Ya gonna maybe bring us this one too?
http://www.gringo-times.com/articles/2008/BMW-to-build-new-Dominican-motorcycle.php
http://www.gringo-times.com/articles/2008/BMW-to-build-new-Dominican-motorcycle.php
- Thread starter ADV Moto
- Start date
Let's Talk Motorcycle Safety
Dont forget lights. I believe having an ultra bright headlight and super bright progressive blinking tail light made me much more visible. Many accidrnts are caused by not being seen. In a car few upon entering a highway look for oncoming cars OR MOTORCYCLES. Most of my near misses were cars making left turns in my pathway. Good rider ed helps too. I developed the habit of matching speeds with the car on my left or right as I went thru intersections so it blocked me from being hit on one side and left me free to only worry about oncoming cars on one side. On freeways avoid the tight lane so you do not get swept up by a car trying to make a nearly missed exit sweeping across the lanes. Lots of little things can save your life. On the safety gear issue what got me interested was watching a race in which a rider went down in a 120 mph corner then jumped up off the pavement running after his still sliding bike and get back in the race. You can buy safety hear that will give you enormous protection from everything but a direct or side high speed hit. Sometimes you just get lucky. Teacher st ISD and a friend survived being rear ended at 80 mph (estimated) by a full sized car while he was stopped waiting to make a left turn. He was very broken up but survived. Bit of luck is always helpful. Even with vents and mesh protevtive gear is hot when you are not moving. Me I like hot over hurt or dead. Here the uncontrollable unknown is alcohol and crazy Dominican drivers.
Blind Spots
The "No Zone" in riding around trucks:
Car "No Zone":
When passing through the No Zone to better safety & vidibility, don't pass into *another* No Zone like this (A). In (B) try to stay in the cars visible zone for as long as possible before entering the No Zone:
The "No Zone" in riding around trucks:
Car "No Zone":
When passing through the No Zone to better safety & vidibility, don't pass into *another* No Zone like this (A). In (B) try to stay in the cars visible zone for as long as possible before entering the No Zone:
It is true that most source of accidents in the road are motorcycles. However, motorcycles are parts of road vehicles not only in DR but also in other country.
Environmental conditions are all part of the awareness scan, having awareness of all possible threats.
I have difficulty on many of the tree-lined roads in the DR determining the difference between a shadow and a pothole until right on it. So I wick the speed down a tad to give me more time to make a definitive analysis.
Turns out Tray was riding at 8 pm on a dirt bike, no lights, no helmet dark clothing, hit a van in an intersection. Majority of biker friends in serious wrecks happened in intersections where other driver simply did not see the approaching motorcycle and pulled out in front of th bike. I always assumed other cars did not see me and slowed accordingly. With the advent of cell phones its even more likely the car does not see you.
Yes, but in most countries they have lights and trained drivers. Here they pass of the left and right, quite often at the same time, rarely follow any traffic rules and all this requires a non-motor driver to also have their head on a swivel at all times.
THis is the reason why I am in favor of the training ADV is pushing, If these moto guys coiuld learn about red lights and which way traffic flows on the streets and why and adhere to it it would be safer for all of us, so that is also why I would say that every driver on the road should be charged a small fee so the motorcycle drivers, especially those who do it for a living can learn about safety.
The perfect storm of doing all the wrong things on a motorcycle from bike to dress to operation to attitude.
I almost ran over a black pasola with three people, all dressed in black, at night, in the rain, left lane going maybe 10mph on the autopista south of Santiago. Saw them within 30' of running them over, going maybe 45mph.
How about building the fee into a moto license or tag renewal? It should be the responsibility of the moto rider, not car owner or driver.
Should be the responsibility of any one who uses the roads, I had a motorcyclist going the wrong way on a one way road hit the side of my car taking the exterior mirror off with his face. Since it is a gringo fault country as far as accidents are concerned it cost me a lot more than it would have cost me if there had been another 200 pesos on renewing my tag. I was expected to pay for his ex-rays on his face and fix his bike 17,000 pesos in all it cost me.
I like the European graduated system of motorcycle licensing. They start off in the 250cc range and move higher as they get more experienced. I've been to Italy, Spain and Germany and saw how capable a lot of them are on their bikes, especially on the autobahns. German bikers exhibit really good bike driving skills on their highways. Probably a cultural approach thing too.
You aren't the first, nor will be the last.
You were in a cage and not a motorcycle, so your street strategy is completely different.
The road culture here is what it is.
We cannot change the riding culture overnight. But we CAN offer suggestions and tools for motorcyclists in the DR to best protect themselves in as safe a manner as possible.
One departure from US and EU moto training for Dominicans will include some sensationalism.
When I took drivers ed in like 1967, there was a film done by (I think) Highway Safety Foundation called "Signal 30" (google it, I won't post a link or the video), produced in the late 50's, of a compilation of the aftermath of some really gruesome car accidents, blood, guts, body parts all twisted and carnage everywhere, drivers impaled on steering columns, a film so in-your-face that girls fainted and some puked. I know it had a profound impact on me. But like the "Scared Straight" juvie delinquent film and program from Rahway State Prison, the PC crowd deemed it too psychologically damaging to the delicate snowflakes and schools were ordered to stop showing it as part of Drivers Ed.
So we will be producing a similar film of moto carnage for Dominican riders, including sobbing mothers, grandmothers, sisters and aunts, videos of real ER situations with kids in excruciating pain and clips of the paralyzed and dain bramaged drooling former humans at home for the purpose of backing up the hearse to the front door of these "it'll never happen to me" young tigueres so those who don't want to be organ donors can see the consequences of possible actions.
When I took drivers ed in like 1967, there was a film done by (I think) Highway Safety Foundation called "Signal 30" (google it, I won't post a link or the video), produced in the late 50's, of a compilation of the aftermath of some really gruesome car accidents, blood, guts, body parts all twisted and carnage everywhere, drivers impaled on steering columns, a film so in-your-face that girls fainted and some puked. I know it had a profound impact on me. But like the "Scared Straight" juvie delinquent film and program from Rahway State Prison, the PC crowd deemed it too psychologically damaging to the delicate snowflakes and schools were ordered to stop showing it as part of Drivers Ed.
So we will be producing a similar film of moto carnage for Dominican riders, including sobbing mothers, grandmothers, sisters and aunts, videos of real ER situations with kids in excruciating pain and clips of the paralyzed and dain bramaged drooling former humans at home for the purpose of backing up the hearse to the front door of these "it'll never happen to me" young tigueres so those who don't want to be organ donors can see the consequences of possible actions.
be nice if motos had license plate and drivers license. I live up near the AMET station and see the flat bed tow trucks driving past loaded to the gills with seized motos. They collect them by the hundreds. You would think it would deter the motos but week after week it goes on and nothing changes. Highway accidents are the major cause of death in the DR with motorcycles being the largest contributor. There is some sort of refusal to learn from the experience of others. Everone appears to learn the hard way in this country, if at all. My vehicle of choice here is a 4 wheel drive truck with the brightest illegal light bar available, windows tinted dark so no one can see the gringo driver. I like the extra axle up front in case of head ons. Rather be on an Hayabusa but I am a realist.
I'm starting the training for an unlimited license in Germany, with no experience before (have a license for car).
These are the requirements for the licence:
- 10 hours theory
- enough driving in a secure place to be able to handle the bike: 10-15 hours.
- 5 hours driving on normal roads outside cities with a teacher driving behind me
- 4 hours driving on highways with a teacher driving behind me
- 3 hours driving at night with a teacher driving behind me
- first aid course, eyesight test
- after all this I must make an official test of theory and driving
Cost will be 1500 -2000 US$
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