SMIDSY - Understand & Avoid. Why Cars Pull Out In Front Of Motorcycles. Motorcycle Training

A video raising awareness and looking at motorcycle Right Of Way Violations, often called Looked But Failed To See or SMIDSY collisions.
The content is not exhaustive but gives an insight into why collisions may occur and how the rider can lessen the chances of being involved in an incident.

[@bealine99]

Never ridden a motorcycle BUT I do think this video is a must for car drivers and pedal cyclists as well. Understanding the human failings in vision is the first step in training yourself to look properly and driving/riding defensively with respect for junctions. In my younger days, I used to see the speed limit as a target. It was only when I took an Advanced Driving Course and an HGV course that I began to understand the need to drive defensively and to use the accelerator/brake/gear to regulate and properly control the vehicle. Thamk you very much for this video - very clear and easy to understand.

[@Os-em5xt]

Very well put as usual, road rage is definitely as you say, move on and learn from the experience 🙂 Thanks again

[@dieselbushcraft1299]

As a car driver this is one of the things that scares me the most as it is all too easy not to see a biker. Hopefully I’ll have my own bike soon and appreciate your great advice.

[@MotorcyclePWR]

@Diesel Bushcraft thank you for your comment, i hope you are soon out enjoying riding, all the best

[@passinthru4328]

Thank you very much for a thorough and sensible review of the hazards discussed. My second riding season is coming up so I am receptive to videos that will help prepare this grandpa to stay safe. Again, great job here.

[@Fozdrummer]

im a returning biker after 25 year break. love the human factors stuff and great advice. its very much helping me ease back in and recognise i'm a learner again

[@timigrof8287]

All excellent training videos. Thank you!

[@ReferenceFidelityComponents]

A great tutorial which underlines the importance of appropriate speed awareness and road positioning for bikers approaching any junction. It always sets my spidey senses off approaching some junctions as you know that where approaches are short due to corners or at busy cross roads, the risks go up exponentially. Be seen, be safe👍

[@zook_750]

By far the best m/cycle training video I've seen in a long time; thanks for this.

[@jasonbyrne4941]

Wonderful video. Clearly explained, and I like the message of empathy with other road users. All too often as human beings, we like to identify ourselves with a specific element of society, put ourselves and others into "a box" so to speak, and have a "them and us attitude" approach to life, blaming each other for our misfortunes instead of working and helping each other. I myself have made this mistake in the past as a car, bus, lorry driver, motorcyclist and cyclist. Keep up the good work with your videos. I also like the one you did about rest observations. I have passed these videos on to two friends of mine who are in the process of practicing for their A2 licence, maybe even their full licence through Direct Access. Thanks very much again .

[@MotorcyclePWR]

@Jason Byrne hi Jason, many thanks for your message, much appreciated. Interesting observations, self reflection is underestimated but so useful, thanks also for passing the videos on to your friends, I hope they are useful to them. Ride safe, all the best

[@jasonbyrne4941]

@@MotorcyclePWR You're very welcome and keep up the good work 👍

[@MotorcyclePWR]

@@jasonbyrne4941 cheers al the best

[@aykutdurak3555]

Very educational, thank you!

[@markhenry192]

Excellent video and of course very useful. It does help if you are/have been a car driver, gives you that bit of awareness of the issues car drivers have. My top tip is to give a little wiggle as you approach a junction, helps to get you noticed (I think you mentioned that in your video). Many thanks.

[@davesmc1]

Forgot about this video Excellent . Very well put together

[@gordonclifton2694]

An excellent revision topic!

[@riderramblings]

This may be the most important video on KZbin for road users especially motorcyclists. It brings together, in simpler terms, a lot of complex (and sometimes contradictory) information available on the internet. Thank you. I would like to add one thing which my instructor, a Police Motorcycle Traffic Officer, taught me over 40 years ago when someone pulls out and you may not be able to stop. _Look at the escape route not the obstacle_ This is why practicing the various manoeuvres in a car park is so important.

[@MotorcyclePWR]

Thank you for your comments, yes very good advice! All the best

[@adriansmith2853]

Brilliant video im learning so much from all of them.

[@jacksonsystemslimited]

Brilliant channel this, just strarting out biking again after 17 years since I last did my CBT. HOping to get it booked next couple of weeks,

[@SammyHerring]

Great video on the looming effect, you really can’t see bikes all that well at speed!

[@MotorcyclePWR]

thank you, yes it makes you think doesnt it!?

[@carlose6010]

A little movement left to right makes a bike appear larger. Good tip for when coming upon junctions. Also, in the daytime, use your highbeams.

[@TonySMotorcyclePassion]

Amazing study. Great information and very. Helpful

[@Studiggler]

Best advice my dad ever gave me was , “assume everyone is an idiot”

[@iacob1985]

Thanks for your video! It might save a few lives!

[@richardgiles2484]

Really good and interesting video. I've only recently started watching your videos and I think I have picked up on something new in each one or had a gentle reminder about some things I'd forgotten and I've been riding more years than I care to remember 🤣

[@paulbeades6681]

Top advice. Cheers.

[@TheWalterKirk]

Great series. I’m a new rider learning as much as I can for my advanced test with 32 years driving experience. A lot of this human factor information is part of the Private Pilots License when learning Visual Flight Rules and the ‘sky scan’. Superb to see this applied to motorcycling.

[@CaptainSwoop]

I really enjoyed this video. Excellent information and the travelogue was similarly enjoyable. Thanks from AU.

[@MotorcyclePWR]

Thank you for your comments, much appreciated. Glad you enjoyed the video

[@alandyde4707]

Very well done, thank you. I am recommending this video to all of my family. Well thought out and well executed. Thank you again.

[@MotorcyclePWR]

thank you Alan, much appreciated and glad it is of interest. All the best

[@JayDutch-UK-MK]

great video

[@justicemcrae6005]

I really needed to see this not just as a soon to be motorcyclists but from car driver also, think i know it i don't this videos shows how much of a bad driver i am and how much i can improve on ie autopilot driving

[@bobpiper3504]

Fantastic video. This should be a must-watch for all motorcyclists and car drivers alike. Well done and keep up the good work!

[@MotorcyclePWR]

many thanks Bob, all the best

[@ellomot0]

I agree

[@gravyau]

Another great video, thanks.

[@MotorcyclePWR]

Thank you

[@27jollytall]

A really good explanation of the difficulties we face, and have to deal with every day as riders. I wear high vis all the time, but I am aware it's still possible to be missed, even at appropriate speed. If I see a vehicle waiting at a junction/hazard that I suspect may have difficulty seeing me for any reason, be it lighting, background, obstruction or whatever, if rear observation permits, I will avoid holding a straight line, and weave from side to side as I approach to increase my profile and attract attention to my approach. I may look a bit daft, but at least I am seen.

[@sophiebazgier9596]

Thank you so much for your channel and videos, I was riding today and your advices really change my behaviour on a road. I am more aware about myself on the road and also about other users. Thank you again! Fantastic channel!!!

[@MotorcyclePWR]

Thank you for your kind comments. Im glad the videos are having a positive effect! Safe riding and best wishes

[@sophiebazgier9596]

@@MotorcyclePWR yes definitely!!! Thank you for your effort! I'm jumping now to next video ;)))

[@vincents8165]

Thanks very much for this video, really useful.

[@MotorcyclePWR]

You are welcome! thank you

[@davecarrera]

When doing my CBT, we did well so practiced on a quiet road a U turn. Doing all the checks before starting our manouver. On the last life saver check, a Gas worker van was right beside me coming from a standing still parking postion on the other side of the road. My instructors Stop Stop Stop was welcome trust me. This exact thing happened again with my fellow learner with the 2nd Gas van. We both got a valuable lesson that day.

[@ellomot0]

With a newly minted licence, I found this video very informative and helpful. Thank you.

[@MotorcyclePWR]

you re welcome, glad the video was useful. ride safe

[@MGman100]

Brilliant video which just reinforces my training and the way I ride. I've read some articles about why car drivers may not see you at junctions and it's an interesting subject that's also quite worrying. I think the most important thing is to ride for the conditions (all factors, not just weather), and always assume someone hasn't seen you. BTW, I'm assuming that you filmed the first part on the Thanet Way heading towards the coast on Bank Holiday Monday!

[@MotorcyclePWR]

Thank you, yes it is worrying, but knowledge is power! Yes I did film there, lots of great bikes to see!

[@gregdyar6451]

I think every car driver should watch this. Excellent

[@MotorcyclePWR]

thank you Greg, much appreciated

[@trikkinikki970]

I've noticed advent riders that rock high vis gear are always the best riders, no matter where you are. Thanks for making this, sending it to my little brother who just passed the BRC last weekend.

[@MotorcyclePWR]

@Trikki Nikki thank you, glad it is useful, all the best

[@dmail00]

The knowledge you share about the eyes and the brain are what I have been taught before. You are also very correct about comments on bike accidents on youtube, yet I love to watch these types of videos to learn what could they have done differently. What I also find interesting is the reactons from riders after such incidents when they generally speed off with the incorrect mindeset. However, I am very supprised as you are an PO and mention "having right of way" multiple times during the video. Right of way is not something you have yet somthing you give.

[@MotorcyclePWR]

hi thank you for your comments. Yes, its very interesting to see how so many riders blame others and see no responsibility or causation by their own actions, a dangerous omission! I mention right of way as "right of way violation" is a term often used and people understand it. Technically it may be better to speak of having priority, which fits more with the terminology in the Highway Code. If you are on the major road you have priority and a vehicle emerging from the minor road doesn't; the inference being that the right of way is accorded to the major road user. I am a some time retired PO, but still have to keep up the knowledge ! All the best

[@AW8UK]

Just revisiting this. I believe collision data suggests many bike collisions occur on roundabouts. Roundabouts (particularly on faster roads) can potentially provide opportunities to positively embrace greater braking cornering, & acceleration forces. Issues can arise if our speed is greater than surrounding traffic. Often MC's can move quicker than surrounding traffic. If drivers do not anticipate our speed , fail to assess same or don't look properly then our speed may be a factor if things go wrong. I don't type from a pedestal ....I enjoy progress when appropriate BUT use restraint where beneficial.

[@MrSuperstevie]

The smaller an object appears to the human eye, the greater our tendency to underestimate its speed &/or overestimate the distance. This well documented bias of human depth perception is widely acknowledged in aviation but rarely gets a mention in driver training. Which is a shame because it’s the best explanation I’ve heard for why that “looming effect” is so much more of a danger to bikers & cyclists than other vehicles.

[@MsDenver2]

I think it’s a good idea to pre-load the front break so you’ve saved time if you have to break. Very good video a lot to think about ? I’ve just bought a motorcycle after over 40 years not riding and although I’ve always had cars and been a tram driver for several years I am very aware of my limitations and at 64 my reactions are slower. So I intend to go on the police riding course and unlike when I was on 1000cc bikes back then I am aware that I need to give myself more time to react and at my age I’m not interested in going fast anymore. I shall be fitting extra lights and a louder horn which will help just a “ little” and I shall definitely be buying a hi-vis air vest aswell as armer , also I will be uprating the breaks to brembo as soo as I can afford it.👍🏍

[@GaryJacko149]

Hi, great content. I was talking to someone recently about a SMIDSY and trying to give some examples of why it might not have been entirely the drivers fault, they weren't having any of it. I also said to them if it happened to me the 1st thing I would be asking is what did I do, or not do, for them not to see me. They just didn't get what I was saying and it will always be the drivers fault. Some people just can't be educated!

[@MotorcyclePWR]

thank you for your comments. Sadly this is often the case, unfortunately by not learning riders set themselves up to be involved in a collision but at least you tried! All the best

[@meemee8041]

I've stopped at a junction staring into a driver eyes and then waving my hands above my head and they still jumped out of their seat in surprise

[@Safeprogress]

i tried to put this in an email to you, but it bounced. ......That is a very interesting and informative video. From some of the comments you make I am wondering if you are either a current or former police motorcyclist. Your key point about, ‘not entrusting our safety to any other road user..’ is, in my view, particularly pertinent. I first came across this principle in a book written by Lord Montague of Beaulieu where he says, to paraphrase slightly, ‘It is your job not the other man’s to avoid danger’. The book was published in 1906 and was called ‘The Art of Driving a Motor Car’. That point, amongst others is being incorporated in an article I am completing as a baseline for staying safe on the road and it obviously applies equally to drivers and riders. As I expect you might well know 25% of all crashes occur within 25 yards of brows bends and junctions. To some extent I skipped through your video looking for salient parts. However, I am currently running a better driving course and one of the issues pertinent to both cyclists and motorcyclist is those who will not be conspicuous and can easily blend with the background in low light conditions. As you will obviously be aware apart from dusk this can be dull days or, on bright sunny days, getting lost in shadows. So, I afraid, those who will not be conspicuous are, one might say, inviting their own downfall and, if I may, I feel that is a primary point to make.

[@MotorcyclePWR]

@N ALBRIGHT many thanks for your comments here, sorry the email bounced. [e-mail] you raise some interesting points here, great reference to Lord Montagues 1906 comment! I am a retired PO, but have worked as an instructor for the last 12 years. Yes being seen does go a long way to help as you say, unfortunately it isnt one size fits all as you know as when travelling along one moment you may be visible, the next camouflaged as the background and light changes. Which is exactly why self ownership of safety is so important, with the rider having to ensure that they are in the correct place and correct speed when dealing with hazards. Your reference to running a better driving course is interesting, I hope that you get good support and many road users benefit. Thanks again for your interest. Best regards

[@1egal1Liph]

I will on occasion swerve left to right, all within my lane, when approaching a junction. This helps those vehicles ahead see me.

[@lynngertrudeclark6531]

Thanks

[@IronHead42]

Great video. I've not much to add to other positive comments here. Just want to say... You absolutely knew those bikes were on their way, didn't you? 😆

[@MotorcyclePWR]

Thank you. Those bikes were actually a lucky addition to the filming! All the best

[@NickCadmium]

Excellent insight and advice. I'm in the midst of prepping for my Mod 1 & Mod 2 and your advice is invaluable. It does add to the sense of trepidation though. It's daunting to know just how much there is to continually process in order to ride safely. But I also appreciate that much of it becomes second nature and habitual once practiced enough, like anything. On a more random note - what was the structure in the background @c. 28min? :)

[@MotorcyclePWR]

Thank you for your comments, i wish you well with your training and testing. The structure is a disused water tower. All the best

[@1egal1Liph]

Vehicles of all types are looking for "gaps" in traffic in order to cross at a junction or to simply turn left or right. I try not to ride in "traffic" gaps where I'm not easily seen and could encounter a driver pulling out quickly thinking the gap is empty, when actually it's not

[@AW8UK]

Very informative.....It is sadly ironic that many speed junkies & poor drivers not interested in learning more re road safety won't SEE Your Video.

[@MotorcyclePWR]

@AW8 yes sadly this is, in my opinion, one of the real reasons we find the trouble we do on UK roads, those that need the training, advice, guidance, and ultimately may be prosecution rarely get it. Not helped by a system that has little interest in improving driver behaviour, but now prefers an un uniformed approach to speed management, with some drivers reporting penalties at 32 in a 30 limit etc. I think the UK road safety message has lost its way.

[@AW8UK]

@@MotorcyclePWR Whatever happened to public information films ? Nowadays many bikers and roadusers spend many hours in front of a screen for pleasure or entertainment. Adverts (& customised adverts) are everywhere. Key safety points & advice could be put into a punchy 30 sec video. Such videos could be played at test centres, motorcycle showrooms , bike shows, BSB events, on YT, biking/biker websites, at biker meet hot spots & race events etc etc. We both know the key messages that need to reach the target audience(s).

[@MotorcyclePWR]

@@AW8UK Ah, I remember them well, werent they stopped because they scared people!? Youre quite right, it would be so easy to do, they would need to be a modern version that was catchy so that people actually took notice of them. Modern official safety videos I see seem a bit feeble and hyped without value? Perhaps its just me. We do indeed know! I wish organisations such as IAM and RoSPA and others would bring more pressure so that real safety improvements were made, rather than the same regurgitated rhetoric of speed that we have to suffer.

[@AW8UK]

@@MotorcyclePWR In between my last reply and reading your last I just did a quick search on you tube for road safety videos. There are some really impactive videos from around the world....some are quite disturbing to view...(a bit also for me...perhaps due to me prior blocking out emotions in former career). Yes...anything would need an initial hook of excitement, loud music, race leathers going on, revving at start up etc etc.....then hit them hard with brutal collision simulation footage and key messages at the end..."Ride your own ride" etc etc I won't share links of safety videos here & on your channel. Right...I need to walk the dogs now...🙂

[@MotorcyclePWR]

@@AW8UK excellent, yes understood, plus i can relate to your 2nd paragraph. We need more here! thanks for the info, all the best..

[@1egal1Liph]

First comment is drivers, including motorbikers, are trained early on to function on glances. This increases the problem of situational blindness, especially in regards to motorbikes. Glance almost always will pick up a truck. Rarely miss a car or pickup. OFTEN miss a motorbike.

[@MotorcyclePWR]

How true. Its only in recent years that i have started to learn more about the relationship between the eyes and brain and its both surprising and fascinating. But not helpful for seeing small objects that you don't expect. All the best

[@rcraven1013]

Its not possible to do a smooth watching movement ...if there is nothing moving to watch?. Many drivers rely on saccadic movement where our eyes move or rather jump from one object to another and we then miss everything in between. Our eyes can easily identify objects that move or on bright lights. So at a junction we are waiting for a gap in traffic and see say a lorry approaching and then we look further down the road and the next thing we see is a transit van and we identify nothing in between as our eyes have jumped from one object to another. We anticipate that we can emerge following the passing of that lorry and move out to do so immediately following its passing us and there behind and hidden by that lorry is another vehicle, be it a car or a motorcycle and we have just placed our self directly in front of it. Its not just motorcycles that suffer greatly from smidsys. Cars and other vehicles suffer about the same amount as we can all be hidden by the vehicle in front. Usually collisions are contributed by the following vehicle being far too close to that vehicle in front and Tailgating it.. Being so close we are actually hiding ourselves from other traffic and also and this is important, reducing our forward vision of the road ahead. To get over this problem and danger and to be safer its best not to follow any vehicle too closely and be at least the safe stopping distance behind it and in the correct position on the road. Being about the middle of the carriageway or slightly to its right and then in anticipating of there being junctions to our nearside we may move over slightly to the nearside to give us a better view of any junction and for the driver wishing to exit at that junction to give him a better and earlier view of us and us of them. We or you are contributing to the smidsys by not being visible earlier to other traffic and of sometimes poor advice of being in a queue of traffic and being positioned to the rear offside of the vehicle in front so that that driver can se us in his offside mirror. Whilst that is all well and good its not the safest position to be in. The fact that you are in that offside positions will probably hide you from any driver at any nearside junction so don't remain there, fall back as recommended to the safer distances recommended in the Highway Code. Rather than be just the thinking distance of 30 ft on a town road and doing 30 mph it would be an awful lot safer giving the stopping distance of 75 ft. as recommended in the H.C. or better still the 30 metres as is recommended by the DVSA In their Essential Skills Safety Manual. Simply by giving Safe Space Saves Lives.

[@AM2K2]

Is it useful for bikers to have their phones mounted to satnav so you know of every junction that you could possibly miss with your eyes? I'm a car driver...pondering the CBT! Some of these country roads look so hidden

[@ireallylovegod]

I'm gonna get myself a black bike with black leathers and a black helmet and ride with one poxy little headlight on at high speed , what could possibly go wrong?

[@craigfenby7545]

Hi really informative video I've recently been involved in a RTC and kind of still trying to get my head around what happened 😞

[@MotorcyclePWR]

thank you for your comment. Sorry to hear of your rtc, I hope you are ok and find some sense in what happened so that you can ride confidently again, all the best

[@craigfenby7545]

@@MotorcyclePWR thankyou so much I'm slowly recovering with the damage to my knee 👍

[@jjnewman65]

Where were all those bikes going?

[@Nooziterp1]

One other thing. If a driver is waiting at a junction and sees a bike (or anything else) approaching they will do a quick mental calculation to decide how long they have to clear the junction before the bike gets there. This will be based on the speed the bike SHOULD be doing based on the speed limit for that road. If the speed limit is 40 and the bike is doing 90 (as some idiot riders do) then that mental calculation will be way off and the driver will pull out. KEEP YOUR SPEED DOWN!

[@TonySMotorcyclePassion]

What about a rear ended on a motorcycle.or car driver

[@MsDenver2]

When I had my incident I came of an island doing 20mph , it was dark , raining and street lights were not very good. I had a safety light on aswell as my head light , white helmet, I was in position 2 , there was a line of cars going the other way . I passed a side road on my left just after I passed it a car came round the bend on my side of the road with no lights on even though it was dark and I didn’t see him in time and he hit me head on. The police said I was 20% to blame that made me very angry as I had done every thing correct and was only doing 20 mph . Me and my passenger were badly injured and the police didn’t prosecute the driver for what I consider dangerous driving. The only thing I can think off that might have helped would be if I was in position 1 instead of 2 as perhaps I could’ve gone up the curb to avoid him but because he didn’t have any light on I didn’t see him in time to do anything?

[@MotorcyclePWR]

Thank you for your comment Donna. Its very difficult to give an objective opinion from anecdotal evidence of an incident. However, on the face of it you would seem to be blameless and depending on the actual road layout i couldn't give advice as to how you could have avoided a collision. Regarding police action, this can be variable depending on force policy and individual officers attending who may be poorly experienced in traffic matters or disinterested. You can always raise a complaint with the forces Professional Standards Department if you are not happy, and ask for the reasons why the officer regarded you as "20%" to blame. I hope you are fully recovered now. All the best

[@MrJohnny3shoes]

You could blend in with a shadow of a building, a tree or vehicle if you don't use your lights. All road users at all times.should have lights on. That includes cyclists.

[@chrisb4504]

On my new bike after passing mod 2 I encountered a shopping trolley wielding woman do a smidsy on me in Morrisons car park 😂

[@MotorcyclePWR]

😆👍

[@nickaxe771]

Also.....if any of your viewers' have never been in a big or even not so big HGV or heavy truck.....the rear view mirrors are huge.....yes the are great for looking towards the rear.....but at a junction.....you cal loose a whole car behind your mirrors.....you may have bobbed your head about to get a better look.....but depending on the way the car/bike/motorcycle is coming towards you......the mirror may hide you from his vision. So the very things that are suppose to aid a truck driver create a huge problem.....to me HGV mirrors are just to big. I am speaking as a Class one HGV driver of many years. Some modern truck have NO REAR VEIW MIRRORS.....ok great that the blind spot has gone as the have a camera instead.....but for the poor truck driver the view you get from them is a lot of the time poor with a small field of view. You see whats going on behind now in an LCD screen.....jiggle your head to one side for a better view in your mirror....MMMmm dont work with a camera....you cant win. Some great tips in this video....wish I knew your name.....keep up the good work.

[@MotorcyclePWR]

thanks for contributing this information, great to hear an LGV perspective too. All the best, Phil

[@DeanArnold1066]

The only problem with your videos there not long enough 😊. Looking at buying the CB500x

[@jimmybrookes1574]

where were all the bikes going

[@MotorcyclePWR]

meeting up for a meet in Margate I believe

[@MsDenver2]

At bad junctions like that why don’t council’s make them safer?

[@MotorcyclePWR]

very good question. Im finding that a lot of councils or road operators like putting temporary signs in the worst place possible which helps block the view further!

[@oldfartuk]

SMIDSY , I normally go with BIAA. Because Its An Audi lol ... On a serious note ..hears a good video Ryan did on road blindness i watched along time ago kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmqXgXqdjrB7h5I

[@MotorcyclePWR]

thanks, interesting video by Ryan

[@cliveadams7629]

Just go faster, then you'll be past them before they can hit you.

[@robsonenduro3316]

answer it's easy, all because scooter riders cause cars thinks all 2 wheelers are slow.

[@mwgmail]

Amazing video…. If informative was a person 💯