Distracted Driving can kill. Motorcycle riding tips

Details on how to spot a distracted driver and how to deal with it. Remember that being on the phone is more dangerous than drink driving! Distracted driving in the uk is an endorsable offence and will get you points on your licence and a fine.
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Facebook page / roadcraftnottingham
#DistractedDriving #PutYourPhoneDown #TextDriving
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Roadcraft Nottingham is a UK motorcycle school which was established in March 1989.
I am a fully qualified professional motorcycle instructor of 35 years and offer motorcycle riding tips and tips on riding a motorcycle for the first time.
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[@sirraident]

I live in the US and I have and learned so much from you about being a better rider over the years. I just wanted to take this moment as say, thanks mate! Good to see you here once more.

[@HepcatHarley]

Cars travelling slower than the speed limit in towns and villages quite often means they are looking for a parking space or an address and pretty much always means they don't signal and will do something stupid.

[@Neds_Severed_Head]

Had a great one last year - riding behind someone who was clearing using their mobile. We came up to a roundabout, both going straight on and there's a police car waiting for us to pass on the 1st exit. I wave to them to get their attention and do the 'phone to ear' signal and point to the car in front, the police car pulls ahead of me and has a check - they are still on their phone, the police light them up and I ride on :)

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Tolil.. Awesome! Lol

[@TheOdum666]

Nice to see you back. Drove past your shop a few weeks ago and thought its been a while

[@Is100doesskids]

I remember one day I was cycling home and there was a Jeep in front of me that was going quite slow (he was on his phone) and it started slowly moving to the wrong side of the road, the car coming towards it stopped and blew its horn, the guy panicked and instead of swerving left onto the right side of the road he swerves right, up onto a grass verge hits a tree goes across the footpath and through someone’s front garden wall , ( I was happy to know I was in the presence of Dublin’s best driver)

[@paulsutherland9267]

Great to have you back Russ! More please, I've got my mod 2 in May, be good to have a bit of Russ inspiration!!! 😆 👍

[@kurgo_]

Wow, didn't think another video would drop, this is great. Welcome back mate, please don't disappear again!

[@bobbybackmarker9665]

Nice to see you back. I found your early vids invaluable when I was getting back into biking 7 years ago.

[@pauljdunne784]

Drivers stopped at traffic lights after green light comes on. Again the phone is more important to them. Welcome back, great work as usual.

[@overlander82]

Great to hear your calm, reasoned voice on the road once more, Russ. Thanks for the vid.

[@armstronggaming9965]

Love u lot loads. Showed me the ropes 6 years ago and kick started my love for bikes thanks a lot Road craft Nottingham xx

[@timamos2360]

Nice to have you back Russ. Add to this the one vehicle that doesn’t move over for you when filtering when everybody else has! Oblivious...

[@lmaoroflcopter]

Tim Amos or just not interested in making room for you. Some people just don't like bikers filtering and will not go out of their way to make your life easy, this isn't necessarily a lack of awareness just a dilligaf move.

[@TheMissendenFlyer]

Hey Russ - Brilliant to have you back my friend! I have missed your no nonsense style and this video is another great example of why we need you uploading more! Out of interest, and this is something that is levelled at me from time to time, what's your view on the level of distraction Vlogging incurs? Personally I feel very comfortable talking while riding and if any hazards start to develop I simply stop talking until the hazard has disappeared (of course those times never make it through my editing process) but I guess there must be some drop in focus on riding if I'm thinking about what I'm saying to You Tube...interested in your thoughts.....all the best - TMF

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

TheMissendenFlyer... Hey buddy, I'm 100% with you on that one. I've seen some inexperienced people doing this but could argue people talk or sing in cars with the same results.. I suppose bottom line is if it affects their concentration and machine control then they shouldn't. I've noticed people like us actually stop talking when the situation gets "busy" which is what I also do in the car. Part of the car test now includes using the sat nav which I think is a good idea. What do you think?

[@terenceokeeffesmotorcyclestuff]

RSA/ Behaviours and Attitudes, November 2015 - Talking on a hands-free device is perceived to be much safer (51% say it is safe) relative to talking on a handheld device (3% say it is safe) or texting or checking apps (1% say these are safe). Note much of the international research indicates that talking on a hand free is not as safe as widely believed, due to the cognitive distraction involved, and there is evidence to suggest that it is in fact as distracting as using a hand-held device. Vlogging is a distraction and I think anyone involved knows that to be the case, people do seem to naturally curtail the chat in challenging environments. Talking or singing in the car does not seem to produce the same cognative brain tax by all accounts. I am always amazed at the amount of bikers slagging of "cagers" for their driving habits whilst waving their hands about screaming past at 80mph, god help us from do gooder motorcyclists who see no wrong in their own actions telling everyone else how to drive (not suggesting that's you at all).

[@TheMissendenFlyer]

Yes I think having the SatNav section in the car driving test is a great inclusion - was stunned to find out they've dropped reversing around a corner and the three point turn though!

[@roberthickman4092]

Reversing around a corner, as it was in the test when I did mine, bore no resemblance to how it is actually done in the real world. You don't drive so far forwards. 3 point turn is good to know as would be a reality checked version of reversing round a corner.

[@Na5tyify]

How bizarre, I’ve been considering starting a vlog and this was one of my top concerns and was going to talk about it on my next vlog.

[@cliveevans5755]

Good to see you back, encouraged by your videos got back into bikes after 16 years or so , currently progressing through my IAM training.

[@Thunderous71]

Also remember this applies to us bike riders too! Playing with our sat navs, blue tooth devices, mobiles devices mounted to our bars etc.

[@flippflopps4026]

Great to see you back. I did my CBT at Roadcraft Nottingham 3 years ago.

[@ThatguyFirst]

Welcome back!! I always enjoy your comments. Distracted drivers are a very unfortunate reality. One situation that really scares me is heavy, stop and go traffic because drivers seem to think it's a great time to get the phone out. One thing I would point out is that once you identify a distracted driver, don't allow them to occupy all your attention. Keep looking for the next one, and the one after that. They're everywhere.

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

That guy... Good point

[@AdamHougham]

I've been amazed at those that go in for Skyping /Facetiming while driving - a) that they think that's OK - b) that the person at the other end thinks its OK and c) they presumably think they can't be seen while doing it! Also watching films/ iplayer etc. Not just the car drivers though - I also once followed a guy on his motorcycle while playing Pokemon Go on his phone. Totally nuts.

[@BikeMates]

Nice to see you back again, I myself was distracted whilst driving the other day due to a wasp flying into my car and settling in my lap so yes I was checking my groin every 3 seconds but for reasons other than checking my phone. I did manage to pull over and jump out of my car and evict my unwanted passenger and all was well. Ride safe and keep the videos coming 👍

[@baccas66]

Every day is a school day with Russ. And I'm always in class paying attention. Sound advice, as ever. Cheers matey.

[@Destide]

Welcome back. Being in the left lane turning right and having to undertake is a good one... :D

[@paulperry8800]

I've seen you say in response to another comment that the haters and nit-pickers have caused the gap in uploads. Well, for every one of those numpties, there's someone like me. I have found your uploads to be really helpful and like a number of others on here you've shown me that further training is really worth it. During the year between my A1 and full A licence I watched your videos numerous times to take in some of the things you talk about. If 1 thing I've picked up from you keeps me out of A&E (or worse) then it's time well spent. It might already have done! Keep it up and don't let 'em grind you down.👍

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Paul Perry... Thanks buddy

[@GaryMCurran]

Paul, I would say that for ever one of the haters and the pickers that there are probably ten people who are saying 'Thank you, sir!', even if they don't post that reply. Russ is an invaluable resource for riders all around the world.

[@mrvanston4219]

Just like to say thanks for all your videos, recently passed mod2 and my instructor was commenting about how fast and well I picked up skills, I put it down to your excellent online lessons which helped me greatly...keep it up and cheers.

[@funnyfarm6136]

Welcome back Russ, Great to see you have returned! Your videos have helped me no end preparing for my Mod 1 and 2. Passed earlier this year. Informative content keep it up

[@CrazySparkie63]

Nice to have you back Russ. Totally agree with what you said. Talking of danger to life, we had had a conversation down the local tonight and came to a conclusion that knife's are not the problem it' the person behind them (a knife is a tool, a pen is a tool and your hands are a tool, but all of them can be used to kill), but getting back to the point we came to the conclusion that the most dangerous weapon is a motor vehicle been driven by a TOOL!

[@philgreenslade7713]

Great Video, Very informative, As a Driver for 17 years and also just attained my full bike license been riding for 2 years, I can say that anyone who just drives should go do a day on a motorbike and realise just how many bad habits people have, we have all done them from one time to another, now as a car driver I would never dream and never have used my phone while driving, I do not see the urge to upload a facebook comment while driving, now there are good and careful drivers out there, but just like bikers there are the few who spoil the road use for everyone.

[@MicraHakkinen]

A note about distracted drivers going slow: sometimes they'll tend to keep pace with other traffic, seemingly using their peripheral vision. This becomes obvious when for example an adjacent lane of traffic slows down and they slow down with it, even though their lane is free. Or worse, keep pace with an adjacent lane and rearending stopped traffic in their lane. Alternatively once they lose the reference from traffic around them (low traffic, clear stretch of road), their speed will often start to drop and keep dropping well below the legal limit. Another way to note a distracted driver is if they fail to adjust their driving to signs, conditions or hazards. For example when the speed limit changes and they keep ambling along at the same speed, or there is a lane closure ahead and they show no intention of moving over, or going over speed bumps as if they hadn't expected that to be there.

[@DaveWuzHere]

I've missed these videos, welcome back!

[@davidthomas6681]

Awesome to see you back. Been too long without a roadcraftnottingham video to watch 😊😊

[@wombat2330]

Glad your back. Have greatly enjoyed and appreciated your insights

[@theobtuserecluse]

Great to see another video! I'm considering getting a camera and the fact you can use it to catch distracted drivers adds to the appeal.

[@Kendoji1]

Yay, great to have you back! Was hoping for more vids from you for ages.

[@davemason5636]

Greetings from Ireland, nice to see your back, your vids helped me pass my A livence last yr ( tks 4 that), Least now we know something bad didn't happen, ride safe

[@cloudmaker]

All good sensible advice and not just for the newer road user especially as there seems to be more instances of distracted driving on our roads nowadays. Only recently i have noticed how drivers will reach for something or pick something up to read or fiddle with when they get onto a straight piece of road, then you notice as you describe the slight wandering and correction of the vehicle or the differing speed when in a line of traffic. Ride Safe.

[@jockmcpherson1647]

Nice to see you back again Russ. If anything is going to knock you off, it's going to be those shocking potholes...

[@goldfever4570]

Good to have you back, and bad to see you have similarly potholed roads near you too! Been a nightmare winter for the roads. Gloucestershire roads look pretty war-torn.

[@dudetteburgman8861]

Nick Headley same in Lincolnshire!

[@TheStressD]

Great video mate, good to see your still uploading. Keep up the good work!

[@StuHolland]

Yes Russ is back! Your videos are awesome

[@inmanry]

Good to see you back Russ! Keep the videos coming! Recently passed my test and find your videos helpful.

[@Anvilshock]

Look at that, Russ is back! Good to see you again!

[@Direkin]

Bloody hell! Another Russ video! It's been, what, over a year?

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Direkin... Deffo. I'll see if I can make up for it this year.

[@tonyg1773]

I've been wondering where you'd got to.... Cheers Tony

[@benriley7053]

Always good to see one of your videos and always good, useful stuff. The sort of stuff every road user should learn at the very beginning if you ask me!

[@kennethvernonprivate]

Great to see you back....All the best....

[@Glasshousebc]

Good to see you back sir. Good info given. Just to take a moment to say how Your videos have helped my riding over here in BC. This’ll be my 4th season, and your videos have been an educational resource ... so, thank you. Ex-Brit now living in BC.

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Glasshousebc.. Thank you. I'm looking at spamming you lot with loadsa info this year. ☺

[@HoppyR]

Glad to see you back! Its about time!

[@ArcadeCabNBud]

welcome back mr russ, ignore the wankers, and embrace the goodies

[@aliservan7188]

I has an accident on Friday due to lack of focus. I was in roadworks in Coventry, 5 lanes closed, one lane open on the far right and far left. I was coming from the far rght lane, crossed 3 lanes of traffic fine, then notices a coach coming up on the inside on my left. I was focused on the coach over my left shoulder and failed to notice the slow moving traffic in front of me had stopped. I just clipped the car's near sde rear light, smashing it, and forcing the bars right, slamming me into the side of the car, trapping my foot between the front brake and the corner of the car's bumper. leaving a nasty dent, breaking y foot and bending my front brake pedal up about 4 inches. I felt a right twat. All becasue I was in a hurry not to be penned in by a coach. So, I've come back to roadcraft to get some pointers. First accident in 25 years and I could have kicked myself if I wasn't hobbling about. Keep up the good work fella!

[@dbest1aVlogs]

Long time no hear .. Your tips, and videos have always proved extremely helpful thank you

[@CrazyPanda688]

Great to have you back again, always enjoyed watching your videos when I was learning to ride. Have you done a video before on tailgaters? Especially in the wet? That would be a good one

[@roadwarrior8560]

Great to have you back Russ.

[@Szlejer]

Good to see you again! Your videos are unique on youtube, they helped me immensely as a beginner to survive the first two winters (riding every day) on a motorcycle. I can't say thank you enough! Please ignore the armchair experts.

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Szlejer.. Thanks buddy. Pleased I can be of assistance. Russ

[@Szlejer]

Honestly, I watched hundreds and hundreds of other videos... But your channel had the greatest impact on my riding (positioning and road awareness, for example) even after spending a considerable amount of time and money on various training courses.

[@stevorobinson7209]

I work in a unit that process road traffic offences and on every occasion dash cam evidence is produced by members of the public..the offender is a always prosecuted if the offence is clearly presented...just contact you local force and they will do the rest...and the offenders invariably plead guilty...!

[@cyberjack]

been ages .. was getting worried about you ..lol Hope more videos to come !

[@steffydog]

Bloooody heck, your back, more more more, miss your calm voice, and awesome videos. Hope you’re keeping well.

[@JohnThompsonOriginalJAHT]

You mention smoking but nowadays with vaping you can see clouds of vapour coming from windows and sickly sweet "flavour" smell. Or (Bristol is bad for this) the smell of weed. Following a car sticking of weed is one to keep well clear of.

[@benkeii1st]

Great having you back :)

[@desantos1234]

Damn! He's alive! I thought he was gone for good!

[@chrisward9745]

To add to all the others: good to see you back.

[@Captainjonnieiain]

I was just thinking when are you gonna come back a few hours ago, in fact I'm doing my A2 at the minute and both me and my motorbike instructor are fans of your stuff, I'm from West Sussex, we were both like "That guy hasn't uploaded in ages" welcome back mate :)

[@paulm1162]

Great to have you back again Russ :)

[@joeyy33]

Don’t be afraid to just pull over and let them go. That’s the ultimate in giving space.

[@shaunjess]

Welcome Back Russ not been the same without you.

[@jezzamarkham5285]

So true. You can converse with a passenger but you don't need to look at them to speak or listen. I ride a CB 500S and i have no trouble with instruments etc but the car i drive is possibly the worst dash layout i've come across and it's a 2017 car so no excuses there. It's nice to see you back with a good and important video, thanks for all the others too.

[@GaryMCurran]

Russ, always nice to see your videos, great tip about distracted drivers. The U.S. is FINALLY starting to crack down on distracted driving, but not as much as they should. I was going to comment about 'reaching for their groin every three seconds' but I think I'll leave that one lie where you flung it! :D

[@neilhughes3823]

I am hopeful that there will be more of your videos from now on. I am a 66 year old 50 year motorcycle veteran, and I find myself agreeing with you at every turn. And I have learned ( relearned ? ) quite a lot. Neil in Sydney, Aust.

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Neil Hughes.. Thanks for that feedback Neil, pleased I can help from all the way over/up here ☺

[@dolmandabean]

Not quite distracted driving, but im always extremely wary of cars following either myself or another road user too close (sometimes to a ridiculous degree)

[@andysgsi]

As a bus driver, I see these signs day in, day out. It is the most frustrating thing to see people not watching what they're doing and putting me and my passengers at risk. I get very annoyed as I'm a professional driver and motorcyclist with lots of training seeing this all the time. Thanks for the great vid.

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Andys Gsi.. It's frustrating for sure, I've even got footage of a bus driver texting and one reading his timetable. They're everywhere. ☺

[@DerekTJ]

Currently binge-watching thru your videos - you're probably the best at explaining things simply - much like KZbin version of Motorbikes for Dummies. An idea for a future video might be for people like me; getting into motorcycling late in life, who has to relate our road experience to driving cars. What's different about motorcycling to driving a car, and what's similar, if anything. And what false assumptions can be made. Good luck!

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Binge away and thanks for the feedback. ☺

[@Marius-Gvr]

"I'll speak to you soon". It's been 1 year since you've last spoken to us, how long is it going to be now? :D In any case, good to see that you're back.

[@adamf5541]

Glad your back! Thanks for taking the time out to make the upload, always good advice and reminders. I wonder how your heat gun trick on the faded plastic of you pan euro worked out in the longer term? Still looking good or did it return to being faded? Cheers mate!

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Adam F... It looks better than it did but faded slightly. ☺

[@etiennelabeille]

Accident investigator in Devon says that an increase in fatal head-ons in Devon is down to mobile phone use. Driver drift over the white line into oncoming traffic. He advises bikers to give more room than previously to oncoming vehicles. I now do that.

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Stephen Summers... Absolutely, I've always taught keeping away from oncoming traffic despite people telling me that I should take up a "dominant position"

[@AmamMcMam]

The biggest giveaway to distracted drivers is when they leave waaay too much space at the lights enough to fit your motorcycle in. Now you could say they were watching for me filtering and wanted to leave space. But I disagree because when I go past there's always a phone in the hand.

[@jturquette]

Ha ha! Groin! I have had the same observation here in the Houston metro area. It’s like people can’t stop looking down there!

[@jonathanfreeman5894]

Great to see you back, have you any more content planned?

[@mariomessina4317]

that's a great video I've seen people do all those things that you've described I'm a bike rider that lives in the US

[@ajhatcher3147]

Good to see you back !

[@LargeWayRound]

Nice Video , with more life saving info , thanks for posting .

[@MultiOutdoorman]

Favourite giveaway that a driver is playing with their phone ... the illuminated face from their screeh !

[@jayp8601]

Nice to see you back!

[@Seagull-Matthames]

Sitting at traffic lights and not noticing them change is another classic sign. Had a driver pull up next to me at a set of traffic lights and get out her phone and starts playing with it. Lights turned green and she barely noticed. I could see she was still sitting on the stop line in my mirrors a few seconds later.

[@Detschizm]

Good Video. Means a lot. I think you may have even helped get me through my CBT!

[@brandywell44]

Good video and advice.Of course you havent touched on every situation, such as drunk drivers for example, but it's a great start in raising awareness.

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

brandywell44.. Good point, it's argued that texting is now more dangerous than drink driving.

[@VeryFastRodi]

Something i also learned quite quickly, like nearly all of the time, the higher up on the window the sat nav is. The more the rider is focused on the sat nav rather then the what is actually happening on the road, or how the road actually leads (with an out of date map or renewed road) Like when your not even near the car and u can clearly see a sat nav put near/on eye level on the window, my first thought "how can i get passed this car as quickly as possible"

[@clairebannister4749]

Ah! There you are! Naturally assumed you'd been HGV'd. Good points..Also a good blast of the quad air horns to 'warn others of your presence' works well.

[@markevans3915]

Ive missed your videos. Please keep them commg 👍🏻

[@gingerstig9992]

Nice to see you back

[@geoffclements269]

Welcome back Russ, some nasty potholes in that road you were on just like the ones where I live. No mention of one of the biggest in-car distractions we have ... children. Only real solution is to ban them from our vehicles but I suspect that won't go down well. As a father of four (now grown-up) children there is nothing like a loud child in the back to take your attention off the road no matter how hard you try. Will be interesting to see if any prosecutions come about because someone was distracted by a child.

[@wendywindle6567]

Welcome back Russ we missed you :)

[@Jonofthejungle26]

I spend a lot of time on the motorway driving for work and I notice a lot of this. One of the worst distractions seems to be mirrors. Inexperienced drivers trying to check mirrors and not notice they are crossing into my lane.

[@RipleyEllen]

Glad to see you back Russ 👍

[@bennyhil2036]

If looking at a sat nav is classed as being distracted driving, so too is reading your dash board checking your speed, looking in your rear view mirrors which are all tasks that take your eyes off the road ahead and therefore an offence. Removing one hand from your grip can also be classed as not being in control, surely. I agree with not having/holding objects in ones hand entirely but Its a matter of how long you spend looking at sat navs, dashboards etc and, so long as your not trying to configure it it should be fine. After all, sat navs are now part of the lessons and driving tests. My sat nav tells me about reported accidents ahead, gives advance warning of which lane to be in and what to expect at junctions which helps make me a better and safer driver/rider as it supports doing more life savers, etc which I also use in the car.

[@dudetteburgman8861]

I knew someone that was killed on his bike because a woman was using her hands- free, but was so distracted she drove onto his side of the road. He was a lovely bloke with a young family. The driver has been imprisoned for driving without due care and attention.

[@johnoleary9317]

First of all Thank You for all your informative videos. I live in devon so couldnt ise your company to pass my tests. But YOU did, and still do instruct me. Anyway. Now riding with a livence i purchased a gopro type action camera. Mounted on the chin. I see many " infringements" But im not aware what i can do with my footage. Safe Training Jonn

[@Kilokawasaki636]

I am a biker same as you and I watch the drivers in the reflection of their side mirror especially when filtering through traffic.

[@JochemKuijpers]

Watch their wheel movement too, it's a good indication someone is about to change lanes in slow moving traffic.

[@mrlarkin6416]

Where I live in rural Ireland there are feck all police so the amount of phone users on the country roads is unbelievable, I don't have a helmet cam (budget biker) but I think I'll have to get one, regards from Ireland and ride safe.

[@davemason5636]

Hi, I'm in Shannon, I put dash cams in my cars about 2yrs ago to cover myself if an accident is not my fault. Although I'm looking at the tom tom bandit to record good bike rides I'm also getting a dash cam for everyday use if I need to prove who was in the wrong as bikers tend to get the blame straight away.

[@MaxHeadRush]

Dave Mason as do lorry drivers hence the reason why 99.9% have a camera

[@wilswood8137]

Good upload 👍🏻 nice to see something from roadcraft 👍

[@Viper6-MotoVlogger]

As you mention, it usually is easy to spot distracted drivers. I usually stay further back and watch what is going on behind me, or the same reasons you mention. Some bikers get really upset and start mouthing off at the driver, ironically, while these bikers are insulting th driver, they themselves are distracted and not watching the road.

[@VespaNuman]

My commuting has changed from town to predominantly motorway riding and I see the veering far too often. I saw someone veer almost fully into the shoulder twice, I moved over a couple lanes to overtake glimpsed and sure enough texting away. It's insane. I once saw someone eating a takeaway curry. It was an early Tuesday morning.

[@WasNotWas999]

Welcome back.. I missed your voice of reason

[@edubassplayer2]

Missed you a lot, love your content

[@roadmonitoroz]

LOL. I have seen all of the above. The looking at their groin (or as I call it their knees) is so common. Yesterday I had a woman who couldn't keep her lane, was driving slow . When I pulled up next to her she was texting with 1 hand in motion and when stopped both hands. There was a little kid in the front seat with a dummy in its mouth. I wanted to have words with her but I was in a car at the time and her windows were up. ... ie "Do you love your kid ?" Why the hell are you texting whilst driving then ?