'Life Savers' - waste of time?

[Blue_SV650S]

I can't see sh1t when I do them ... especially when I have my offroad lid/goggles on ....

My question is - is it not better to just have kept tabs on what is going on behind by good rear view mirror observation? ... we don't do life savers in a car (yes I know we are more vulnerable, but its not deemed necessary in a motor car/ car test).

Do you do life savers? Can you see enough to really make them worthwhile??

Discuss.
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The purpose of life is to fight maturity.

[clancy]

changing lanes on dual carridgeways etc is the only time i bother, like you say, most of the time you cant see properly anyway.

[Whosthedaddy]

I do lifesavers in the car?

Test

Get someone to look at their watch
Ask them to look at their watch again and then a third time.

Now ask them to tell you the time.

How many will tell you or need to look again?

There's looking and then there's checking correctly. As far as I'm concerned it goes hand in hand with regular obs in the mirrors and then a quick peripheral check with a life saver.
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Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy

[KevTM]

The lifesavers required for the test, well, I can't remember half of them. I keep an eye on my mirror but don't rely on it, I still do lifesavers when changing lanes.. I can see perfectly but that's because I have to turn my body as well as my head otherwise my visor pops up at any sort of progressive speed.

[swiftb]

I do em when I feel it neccesary, if ive lost track of whats in my mirrors etc. Interesting you say you dont do them in the car. Not 'lifesavers' as such but I always do a blindspot check when joining a dual carrieageway/motorway from a slip road. Seen too many people not do them and carry off the good old 'holy f*k where did that come from!' swerve manouvre, when they realise someones practically alongside them!

[uniuk2000]

[Kickstart]

Hi

I do them on a bike and in the car. And doing them in the passenger seat of a car stopped the driver knocking someone off a bike.

In some cars it is pretty easy to hide a pretty large vehicle in the blind spots not covered by the mirrors.

That said there is the down side of the vehicle in front standing on the brakes while you are looking over your shoulder.

All the best

Keith
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[Blue_SV650S]

I dunno, if I am due to change lane or turn right, on the 'build up' I up the frequency of looking in the mirror/s I AM looking for hazardous at that point, not just general gander. So I am not really sure any additional information is gleaned by an obstructed view 'life saver' .... much of the time I don't bother at all ... sometimes I do out of habit or if my run-up period to the maneuver was particularly short ...
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The purpose of life is to fight maturity.

[Whosthedaddy]

[clancy]

yeah thats a point.
rearending someone due to looking behind you.

[Carl_steveo]

I tend to just keep tabs on what vehicles are around me and where. I use my mirrors alot more than I do lifesavers. I have only ever once changed lane to find someone in that spot. I had done a lifesaver but that person obviously saw what I was thinking and decided to try and stop me.
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Luke "cant be arsed to read your post, but suck my balls anyway."

[Mudskipper]

Always done them in the car, long before I knew the proper name for them.

In fact this habit prevented a collision on the motorway just the other day. Smack bang in the middle of my blind spot he was.

I think they can be useful if done appropriately. Not like in Mattspratts example.

edit: I'll rephrase that - sounds like i'm saying matt lifesavered inappropriately. I think it was more unfortunate. He could've just used mirrors and seen the car in front brake - but might easily have missed an overtaking vehicle in the blind spot.
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[Blue_SV650S]

[That_Hornet]

Ive lost my left hand mirror so i always do lifesavers.



I've missed some You Tube worthy crashes by dong life savers.

[Blue_SV650S]

[Ste]

Mirrors?!? On an offroad bike?!? Pffft, you must be some kind of safety nazi!!

Sure on the 'build up' to changing lane or turning right you might have been frequently looking in your mirrors for hazards, but it's quite possible for something to have happened between times when you look in the mirrors, or something could be lurking in your blind spot the whole time.

Make sure there's a big enough gap so that you're not fucked if the car in front decides to brake suddenly whilst you're looking over your shoulder. IMO it's worth doing life savers just to avoid the possibility of ending up as a statistic.

I do life savers when in cars, when on bikes, when on pushbikes, and lots of the time when on foot as well.

[TheDonUK]

I do them,

Can remeber at least 2 times it has saved me from having a nasty crash when changing names, probably more...
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]

[Whosthedaddy]

[Blue_SV650S]

[Andy C]

Just before I sold the 'Four I had got complacent and wondered why I needed to do lifesavers. I was emerging onto a two-lane road (but in town so not really a duel carriage way).

When waiting to turn I saw a few cars and a red micra. Since I had done this junction many times and had seen the traffic, when I joined the left lane and saw the said red micra and knew its position and was in the process of moving to the right lane with a quick mirror check and no lifesaver.

Just as i was on the lane paint a red micra passes me with millimeters to spare. Due to the changing lanes was based on what was behind this red micra I had an extreme near miss of moving infront of the second micra and TBH have no idea where the second/first micra it had came from .

While there is no point doing them if your not actually looking I personally feel your an accident waiting to happen if you never perform them
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99 RS125 --> 02 SV650s --> 03 Speed Four --> 92 RXS100 --> 93 CB400sf --> 01 CB600f Hornet

[Devils Advocate]

Lifesavers....all the time/everyday!!

On the 2 occasions i forgot...i got a wake up call both times

[Ste]

[Devils Advocate]

Lifesavers....all the time/everyday!!

On the 2 occasions i forgot...i got a wake up call both times

[Vin]

Looking before manoeuvering is to be recommended. I chose what I think is the most appropriate method of observation for the situation. So if I can't see properly with mirrors I'll look over my shoulder. In car and on bike. Just routinely doing them cos thats what the test requires is pointless. Having said that I always check over my shoulder when changing lanes.
I hate the term "lifesaver" Why don't we call using the brakes a life saver?? Or putting your helmet on the right way round.

[KevTM]

it's not "correct" not to do a lifesaver 100% of the time.

(quote used for effect, if you'd read t.c.'s thread)