Argh SMIDSY's

[totalllama82]

It seems I go through stages where I get a patch of SMIDSY's and wondered if you guys got this too?

Sunday, a leisurely ride down to my branch of J&S and took the long way home through some of the twisty A roads. Taking my time at the back of a line of cars we approch a crossroad where my road has right of way (A road where a B road crosses). A guy in a VW golf is sitting patiently until the line of cars in front of me pass then lunges 6 feet forward/into my path. Luckily i'm not doing anything crazy so jam on the anchors and give him a questioning look.

Monday, A 2 lane roundabout, taking the third exit. I'm in the right lane going round past exit 2 and a van hurtles out into the inside lane without looking. He got a fingerwag 'naughty'.

Tuesday, Filtering through a line of cars doing about 5 mph. Road is jammed up. A guy switches lanes without indicating (or looking!) in front of me. I get side by side to see his blackberry in his lap and a big glum look on his coupon. He got the visor point - mirror point - head shake treatment.

Hopefully thats my last one for a wee while. Reckon I need to bust out the hi vis vest again
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Gone: Haotian HT125-8 / Yamaha YZF 600R Thundercat / Kawasaki ZX9R C2
Current: Kawasaki ZZR 1400 A7F

[The Artist]

It is called simple probability. If a certain biker in certain gear on a certain bike on average gets pulled out on once a day, somewhere it will happen 100 times in 1 day then nothing for the next 99 days.

Shit happens, high vis ftw

[neil.]

Don't bother with the hi-viz - makes no difference - I still got taken out by someone who didn't look.

[The Artist]

[P.]

Orange wheels, loud can, bright lid.

I've never worn a hi viz, so haven't been able to see what changes on my commute... but i've been pretty SMIDSY free recently

[totalllama82]

With the HiVis, i found the biggest difference filtering. There is a noticeable amount of people who seem to make room for you.

I put it away for the lighter days but now that Scotland is in deep winter (one of its two yearly seasons) I reckon it is a good shout.
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Gone: Haotian HT125-8 / Yamaha YZF 600R Thundercat / Kawasaki ZX9R C2
Current: Kawasaki ZZR 1400 A7F

[J.M.]

I had one this morning actually; was just moving over into a left hand only lane (traffic to the right of me had stopped, I was about to be the first in the left hand only lane. Well anyhow, riding over the "keep clear" lines a van decides to pull out from here.
He only pulled a foot or two out before he spotted me, and I was going slow enough to stop if he didn't so not too fussed about it really
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900

[iooi]

[neil.]

Don't get me wrong I still wear one (might count towards your favour in a SMIDSY by making you look more responsible etc to insurers) - perhaps I should have worded my last post differently. I meant to say that they haven't made much difference in my experience (don't notice more or less near misses whether I'm wearing it or not), and I think it was Teflon-Mike who pointed out a study that showed they can actually 'camouflage' you because people are so used to seeing them, that their subconscious doesn't acknowledge you. I think he suggested that a Sam Browne belt would be better at breaking up your outline whilst others recognised you as a 2-wheeled vehicle/horse person pretty much immediately.

[The Artist]

There are lots of people on the road, all with varying amounts of looking time.

If someone doesn't look at all, nothing will make a difference, just don't be there is the best advice.

If someone looks quickly, high vis makes a difference, as does headlight being on, as does LED's etc

The ideal would be a strobe light but I am sure the rozzers wouldn't be too happy

[wilbur]

[Gleamingbike]

Talk about SMIDSY's, back in August 2008 while riding my freshly restored Gpz 750 Unitrak I thought I'd take her out for a few miles prior to an oil change, dual carriageway approaching a roundabout I was in the right hand lane to go straight on ( well within my rights but looking back now I suppose I left myself a bit vulnerable) the car in the left hand lane was a left hooker with Belgian plates and the back window stuffed up with clothes!, we were neck and neck on the roundabout when f**k me he swings hard right and twats and breaks my left ankle hurling me over the handlebars only to land on my left shoulder which immediatly broke, managed to roll onto the central reservation where I effed and gesticulated to the offender who turns out to be an immigrant of African origin who does nothing but stand there looking at me, a short while later a paramedic and police car turn up with two officers to take brief statements and what a supprise the offender can't speak English.

Six weeks later and with the plastercast off I find out that the police considered an arrest for dangerous driving but were unable to obtain an interpreter on that day to read him his rights so let him go after he gave them a false address. ( please note, not blaming the police for that but the stupid system)

Looking back now I just put this down to a crap day and try to gain from the experience in my riding.
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RXS 100-- RD350 LC YPVS-- Gpz 900R-- Gpz 750 Unitrak-- Gsxr 750 SRAD.

[...]

I was knocked off whilst wearing my hi-vis. Even got the immortal words "Sorry mate I didn't see you".

Just saying

[The Artist]

I didn't say high vis prevented smidsy's, it just reduces the risk

[MaybeGuy]

why is this shit about fake SMIDSYs going about?

AFAI'm concerned, a smidsy is a crash, not a near miss.

all these claimed ones are fucking NEAR MISSES. crash or something, and when the guy gets out of the car and says ''sorry mate I didn't see you'', then make a post about having one.
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Blue_SV650S wrote: it was a sh1te wheelie, but it proves that he can get it up in 3rd and can do angles. In summery, mattsprattuk is a gobby little sh1tebag, dopehead tw4t, but sadly for all of us, he probably isn't THAT full of sh1te!!
Kickstart wrote: Hi I tend to agree with Matt. All the best Keith

[DrDonnyBrago]

[shereen]

I have never worn a high vis apart from on my DAS. And I dont think I could be persuaded to, by people saying it makes a difference because IMO I dont think it does.

What I find makes the most difference is a loud end can, and lots of revs when filtering.

My bike had its MOT last week, I had the standard can on whilst riding to work, the amount of times I nearly got deaded on the way there was a massive increase compared to when I have my Tyga fitted
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"The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had"

[Redoko]

[Rogerborg]

[DrDonnyBrago]

[The Artist]

Riding dangerously because you feel safer is nothing to do with high vis, that it the rider.

I wear it because at night with my crappy headlight I am more visible. I can see my arms glowing under street lights and in other people lights.

[DrDonnyBrago]

[The Artist]

Why take the risk though? If it does help, which it may, then why not wear it?

[DrDonnyBrago]

[The Spin Doctor]