In the news

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/cyclist-killed-stockport-road-timperley-13536100.amp

Might be a rider down thread, but sharing here. Passed (detoured) by as they were doing the forensic type stuff about 1pm :(

Good read.

Interestingly when I did a free advanced motorcycle course the police said this

One of the key issues is where the rider is going straight along a main road and are hit by a driver turning right (in the UK), either into a side street or out of one.

is the main cause of motorcycle accidents.

Yep, that's what happened to me. Bloke turned right across me as I was driving down Old St. Even with both brakes full on I had no way of stopping, so I just had to decide which part of his van to hit.

Are they OK, though?

That's the first serious accident in Timperley that I've heard of. Awfull.

Just catching up on the Charlie Allison case. Beyond my comprehension that he chose to get that skull tattoo on his neck AFTER the accident.

Yes. Staying with family in Dallas along with other family whi came up from Austin. My 99 year old great aunt's house is flooded so she is staying with neighbours. She turns 100 next month. She's forgotten more hurricans tha most people have experienced.

Exactly the case for me in December, with the woman turning right across me to go into the petrol station (see cctv in rider down, no way I could stop, even evasive I still lost balance).

A picture from Houston

And this is an interesting account of the flooding mechanisms

https://twitter.com/CorbettMatt/status/901959336850804737

fuck! ^
@Aroogah hope that all your family and friends are safe, nightmare

China/India de-escalate https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2017-08-28/india-china-to-ease-months-long-military-face-off-in-himalayas

a few days old but president macron of france has spent E 25,000 on makeup in the last three months

maybe should be in the wtf thread

thats roughly the cap the uk govt want to put on families collecting benefits here in the uk

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/25/emmanuel-macron-under-fire-26000-euros-makeup-bill

Seems he's not the only one, and Blair also had high grooming costs. Weird for sure...can't they take make up classes like the rest of us? ;)

Blair has been claiming £3million a year from the taxpayers for the past 10 years for his personal security.

Time will tell if he ever gets a knighthood, but there is a hidden message in his current lack of one ;-)

Wow!

Any idea how much that is? Got to be 10 meters at least.

I prob should have added the reasons being hit by a driver turning right, either into a side street or out of one is so common.

The reason given by most motorists is "I just didn't see them".

The thinking at the moment is this is explained by 2 factors.
1) expectations - ie less used to motor/bikes (if you have family/friends/neighbours who motor/cycle you'll be more likely to spot them, drivers in London are more aware, etc.)
2) visibility
a) profile. A small head-on profile is harder to see. Importantly for motorbikes it is hard to judge their speed*.
b) how we see. Our eyes designed to max out at our max speed (c. 20mph). After that point we start taking snapshots and our brain fills in the gaps based on assumptions.
c) general. As has been mentioned contrast is a big factor. So something like a hi-vis H-belt against black, rather than a large block of hi-vis.

*for motorbikes a good mitigation (other than the obvious) is moving road position. It increases the chances of a viewer spotting you because you are no longer where they expect you, so their brain double takes and thinks.

A friend of mine was affected by this bizarre chemical mist that hit the south coast yesterday, wtf is that all about? Chemical spill? Chemical attack? No mention of the cause/source anywhere...

We were in that neck of the woods too. Saw a mist, didn't smell or feel anything.

I'm sure they will work out what it was soon enough. I doubt it was an attack. Why do it on the coast and not in a high density area?

Our eyes designed to max out at our max speed (c. 20mph). After that point we start taking snapshots and our brain fills in the gaps based on assumptions.

Blimey!
I had no idea that the speed our eyes max out at, was as low as that.

They reckon when it has happened before it has been things like a negligent chemical plant over on the French coast, making it very difficult to pin point.

There's that fighter pilot explanation somewhere. Will try dig out the pdf

http://www.slobc.org/safety/documents/road-survival-guide.pdf

Definitely worth the read, or re-read.

Haven't checked but possibly unfair as I doubt Blair is the decision on what level of security is needed and how large the budget is.

Ta. I'm pretty sure I've come across that (or something similar) before, from someone who's a commercial pilot in the other place.
But 20mph? Beyond which we're making it up?
Boggle.

ETA - Excellent re-read - as you suggest.