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First SMIDSY

8K views 67 replies 23 participants last post by  Mustang 
#1 ·
Well it finally happened, during my 240km round trip I managed to nearly come off the bike when I hit an oil patch, gained control no problem, got stuck in torrential down pour with horrendous cross winds, then finally on a round about, which I entered very slowly I watched this red 2014 commodore slowly enter in from my left and not stop. Swerved the bike to the right to angle my rear end towards her, then she hit me.

Managed to stay on the bike, she was not going that fast, many choice words that would have made a sailor blush. She was very apologetic and said the classic SMIDSY.

The good news is my DL650 had no damage, while her shiny red commodore has scratches in the front bumper. My we has claws baby!

So my first ever accident, my analysis is I probably should have turned on the gas to avoid the car, but in my defense it was wet and thought reducing the speed/energy of the overall situation may have led to a better outcome.
 
#2 ·
SMIDSY is bullshit. When I was a Police Motorcyclist people would see me 3 suburbs away, I expressly bought a white storm and white helmet and have some blue and white check reflective tape on the top box to replicate that 3 suburbs recognition factor. Its not SMIDSY its SMIDGAS - Sorry Mate, I didn't give a shit.
 
#6 ·
The SMIDSY techniques in my signature work for me and for many others.

If you take the time to read and understand what motion camoflague is about you may realize there is something else going on besides drivers not caring.

..Tom
 
#5 ·
What Ozmultis said is true.. :fineprint:

I ride white bike/white helmet black or flouro jacket... and I'm not seen.

On the rare occasion I leave my jacket off on a hot day (normally I ride ATGATT) I'm seen three blocks away by car drivers... the joy of having a light blue uniform shirt, I'm more often mistaken for police/security officer than for what my actual job is.

SMIDGAS is the real reason they don't "see" us, drivers only "see" what is a possible threat to them..... Cops and Hell's Angels are always visible to car drivers.

Make your Strom sound like a Harley and dress like a Cop, no one will come near you on the roads... >:)
 
#8 ·
Thanks Tom.

I've been doing a range of techniques, including the ones in your links, for forty odd years now... it hasn't totally stopped me from being hit by cars (twice), but it certainly has avoided a huge percentage of "probable collision" situations.

This topic needs to pop up now and then, just so "newbie" riders and returning riders can brush up on it. :thumbup:
 
#9 ·
Having a bit more time to reflect on the love tap, I think she was distracted, either mobile, passenger or illicit substance. She had slowed down at the round about, and I was almost directly in front of her when she entered (and I was moving deliberately slow), how she didn't see me amazes me, I was right in front of her, with the side profile too. Without the turn to the right she could impacted my leg and/or I would have come off the bike.

Normally when approaching intersections when cars are present I do a couple of swerves to break my image from the background, don't really care if I look like a tosser for doing it. I am certainly coming round to Ozmultis SMIDGAS philosophy.

I have been riding for a bit over 5 years now, would not call myself a veteran rider, but not a newbie either. The one thing I will say that has reduced the number of close calls I have had is taking on-board the valuable advice and insights that forums like this have to offer from those riders who have been around and a little greyer :)
 
#11 ·
i often think its a combination of SMIDSY and SMIDGAS - they are not mutually exclusive - small vehicle and less threatening vehicle - subconsciously ignored/not give due attention even if it is caught in someone's peripheral vision. Add that and SMIDSY, you can start to understand why vulnerable road users are vulnerable.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Mate - I will say it again - SMIDSY is bullshit, in over a 250,000 ks of police riding, not once not ever did I have an instance of motion camouflage - coincidence? I don't think so. In almost every fatal I investigated involving a bike that also involved a car there was simply no reason, on the evidence, for the car driver to not have given way to the bike where that was required. SMIDSY is victim blaming. Those same motorists who SMIDSY don't seem to have a problem seeing a stop sign that hasn't moved in the last decade. They seem to have little trouble slamming on the brakes when they see a speed camera van on the side of the road. What annoyed me was your patronising comment about
If you take the time to read and understand what motion camoflague is about you may realize there is something else going on besides drivers not caring.
I have read it, and your suggestion that I hadn't was simply arrogant.

But like I said - if you think it helps, go for it, I have never tried to tell other people how to ride, to busy staying alive myself. Having said that, my advice to others has always been, it can't hurt if you see the other guys eyes, and if you have a cricket bat in one hand.

Personally, whilst I don't endorse this lawless behaviour I have always been a fan of Fred Gassit's approach, "If you're not using it - you won't be needing it".

which leads me to another point - I should start a Fred Gassit thread in the Australian Forum area. God knows I need a laugh every now and then.
 

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#16 ·
Cat among the pigeons..

Oz and Tom....

You are both right.

Movement (weaving and other techniques) makes us more visible.

Looking like a Cop, or a badass Bikie/Hell's Angel, makes us visible as well.

Some people just don't register our presence because we don't stand out from the background, and some just don't give a shit... because we are not a "perceived threat" to them.

So both SMIDSY and SMIDGAS are both plausible cases.

And then you get the arsehole riders... like the one who sometimes passes me when I'm on my work commute, I'm doing 80>90 KPH (in an 80 zone, most cars/bikes doing 90>95, albeit quite safely for the road in question) when this suicidal moron lane splits at speeds up around 160>200 KPH., no one has a chance to see him coming and one day it will all turn fatal.

(NSW Highway Patrol, if you want to grab this bloke, 0630 to 0700 on Windsor Road between McGrath's Hill and Rouse Hill)
 
#20 ·
And then you get the arsehole riders... like the one who sometimes passes me when I'm on my work commute, I'm doing 80>90 KPH (in an 80 zone, most cars/bikes doing 90>95, albeit quite safely for the road in question) when this suicidal moron lane splits at speeds up around 160>200 KPH., no one has a chance to see him coming and one day it will all turn fatal.

(NSW Highway Patrol, if you want to grab this bloke, 0630 to 0700 on Windsor Road between McGrath's Hill and Rouse Hill)
At the risk of being accused of "victim-blaming", some riders are their own worst enemies. If you're doing twice the speed limit down some road and some poor schmuck pulls out in front of you, or turns left in front of you, because he saw you but didn't expect you to be approaching at twice (or more) the speed limit, it's pretty much your own damned fault.
 
#17 ·
I had a situation last year as I'm approaching a dual lane roundabout, the traffic on my right seem to have it the best and they either veer to the left off the roundabout or they right turn around it....it's kind of an odd shape intersection but the roundabout is pretty much round with a stupid high garden growing in the middle....fairdinkum.....it's hard enough without the foliage.
Anyway, the car in front has done his bolt through the roundabout and i'm at the front now awaiting to see what this BMW 3 series is gunna do....he came through and went straight but the commodore behind me was also watching the Beamer and not me and because I propped for the beamer.....the commodore went up me arse coz he wasn't looking at me but the traffic on the right trying for poll position....luckily my rear mudflap was plastic and there was no damage and I didn't come off but I gave the bloke a big lecture telling him to not worry about the bloody traffic on the right till he is up front....keep and eye on the vehicle up front and stop bloody tailgating.....he apologised and we went on our way.

I think he needed to go to spec savers :nerd:

I don't think the SMIDSY thing is bullshit per say as theres just so many things distracting drivers on the road let alone their bloody mobiles....which is a pet hate...women are worst by a long shot....variable speed signs, watching their bloody speedo every 2 seconds to make sure theres no zappers wanting their money, school zones every bloody where...fixed speed cameras and bloody cabbies darting across 3 lanes coz the bloke on the footpath scratched his nose and thought he wanted a cab.....and then you got Joe Agro who hates the fact that after crisscrossing lanes to get a 2 car advantage in his SS tradie ute.....a motorcycle filters at a set of lights and takes poll position up the front.....the SS ute dude is delirious with rage coz he can't do that.....

I shake my head every day in disbelief at the number of car drivers would challenge a 10 tonne + bus pulling out of a bus stop.....apparently the pages of their traffic handbook were glued together where it says to give way to buses pulling out from bus stops......what chances have motorcycles or even cyclists have!!

Ok rant over....I'll go and take a bex now:grin2:


cheers

wobbly_boot
 
#22 · (Edited)
...

I don't think the SMIDSY thing is bullshit per say as theres just so many things distracting drivers on the road let alone their bloody mobiles....which is a pet hate...women are worst by a long shot....variable speed signs, watching their bloody speedo every 2 seconds to make sure theres no zappers wanting their money, school zones every bloody where...fixed speed cameras and bloody cabbies darting across 3 lanes coz the bloke on the footpath scratched his nose and thought he wanted a cab.....and then you got Joe Agro who hates the fact that after crisscrossing lanes to get a 2 car advantage in his SS tradie ute...
I think one effect of all the distractions is that people spend less time actually looking and perceiving what is around them. They are giving little slices of attention to driving, the rest goes into texting or whatever. Their brain sees things in a particular place and order and only flags the consciousness if it perceives a threat.

To me this makes the concepts of motion camouflage all the more important. Since the human brain is tuned to see things moving in the field of vision as a threat, the concepts of how we can pop out of a background can help us greatly.

..Tom
 
#18 ·
you should be glad that at least the commodore guy has the decency to apologise- some of them will swear at you for their own faults...

SMIDSY describes the challenges motorcyclist face from a scientific point of view; SMIDAS (i like that term, OZMultis) is a challenge for all motorist not just motorcyclists and it is a general social problem affecting a large portion of the population
 
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#23 ·
Thanks to your post I now know what SMIDSY is, and if on a straight road the technique just could work. The problem is nowadays the majority of these accidents are because people are on their phones or distracted in other ways. Swerving or not, they keep on coming.
 
#25 ·
I had a retired CHP motorcyle. All Black and White. Scared the heck out of the fellow riders in the mountains sneaking up on them. Some folks see us and some don't see past their nose. Doesn't matter what you ride.
So just ride like you are invisible and do your best.
 
#27 ·
As someone who drives heavy vehicles on the road everyday, I notice that more young people think their reflexes will beat trouble all the time, never consider distance between vehicles...as soon as they see a hole they jump right in before they give themselves any chance of apprehending what is around them.
Secondly, the cars of today are super quiet....these days with every car has climate control air cond so driving with the windows down is rare....I know coz mine rarely come down anymore whilst driving so drivers don't get a sense of what is around them.

Thirdly...is a doozy....with many drivers on the road these days from Young licence holders to grannies is the "F*** You" attitude....abuse on the road is rife and if you're in someone's way..you're either gonna get pushed off the road or road rage verbally abused.

And guess what....when this happens to us on a motorcycle or even a bicycle, there's not a cop to be found anywhere...so the chances of getting busted...especially up here in Newcastle is pretty low coz all the cops are out there hiding in places for the easy speeding revenue and not for any of the other infringement issues.

On saying all this though, I still believe most motorists try and do the right thing, I don't think they are all out to kill or injure anyone, some get confused, some not sure or can't remember if the road rules apply in certain situations, some try and do a shifty like chucking a U-turn around traffic lights(illegal here)

Stereo typing certain motorists actually works...eg: most young twenty somethings in SS holden utes are complete dickheads:grin2:

cheers

wobbly_boot
 
#28 ·
Tell me,wobbly_boot, from a motorcyclists perspective, when you are driving a heavy vehicle and an arrogant tin-top driver cuts in giving you no time or space, do you ever get the urge to, you know, maybe just give 'em a little nudge with the bullbar? >:)
 
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#33 ·
I call bullshit on SMIDSY, to see something, you first much look.
After over 30 years driving heavy trucks, transporting Fuel, Ammonium Nitrate and Explosives, I have come to the conclusion there are 4 types of drivers.
1, those who can drive.
2, those who can't drive.
3, those who give a shit.
4, those who don't give a shit.
There is overlaps in those 4 descriptions for most drivers.
Add impatience and distraction, you have a very dangerous cocktail of person driving on the road.
All very well saying I did not see a motorcycle but how do you explain not seeing a 25 metre truck?
Add Flammable Liquid 1203 signs and you become a dickhead magnet.
More people should practice, when in doubt wait but they don't, there are to many people who are unable to judge speed/distance of an approaching vehicle, this is probably one of the biggest causes of head on collisions.
It is also the case for a lot of drivers when they see a single approaching headlight which is exacerbated at night, they can't judge the speed/distance.
Anyway, just my 2 cents.
 
#34 ·
SMIDSY or SMIDGAS?

On Saturday I was leading a the Inaugural Ride for the newly formed Facebook Group, Blue Mountains Adventure / Dual Sport Riders, when I had an example of the above (but which was it?)

While going up The Old Bells Line in North Richmond a car was waiting to pull out of a side street from my left, the driver looked at me then he waited for a car to come past the intersection from his left ( I was approaching from his right ), after the car passed him he looked at me, looked back to his left, looked back at me.... then pulled out straight across my path to do his right turn out of the side street.

I was riding my white DR650 with headlight on, wearing full flouro yellow jacket and white helmet.. as he cut across my path I stood up on the pegs, the driver had a shocked look on his face when all of a sudden he saw me 3 metres from him.

So, having looked in my direction 3 times before pulling out, did he not see me.. or did he just not care :confused:

I use riding techniques that create movement from side to side to accent the headlight and to break my outline from the background clutter, so he should have seen me without a problem.

I'm sure three of the other five riders behind me saw the incident and can confirm the event I've described above.
 
#35 ·
SMIDSY or SMIDGAS?

On Saturday I was leading a the Inaugural Ride for the newly formed Facebook Group, Blue Mountains Adventure / Dual Sport Riders, when I had an example of the above (but which was it?)
I do not see why this has to be a binary choice. People exercise varying degrees of care when looking for other traffic. I have no doubt that "didn't see" events are often, perhaps usually, enabled by a lack of conscientious effort to devote full attention to the driving task. It is fair to characterize this combination as "Did not give enough shits about avoiding accidents at the opportune time." (I take the "shit" as a unit of concern measure.) The result may well be a SMIDSY event. The culprit could probably more honestly say "Sorry Mate, I did not see you because I was focused on something other than driving."

While going up The Old Bells Line in North Richmond a car was waiting to pull out of a side street from my left, the driver looked at me then he waited for a car to come past the intersection from his left ( I was approaching from his right ), after the car passed him he looked at me, looked back to his left, looked back at me.... then pulled out straight across my path to do his right turn out of the side street.

I was riding my white DR650 with headlight on, wearing full flouro yellow jacket and white helmet.. as he cut across my path I stood up on the pegs, the driver had a shocked look on his face when all of a sudden he saw me 3 metres from him.

So, having looked in my direction 3 times before pulling out, did he not see me.. or did he just not care :confused:

I use riding techniques that create movement from side to side to accent the headlight and to break my outline from the background clutter, so he should have seen me without a problem.

I'm sure three of the other five riders behind me saw the incident and can confirm the event I've described above.
I am having some difficulty visualizing this sequence and still seeing it as reckless driving on the surprised driver's part. If you were standing on the pegs while on a collision trajectory, then you were greatly compromising your ability to decelerate hard. Yet such deceleration as you managed while standing was enough to avoid the collision. To me, that indicates, at worst, a misjudgment of your approach rate, which surprised the driver when he realized it. He may well have given a shit, (or more than 1.0 shits), and simply pulled out when there was less margin for error than he thought there was.

Apparently, this was an incident that developed slowly enough for you to decide to stand up, which indicates to me that either there was low risk of hitting the guy or you have a very "devil may care" attitude about survival. (I would be tempted to measure that using the "shit" unit too.)
 
#40 ·
My theory is that it's proportional.....the more you have to do with bikes, the more likely you are to see them on the road. Therefore someone who has nothing at all to do with bikes will most likely not notice them as much.
 
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#41 ·
Best thread in ages! Realistically the message is "I am NOT paranoid - they ARE out to get me".
The statistics for death or serious injury for motorcyclists involved in collisions are extreme.
Bottom line - if you wish to draw a pension there is only only one person you should rely on - yourself. You are the vulnerable one among a whole lot of strangers, many of whom may be giving scant attention to their fellow road users.
 
#47 ·
Time to get back to the true topic.

Let's call a truce to the various slanging matches before this thread gets "Locked" down.

We all have had close call experiences, reading what others also do in emergency situations can help enhance our own skill sets (or show us what not to do in some cases)

Ride safe everyone. :smile2:
 
#48 ·
Fair call, but - I will never be convinced that it is my fault if someone doesn't see me.
 
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#50 · (Edited)
These yanks keep wanting to play the man not the ball? I don't get that, no discussion on the merits of the concept just personal attacks on someone with a different opinion, strange behaviour, and they call me arrogant. FFS
 
#56 ·
It's how keyboard warriors react when they are confronted with someone that truly has the experience while there "knowledge" is more "faith/belief" based..... or simply an excuse to keep doing what they do.

It's actually really sad how on these forums someone with years of PROFESSIONAL experience, training and passion is attacked by these forum bullies. Pathetic personal attacks.... very childish really.

When it come to Yanks (and I am one) keep in mind that a lot of them believe in Intelligent Design and not the since of Evolution.
But that can be fun when you ask them to try and explain the "intelligent design" of the scroutum.:wink2:
 
#51 ·
I have always said that whenever I'm on the road I need to know what the other idiot is going to do before the other idiot knows he is going to do it.

It has worked for me up to this point in time.
 
#65 ·
Deleted

Happy to let the poor old Canadian have the last word
 
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