Having just re-read my rant below please read all, This is not a straight forward situation.
As an experienced mbiker with over 17 years of riding experience (and not all of it during the summer months) I can see the practicallity of the avoidance test. This teaches new riders skills that I as a new rider many ryears ago have have to work out for myself. The skill set required to perform the avoidance test is something that can be useful. For example 'two weeks ago while turning right at a roundabout over a dule carrage way I watch a car driver look at me as she (sorry this time it was a female driver but this is not always the case) approached the roundabout. She should have given way to me as I was on the roundabout but instead choose wrongly to enter then realised that she had just pulled out in front of me when I sounded my horn. I had already straightned up the bike in anticipation of having to avoid her. I then applied the principle of the avoidance test to flick the bike around the front of the car as she stopped. There was no other option but the front.
This is a technique that i have had to teach myself but why not teach new riders this from the start.
The arguement that Pringle above states - if you have to swerve at 30mph, you werent paying due care and attention to the road, and you were negligent to stopping distances - is in valid efvery experienced bike knons that at some time or other they will have to avoid an obstacale even if you are paying due care an attention. there is always the other road user who decides that they want to go and can not wait a few more seconds. You may see them but that does not mean that they see you.
Underlaying all of this is the simple fact that although the number of bikers has risen slightly over the last few years we are still 1% of the traffic population but 20% of accident statictics. Until bikers start taking more responsibility for their riding and stop riding as though they are on a race track when they are on the road we will always be seen as a dangerous form of transport. I know there are a minority that spoil it for the majority but as there are so few of us on the road compared to other traffic we need to do something. Too many of my friends grew up on bikes and had to learn the hard way (sometimes the very hard way) let us do something to help new riders be safer and thus promote biking to more people and raise the awareness of other road users to the joys of bikeing.
On the other side of the arguement - NO there are not enough test centres, examiners, test slots. The DSA do need to increase coverage and also appologise to the bike industry and especially the motorcycle training industry for the inept handling of the implementation of the new tes.
Motorcycle training companies need to be responsible and train effectivly for the new test. Having heard an instructo from one training school say that they do not bother to train for the Mod 1 is frankly irrisponsible of them. Hieghlighted by the fact that they have had 3 pupils come off on the Mod 1. This can only be through lack of training.
If test candidates brake whilst steering they are going to come a cropper - cardinal rule of biking brake whilst upright and in a straight line. The whole point of the avoidance is to test candidates ability to avoid before braking thereby- hopefully -- making riders more capable.
Posted: 03/08/2009 at 11:35
