having also driven bikes in the dark , distant past , I'd be the first to agree that , because they are at the same time that much more vulnerable and that much less visible than other road users , bikers have , in order to survive , be that much more aware of what is going on around them .
I'd also be quick to agree that I don't always agree with everything the IAM teach or preach , like many others I find them to be quite pedantic and , at times , inflexible . I also don't see them as the ultimate arbiters of what is and isn't correct in Advanced Driving - in that field the police training colleges very much lead the way , even though some aspects of police advanced driving isn't always applicable to civilians , and I sometimes feel that some elements which have filtered through to civilian advanced driving ( such as the imperative emphasis on always making progress ) perhaps oughtn't to have ...
However , one thing I do agree with , and this comes heavily down to improving situational awareness , is use of 'the system' where certain things have to be done , or at least considered , in a certain order . The whole point of this is to raise driving to a more conscious level , rather than allowing it to be an unconscious subroutine as many drivers do after they have passed their basic DVSA driving test and feel that is all that is required of them .
Rather than just some vague awareness that there is a turn or lane change to , say , the right and throwing on a signal before wandering in that direction , the advanced driver is taught to assess the situation , determine what other road users are present and might or might not be affected by the intended action , whether that action is safe or even possible in the first place and therefore whether it is necessary to tell some one about your plans , determine the correct course or road position , the correct speed of approach , the most appropriate gear to be in , having done all that , is it still safe , has anything changed , do we now need to give a signal even though we didn't a few moments ago , or do we need to emphasise or supplement one already given , and if safe to proceed and with what degree of acceleration ( if any ) . That sounds a mouthful , and it is if giving commentary , but really it can easily be perfected and becomes second nature . With the 'new' version of the system one is taking and giving information all the time ( as required ) ; that is always taking information , and giving it as required ; although I still like the structure of the 'old' six feature system which called for specific actions at specific times , the new one does emphasise that you can never be too aware of what is going on around you .
Gathering information , or situational awareness , should be a continuous process whenever you are in charge of a vehicle ( in some ways easier on a bile as you are 'out there' rather than enclosed in a tin box and isolated from the world , but a full face helmet does get in the way sometimes ) and you should always be looking and listening for other road users . I've enjoyed my summer in the SL , with the roof down on almost every dry weather journey , and it is amazing just how much having the additional sense of hearing everything going on around you in an open car makes awareness so much greater ! However , even driving a van or a truck with cabin noise and much less rearward visibility ( although they often have the advantage of an elevated driving position ) with properly structured scanning of the road situation , you should still be aware of others and able to plan accordingly .
Observation isn't just rearwards ,it is ahead , far ahead , and all around , leading to planning , planning and more planning . Yes , I'm only human and I might miss something , but I'd like to think that is very seldom and I certainly don't often get horns blown at me , so I don't think I miss too much .
While there are many occasions I choose not to signal ( and this is much of the time on motorways or DCW's ) there are other times when I will give more signals than others : an example of this which comes up semi-regularly is when approaching my home - my house is situated on the A737 , which is a busy A road and if approached form the West , is on the left immediately after a minor road with little visibility in or out , if I'm nearing my house with following traffic , I generally will start to slow quite early from the 60 mph I might have been doing , even though I might have following traffic , I won't wish to signal left in case something appears in the mouth of the junction just before my house , so I quite often lightly apply the brakes to bring the lights on and also give the hand signal for 'I intend to slow down' , before finally trafficating left once I can see into the junction and it is obvious I am not turning left there . Another fairly regular one is that , on turning right across a dual carriageway to enter my place of work , if I am being followed I will quite often supplement a right turn signal with a hand signal to emphasise that I am actually turning right and not merely overtaking slower traffic in the left lane .
Regardless of the above , some drives do seem to drive around with their eyes shut and manage to miss things that should be blatantly obvious - while on a bile it might be a matter of life and death , and with a greater chance of getting hit due to your smaller profile , therefore there is an argument for lowering your standard of driving back to the 'L driver' regime of signalling all the time , I choose to maintain my vigilance and always assume every other driver is an idiot and is about to do the worst possible thing , whatever that might be .
