I've been doing that for almost the full 40 years I've been riding [an old rider taught it to me].

I also use a range of other tactics that keep me in the visible points of car drivers.

I move around behind the car from one external mirror to the other, never directly behind the car.

Moving around when there is oncoming traffic also makes a bike more visible to cars that may be about to overtake the one you can see coming towards you.

We are entitled to use the lane we are travelling in and I use ALL of it to keep myself as safe as possible.

 

Wasn't able to view the video, but have a theory about cager turn-ins. I owned a Honda Element years ago and found myself pulling out in front of cars I never saw. It was a left turn onto a road. The Element had a huge windshield post. I finally realized that cars were hidden behind that wide post and I had to make a point of moving my head to see around it. I think it happens to a lesser extent on other cars especially with a thinner MC. If the video is about making S turns as you approach an intersection, I could see how that might help. No chance of changing driver habits about looking carefully.

 

All modern cars seem to come with huge blind spots, now. In front you can probably thank rollover protection requirements, SRS side curtain airbags, and steeply raked windshield that put the A-pillar much closer to you. I've also noticed that the rear pillar (usually the C, sometimes B or D) on many cars these days is very large. On many new CUVs I've seen, what looks like a nice big expanse of glass at the rear turns out from the inside to be concealing very thick rear pillars and rear hatch frames. Partially a result of lazy engineering, I think, and putting styling before practicality. My Volvo 245 (wagon), Nissan Multi (Stanza Wagon in the US) and Nissan Micra, all wagons/hatchbacks, did not have this problem, in fact they had nice large rear windows and reasonably slender pillars and surrounds that allowed a decent rearward view. Well, I guess now rear view cameras are getting to be almost standard - in fact, I seem to recall hearing that the US gov't (NHTSA or some such?) was talking about making them mandatory (maybe only for SUVs?).


Anyway, good to keep bringing up the SMIDSY factory, and the psychology behind it. Once you're really aware of it, it becomes almost automatic to look for places where it might be happening, and take action (lateral movement) to reduce the risk.

 

Another advantage of the weave is that motorists put extra distance between themselves and that motorcycle rider who might be drunk or something else evidently wrong with them.........:yesnod:

 

I've been doing the weave the last couple of years. I agree, not only do the cars (usually) notice you, they fear for their own safety with this weaving lunatic ready to head right for them.

I think it works. It's fun. It's cheap insurance. I also think that because you are in a dynamic mode already, actively handling your bike rather than in some sublime resting-on-your-haunches state, you're in a better position to quickly make any avoidance moves.

Marc

 

"Element had a huge windshield post."

I noticed that on a Jeep I drove. Really poor engineering on the makers part.
But little brains are responsible for the preponderance of the crashes. Lack of income...they couldn't afford to pay attention.

 

Wow, I've been riding for 15 years and have never heard if this. I'll start doing it immediately. It will be nice to be able to do something about that anticipation period when I see a teenager on his or her cellphone about to turn in front of me. Thanks!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Motorcycle.com Free App

 

I was taught that also by a very old rider he weaved all the time I think most of the time it was because he was drunk. I weave at all intersections that I come across except I do not drink and I believe it helps alot.:thumbup:

Respectfully. Doug

 

I've been doing this for a while now as well with good results (apparently) but oddly enough in one incident I seem to have angered a motorist by doing it, for reasons I have not been able to figure out.

Traveling through a town with a typical 5-lane main street - two in each direction and one center turn lane - I was in the leftmost lane approaching someone coming the other way, sitting in the center turn lane waiting to turn left across my path. Typical anti-SMIDSY-weave scenario. So I did the weave as I approached, and as I went by she was yelling something out the window at me. In the split-second I passed right by her and had close eye contact she was clearly quite torqued. I was going the speed limit, not holding her up or anything, so it was either she thought I was drunk or was pissed about my riding, I don't know. Don't care much either, other than it stands out as a curiousity to me.

 

The video might be spot on for British drivers, but it is far too generous for US drivers, who do so many things wrong you can hardly list them all. I treat every vehicle entering my path as threat.

 

I have an instinct for bad drivers. I can usually spot the ones that are going to do something squirrely because they're usually already doing something that makes them stand out. You know what I mean, without being able to put your finger on it exactly, or explain it in words, you just know that car is going to make an unsignalled lang change right in front of you. I listen to my instincts.

 

While I suppose it's ok to weave at every intersection don't loose sight of what he said "if the background is not moving behind the suspect car it's not moving behind you" That's when the weave is called for. If it is moving behind the suspect car it's not really needed.
ps It's kind of fun to look for background movement as a drill.

 

Registered just to correct this as this is a pretty prominent thread on google when searching for smidsy weave.

The background moves relative to the other vehicle depending on how far away that background is. If there is a close treeline behind them but far mountains behind you, then the background will move swiftly relative to them in your eyes but to them you will barely be moving at all.

If there's mountains behind them and close trees behind you then you'll be moving quickly relative to the background but they won't be at all.

Basically you cannot make a determination of whether or not you need to do the weave based on if the threat vehicle is moving relative to the background in your vision.

 

Yeah, nice video, thanks for sharing. Looks like a good tactic to use.

 

Great information, thanks for sharing

 

A big THANKS for that video. I've been riding for ~40+ yrs. Always thought the worst was the car turning left in front of you accross your path. That where most of my friends bought it. I have always looked for good ways to be seen. Looks like I need to include this in my arsenal.

 

Never heard of the weave but I will start using it. Great advice.

 

i like this idea and can agree with the results and reasoning... have any of you talked with any law enforcement about this type of maneuver?? i dont remember this being taught in the motorcycle safety class i took about a year ago. wonder if law enforcement might think we r being a hooligan... i'll have to ask a few clients of mine who are local LEO's and see what their thoughts are....

 

..wonder if law enforcement might think we r being a hooligan... i'll have to ask a few clients of mine who are local LEO's and see what their thoughts are....

I really couldn't care what the LEOs think, we're talking survival here...

Motorcyclist dies after crash north of Gracefield, Que.

Sûreté de Québec Sgt. Gregory Gomez del Prado said a woman in her 60s was driving a vehicle north and was turning left into a restaurant parking lot at 197 Route 105, but she did not see the motorcyclist heading south toward her.

The two vehicles crashed head-on, Gomez del Prado said.

The man was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The woman was not injured.

:headbang:

 

I sure get the weaving thing on approach to an intersection to make us stand out more from the background being (hopefully) looked at by the car driver. Now that makes a whole lot of sense and I am pleased I stumbled across this thread.

But, at the risk of appearing a bit thick, I don't really understand the 'looking for background movement behind the car' thing on the approach to determine whether or not to do the SMIDSY weave. Last time I check, background doesn't move much, but cars sure do.

If the car is slowly rolling forward as you approach (and I assume the more of the background behind the car would be appearing to be 'moving'???) then would that not give a good indication of an even greater risk of a SMIDSY occuring? Is that what the instructor is meaning?

I understood him to say 'if background not moving, do SMIDSY weave' and ' if background is moving, less risk of SMIDSY occuring'.

What on earth am I missing here? I know it is important to understand this fully as it just may save lives, including mine.

Appreciate any help to clear this up.

Cheers....herdygerdy

 

But, at the risk of appearing a bit thick, I don't really understand the 'looking for background movement behind the car' thing on the approach to determine whether or not to do the SMIDSY weave. Last time I check, background doesn't move much, but cars sure do.

If you don't perceive the car as moving relative to its background as you're approaching it, that means that (likely) the car driver doesn't perceive you as moving relative to your background. The whole idea is that people perceive lateral movement of objects in their vision (against the fixed background) much more strongly than objects that are moving directly towards them, or away from them.

 

Gonna give it a try. I want to see if the cager will really notice me with this technique.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is that once they pull out in front of you, you must assume that they do not see you at all.

22 years of traffic accident investigation and 32 years of driving experience have lead me to the below conclusions. YMMV

The most common mistakes I see people make in these situations put them on a crash course with the other vehicle. These common reactions work if the driver of the other vehicle does in fact see you and stops in the middle of their maneuver.

This is the moment that the rider must calculate all possible routes of escape and make a very quick decision.

If the driver is coming off a side street to your right, swerve right and go behind the car. Swerving to the left (the reaction most common) will more than likely result in a collision. Either by putting you directly on a crash course with that vehicle or by going into oncoming traffic.

If the driver is coming off a side street on your left, they have to cross on coming traffic to their left already. This gives us riders much more reaction time. The rider can usually avoid this collision by braking hard.

The oncoming vehicle turning left is tough. The natural (and most common) reaction by most is to swerve right, once again putting the rider in a crash course with that vehicle. In most instances, staying on course, braking hard, then swerving slightly to the left will put you safely behind that vehicle as it continues it's left turn.

Reacting this way requires one to think in a different way. Use every potential situation you encounter while riding as a "what if" scenario, then plan how you will react accordingly. Soon it will become something you do automatically. So if and when the time comes for you to react, the result will be that you stay on two wheels.

These reaction also apply and work well while driving your car.

Those who live in parts of the world where they drive on the "wrong side" can reverse right and left in the above examples. :mrgreen:

Also, by far the most common fatal motorcycle accidents that I see are the results of the cycle rider crossing the center line and going into oncoming traffic. This almost always happens when the rider pulls out to pass (commonly a sport bike rider at triple digits) or in a curve (inexperienced rider trying to steer through). I would rate the vehicle turning left in front of a cycle as second.

Be careful out there. Always ride assuming that no one sees you. Use cars and trucks to your advantage when approaching intersections and cross traffic, as other drivers will more likely see those larger vehicles than you.

One more thing. On a 2 lane rural road, if a driver in front of you slows and moves slightly to the right assume that they are about to make a left turn. For some reason a lot of drivers think that they need to swerve right before turning left and many don't signal before doing so. There may not be a road to give you any indication of their intention to turn left. They may be pulling up to their gate or private drive. So make sure that they are actually giving you passing courtesy before you make your move.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is that once they pull out in front of you, you must assume that they do not see you at all.

22 years of traffic accident investigation and 32 years of driving experience have lead me to the below conclusions. YMMV

The most common mistakes I see people make in these situations put them on a crash course with the other vehicle. These common reactions work if the driver of the other vehicle does in fact see you and stops in the middle of their maneuver.

This is the moment that the rider must calculate all possible routes of escape and make a very quick decision.

If the driver is coming off a side street to your right, swerve right and go behind the car. Swerving to the left (the reaction most common) will more than likely result in a collision. Either by putting you directly on a crash course with that vehicle or by going into oncoming traffic.
If the driver is coming off a side street on your left, they have to cross on coming traffic to their left already. This gives us riders much more reaction time. The rider can usually avoid this collision by braking hard.

The oncoming vehicle turning left is tough. The natural (and most common) reaction by most is to swerve right, once again putting the rider in a crash course with that vehicle. In most instances, staying on course, braking hard, then swerving slightly to the left will put you safely behind that vehicle as it continues it's left turn.

Reacting this way requires one to think in a different way. Use every potential situation you encounter while riding as a "what if" scenario, then plan how you will react accordingly. Soon it will become something you do automatically. So if and when the time comes for you to react, the result will be that you stay on two wheels.

These reaction also apply and work well while driving your car.

Those who live in parts of the world where they drive on the "wrong side" can reverse right and left in the above examples. :mrgreen:

Also, by far the most common fatal motorcycle accidents that I see are the results of the cycle rider crossing the center line and going into oncoming traffic. This almost always happens when the rider pulls out to pass (commonly a sport bike rider at triple digits) or in a curve (inexperienced rider trying to steer through). I would rate the vehicle turning left in front of a cycle as second.

Be careful out there. Always ride assuming that no one sees you. Use cars and trucks to your advantage when approaching intersections and cross traffic, as other drivers will more likely see those larger vehicles than you.

One more thing. On a 2 lane rural road, if a driver in front of you slows and moves slightly to the right assume that they are about to make a left turn. For some reason a lot of drivers think that they need to swerve right before turning left and many don't signal before doing so. There may not be a road to give you any indication of their intention to turn left. They may be pulling up to their gate or private drive. So make sure that they are actually giving you passing courtesy before you make your move.

quote worthy IMO.
Been riding motorcycles for a long time and never really analyzed it like you have but can't disagree with any of the above. I just try to stay alert, anticipate, and react if the need arises.
Had an incident almost a year ago similar to the highlighted part above.

 

Thanks for bringing this up again!

For those that would like a bit more detailed reading on the subject it is in my signature and I am putting it in this message as well.

Why Cars don't see bikes (SMIDSY)

SMIDSY detailed report

..Tom

 

Cool, I like this one.
MSF

 

I was surprised they adopted the same strategy I employ, but I maintain it's all about the mammal brain, and how targets are tracked by the brain. We sense movement, target fixation, and really notice unusual, non linear movement - we can't help it, it's part of our programming. When you're out hunting, or being hunted, you must notice unusual movements, or you get eaten.

Riding in a straight line, does not illicit this hard-wired brain response. The weave does trigger the brain's programming to fire the radar and notice the aberration.

 

I'm a big proponent of the weave after seeing another biker do it as I was pulling out of a driveway and noticed how instantly I recognized the lateral movement.

I've done it ever since I started riding.

 

I'm a big proponent of the weave after seeing another biker do it

I mentioned "the Weave" to a Harley rider I know.
He says he just used a dew rag with an attached ponytail.

I think I may have mentioned once or twice that I like to take ownership of my entire lane. Not only does it help you "pop" out of the background but it also makes you magically appear from behind trees,"A" pillars and other vehicles.

 

good info

this is really good stuff. My nightmare is approaching an intersection and seeing a driver -- talking on a cellphone -- WHO IS LOOKING RIGHT PAST ME and starting to enter the intersection in front of me. Happens all the time.

On the topic of Target Acquisition, I took a USG-sponsored crash-and-bang course a few years ago before going overseas. One of the instructors said that for a course they provide for new drivers they instruct them to simply drive the course and stay in their own lane. Period. But up ahead in the road they place a cardboard box in the oncoming lane. As the student rounds the bend they pull on a rope tied to the box so that it moves. He said about half the drivers see the moving box, cross the center line and run right over it. TA is powerful.

 

Oh good ole Naval Terms. TA, reminds me of SA situation awareness.

 

Really great video. Thanks for posting it!


Sent from my iPhone using MO Free

 

I find it interesting that this video seems to concentrate on a car PULLING OUT in front of a motorcycle. I have used the right/left swerve for over 25 years and it seems to help reduce this occurrence.

My personal experience is that car-drivers tend to TURN LEFT in front of me.... (the car is coming TOWARDS me in other lane and then crosses in front of me as it turns left [my right])

Of course, one cannot be swerving *all* the time just incase a cager decides to turn left... so this technique may not apply to this situation.

Is my experience unique? What do you other bike-riders experience in the way of cagers turning in front of them?

 

...
My personal experience is that car-drivers tend to TURN LEFT in front of me.... (the car is coming TOWARDS me in other lane and then crosses in front of me as it turns left [my right])

Of course, one cannot be swerving *all* the time just incase a cager decides to turn left... so this technique may not apply to this situation.

Is my experience unique? What do you other bike-riders experience in the way of cagers turning in front of them?

Motion camoflague is a huge factor in cars turning left in front of us, as is cars making right turns in front of us when pullng out of side streets.

Being aware of what can cause this [motion camoflague] helps us be aware of the situations where is can happen and when it makes sense to do the "weave".

..Tom

 

This is a very effective tactic I have been using for many years and it does work. Watch for those drivers that approach and turn left across your path, the most common accident. This is a great maneuver to use prior to that happening.