Well, it's gettin warm in here. In my view, all filtering, overtaking, or undertaking is just a passing manouever. So if you are on a motorway in the 40-50 speed range, you need to see the driver in fronts' eyes to know if he sees you. All cars and more especially trucks have blind spots so you should also be in a lower gear (about 4th) in case you need to avoid a problem. I dont like the term filtering because every pass should be treated separately and afforded the care & respect it requires. JP speaks the truth on this one.
if im on the motorway and the signs say 60 and the traffic is doing 30 i will do 60 if i can. ill filter past you at 60 no problem jp because i know u wont be going into the fast lane so i dont really care wether you can see me or not - you will see me through your windscreen when ive passed you. cars ? if there is a gap in traffic that will allow them to change lanes i always assume they are going to change lanes for no apparent reason so unless they see me i wont pass em until a car in the other lane is along side him so i know he cant change then i will go through. im more at home on the motorway than anywhere else and i love filtering. if someone hits me changing lanes ill say its a good part my own fault. if i dont feel comfortable or safe i wont pass and u got to keep alert and watch everything.
so if it was me id have to agree with you geoff it would be my own fault mostly
If your moving between lines of nearly stopped or slow moving vehicles, whatever their type, size etc,.. and you cannot get eye contact with the drivers to your near side in their mirrors, AND see the heads of the drivers on your off-side move to use their mirrors, (to look at you), it is not safe to go past em. If you can't see cos your moving too fast to look at each one in turn, its not safe to pass that vehicle, so slow down, you and probably others too, are at risk if you don't!!!
Sorry Dun,.. so you've never seen a HGV try to intimidate another vehicle into making room for it! Artics tend to cut corners, the unit goes and the trailer cuts, so the trailer can move sideways, at the front at least!
They can still vere in their respective lanes Dunans. The difference is that now you've given yourself nowhere to go.
Other than down of course.
This thread developed into an interesting debate following a statement that I made about the guy who came off. Several people have criticised me for my opinion and although it is an opinion I still hold, I can understand people's reasons for their criticism.
But for others to then come along and suggest it's ok to do what this guy has done (and to throw some totally unnecessary insults in the process) is frankly staggering.
As Paj has suggested, if you really aren't that concerned about your own safety and are willing to risk serious injury to save a few seconds,then fine. But consider all those around you who are likely to be involved when it does all go horribly wrong.
Anybody who filter between 2 trucks needs there head examining, trucks passing on the motorway only have about 3 feet between them when you take the uneven road serface into it that gap can close to 18'' in a very short time I have had mirrors hit though no fault of any driver just bad road serface
@geoff - its staggering that you think its ok for you to make comments about something/someone you know nothing about but not when someone does it to you...you still dont get the connection do you?
I started this thread as a what do people think ... hoping that some newer riders would get some helpful hints, not for it to become a public slanging match between people !
As I said ... when the guy flew past on the inside of me I thought what a knob, he was just 'going for the gap' and not slowing or showing any awareness of the cars, ok yes a car spotted a gap & went for it taking the rider down ... the rider went over his bonnet ... but I cannot lay all the blame at the car drivers feet as he was only doing what the bike rider was doing.
Please can we offer some CONSTRUCTIVE advice to newer riders who have never/have not done much filtering so that one of them doesn't come a cropper ... this rider was lucky, not everyone is this last year on here we have seen riders in fairly low speed impacts with cars, that has resulted in some very nasty injuries, please some advice for the newer riders to help them.
constructive criticism for newer riders....IF YOU'VE NEVER FILTERED IN TRAFFIC AND ARENT COMFORTABLE DOING IT THEN DONT DO IT! Same as anything else confidence comes with experience and never ride beyond your own limits!
is that constructive enough!?
I can see that & thank those who have put it, as most who know me will tell people , I love a good debate as much as the next person ... but the slanging & name calling is really not needed, that is not a debate or advice.
Just thought i would throw my bit in here, my first accident was when i was going past standing traffic, guy decided he didn't want to sit there anymore and decided to do a u turn as nothing was coming the other way.... his defence... he didn't see me, I always now assume that everyone is blind when going past anything standing or moving! As for truckers, i find them pretty good as far as bikers are concerned, as many of them are bikers and if you feel that you have to filter between two trucks then you are either stooopid or really stooopid !
So my advice to a newbie.... if you don't feel safe doing something then don't do it!