
Q: So why are they doing it
Basically, they’re forgetting why they’re in the middle of the road: to increase their view and to see danger earlier. And if you see it, you need to react to it.
Q: But why do they do it? Is there a reason…
You could think of this type of riding as a form of showing off, proving that you can put the bike exactly where you want it to be. That’s great, but if you feel as if moving away from the centreline in the face of oncoming traffic shows inaccuracy, there’s something badly wrong.
The same applies to right-handers, where I see riders hugging the far left of the road, riding where all the potholes and dead badgers are. It’s a balance all the time between view, position and safety, with safety always being the prime concern. Motorcycling is a very practical skill and applying what you’ve read in a book is all very well, but you have to be flexible in applying it in the real world.
Q? Any other experienced rider errors
A:Filtering, because we can become blasé and do it too fast.. That’s really just looking for trouble. You have no time to react if anything goes wrong. Also, always keep the car in front in your peripheral vision when approaching roundabouts. You might be able to see the roundabout is clear, you may also follow the mantra ‘look to go but be prepared to stop’ but they may not have even looked yet or may even be the type of driver who stops and looks every time Without that vehicle in you peripheral vision and he slams his brakes on at the last minute to be on the safe side. That’s a classic experienced rider’s crash.