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Maclarion t1_iswb991 wrote

And nowhere do they think to include a graphic, photograph, or drawing of said new motorcycle lighting design, the thing most of the title was named after.

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Tememachine t1_iswdf68 wrote

Came here to vent about this. What a tease. I feel trolled.

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Blazerblaster t1_isxtas6 wrote

Right? All that typing and all it needed was a simple drawing, even a bad one.

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deadbiker t1_iswbuug wrote

That's why a lot of bikers, including me, put auxiliary lights on either side of the wheel. You then have a triangle of light which makes it more conspicuous and easier for cars to judge speed and distance. Doesn't help with the texters, though.

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TheLazyD0G t1_iswcyra wrote

Texters miss cops dressed as giant traffic cones using cross walks.

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Cocomojoe16 t1_iswhjd3 wrote

Yeah the days I spent flagging for bridge construction showed me how inattentive people are. (Wearing high visibility vest and hard hat, a reflective stop sign in the middle of the lane as well as three orange signs leading up to me telling that there’s a flagger apparently isn’t enough)

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Ch483 t1_isw9jvq wrote

Now they need to find a solution for the assholes driving while texting/Instagraming/or taking selfies.

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aneeta96 t1_iswd7yd wrote

You are that solution. Ride like everyone is out to kill you.

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Maclarion t1_isweeqt wrote

This is the best answer in application, but falls short of holding all motorists accountable to hold up their end of road safety responsibility.

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jrob323 t1_iswn6bd wrote

Motorcyclists need to hold up their end as well, instead of attempting to recreate scenes out of Mad Max on absurdly overpowered crotch rockets.

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Strazdas1 t1_isx500u wrote

Nah, lets just change laws that allow motorcyclists to create more dangerous situations like we do now, then blame the cars because they are "heavier and need to protect lighter people in traffic"

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NohPhD t1_isxeme6 wrote

In the first half of my life, I rode 175K miles commuting long distances across the high desert in New Mexico. I was involved in three accident, all T-boning a car making a left hand turn across traffic.

All were In the day time.

Driving motorcycles definitely increases your overall survivability, if you can survive the education. It’s a pretty brutal application of applied Darwinism.

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Snow_powder t1_iswinvg wrote

Now the need to find a solution for the assholes driving on the opposite side of the road, 50 kph above the speed limit or above the traffic speed, with a modified exhaust, full beam and warning on.

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jrob323 t1_iswmtvq wrote

I'm not buying these "distracted driver" or "bikes are hard to see" excuses anymore until the percentage of bikers I see on the highway driving recklessly falls back below 50%.

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[deleted] t1_iswf0ev wrote

[deleted]

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jrob323 t1_iswmdu5 wrote

In some states riders don't have to wear helmets at all, and many don't!

Motorcycles don't have seatbelts, airbags, or any kind of physical protection for the passenger(s). An accident that would be a minor annoyance in a car can be instantly fatal to a motorcyclist.

Add to this that some motorcycles have an extremely high horsepower to weight ratio and are favored by young thrill-seeking riders with little experience, and you have a recipe for disaster. Increasing the number of headlights isn't going to address these inherent problems.

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nydutch t1_isx0apo wrote

They are two separate issues. Inattentional blindness is a real thing. I almost got run over once by a car making an illegal left out of a shopping center while I was waiting in a turn lane for my green arrow. Thankfully they saw me at the absolute last second and jammed on the brakes. They stopped 6 inches from my left leg.

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Strazdas1 t1_isx52ac wrote

motorcyclist is just a short word for "organ donor on wheels"

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Drumlin t1_isx2dv0 wrote

Motorcyclist here. I avoid riding at night whenever possible, and it's not, primarily anyway, because of the other drivers.

It's the critters. Deer, feral hogs, racoons, possums, armadillos, etc. are most active at night.

Added lighting will not help with those.

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RianJohnsonSucksAzz t1_iswkb6z wrote

It’s not the lights. It’s the stupidity of a lot of motorcycle riders.

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vashonite t1_iswpqut wrote

Yes AND it’s a lot of other factors. Including people driving cars not seeing motorcycles.

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jpb225 t1_iszrezs wrote

It's definitely both. If you ever want to feel completely invisible, get on a bike. People genuinely do not see you, even when they look directly at you. Obviously lots of crashes are the rider's fault, but even very careful defensive riders get hit by car drivers. Inattentional blindness is a real thing, and there have been plenty of studies demonstrating that drivers' brains simply filter out people on motorcycles a lot of the time. Anything that helps prevent that is going to save lives.

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sdmichael t1_iswksvt wrote

There is sadly a lot of that. Way too much of it.

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arfbrookwood t1_isxkmck wrote

As someone who recently started riding a motorcycle, and taking it very seriously, I have learned a lot. There are a lot of idiots on motorcycles. There are a lot of distracted drivers. There are things you can do as a motorcyclist to really increase your chances of survivability by increasing your awareness your personal protection and your visibility. And there are things you can’t protect against,Because you still have to ride like no one can see you. All that said, the very first time I rode a motorcycle, I understood. I understood why people love them and why they are an amazing form of personal transportation. Riding motorcycles has made me a better driver. I would still not choose to ride a motorcycle on the highway if I had another alternative, because the risk of a life ending accident is just too great. But on a scenic back road, along an ocean, or a lake, or through the mountains, it’s absolutely by far the best way to see the world the way it is without walking.

As far as this article goes, I choose to ride with a headlight modulator and reflective gear.

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Ad_Honorem1 t1_iswlc78 wrote

Unfortunately, the only "safety measure" a lot of bikers seem to care about is an exhaust that deafens everybody within a 2 mile radius.

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originalhandy t1_isxrc6q wrote

Lights won't make people use signals, check mirrors, turn head for blind spots. No thanks to the extra lights

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youll_dig-dug t1_isxxunm wrote

From the article "Now a new study has found that a reimagined lighting configuration -- six lights running from the top to the bottom of a motorcycle rather than a single headlight -- could help improve other motorists’ abilities to see them."

Additional safety measures would be not driving like f****** a*******.... No one ever talks about the issues regarding reckless driving contributing to motorcycle accidents.

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Strazdas1 t1_isx4tg0 wrote

It wont be implemented because the motorcyclists want "the raw motorcycle feel". Just like it took decades for better engine designs to be adapted outside of Japan.

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