Bike Instructor fail.............

[stevewatkin]

Yes, that's right. At DSA level riders aren't deemed advanced enough to figure out for themselves when they should or shouldn't be in a certain position on the road, so they are taught to stay in position 1, where it keeps them away from oncoming traffic, and accounts for the lowest common denominator.

Bloody hell doesn't the DSA have a clue??
Even at Bikeability (cycle training) level 3 which is all about riding on all types of road and SHARING the road the pupils are taught to use the Primary position (centre of their lane) when they can.
Guess why? It's simple really..........they can be easily seen buy all other road users then.

[-Ralph-]

Yes, that's right. At DSA level riders aren't deemed advanced enough to figure out for themselves when they should or shouldn't be in a certain position on the road, so they are taught to stay in position 1, where it keeps them away from oncoming traffic, and accounts for the lowest common denominator.

Bloody hell doesn't the DSA have a clue??
Even at Bikeability (cycle training) level 3 which is all about riding on all types of road and SHARING the road the pupils are taught to use the Primary position (centre of their lane) when they can.
Guess why? It's simple really..........they can be easily seen buy all other road users then.

It's for good reason.

They are worried that on narrow roads, left hand bends, high hedges, newbie riders with no experience will get clipped by a wing mirror, or worse hit head on as oncoming 4 wheel traffic cuts the corner.

Here's a left hand corner I always take in position 1, because experience tells me I have to (bear in mind the google cars camera is much higher than a motorcyclists head you can't see over that hedge)...

https://goo.gl/maps/C6gDP

But a 16 year old on a moped who's only experience and training is a CBT, will probably not realise that position 2 or 3 is dangerous in this situation, so you have to teach them to stay position 1.

In the training for the DSA test they then introduce position 2 (middle of the lane) as the default, with a move into position 1 for left hand turns and bends.

Bikeability level 3 is for people who have experience riding on the road and have already done levels 1 and 2. The DSA are training 16 year old moped riders who may never have even ridden a bicycle on the road, and may never even have done cycling proficiency as a child. They have to account for the lowest common denominator, somebody who has no road sense at all.

All things taught at different levels use what I call "the law of diminishing lies".

[Ken Shabby]

I ride with 125 people as part of our club rides and they ALL hug the left side - daft as it may seem. I can't count the number of times I've seen one of them nearly taken out by cars pulling out from side roads...........

I learned the hard way (nearly the hardest of all) - overtaking on dual carriageway at around 70mph when the car behind decides there's enough room for him to squeeze past too - at the same time - so comes past me at about 90mph, making his own third 'lane', his wing mirror skimming my elbow.

Never give a car room to enter your lane, or some inept c***t - who probably reads the Telegraph/Times and thinks 'all motorcyclists are hooligans' - will do it.

[Tim Cullis]

Too focused on catching up with his pupils, distracted, accident.

Certainly agree he was too focused on catching up. And where he started to go wrong was not setting off at the same time as the pupils, there was enough space to do that. If you watch the video again he doesn't move until three or four seconds after his pupils set off, and then only to creep forwards.

[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]GkyZNWODRqg[/video]

The car can be seen to be clearly slowing down on the exit from the roundabout and was obviously planning some manoeuvre. It was still indicating left so the rider had no good reason for assuming it would be turning right into the fuel station. There was always the possibility that the car would turn left into the pub and the rider should have assessed the situation better.

It was a clear undertake in a dangerous situation, I don't think it's so much distraction as poor hazard awareness or simply that he took a chance.

[DaveCon]

My two-penerth: -

I think the problem the "instructor" faces is that he set off at a speed to match the car as if it was going to carry on along the road. Perhaps unexpectedly the car then slows right down to make the sharp left turn and the instructor shoots through.

His error was perhaps in not questioning why the car suddenly slowed with the left indicator on and hanging back to see what develops. As others have said - fixated on catching up with the learners.

I don't see why the car driver should check his nearside mirror, we don't overtake on the left in this country - allegedly :pinch:

I was also a bit concerned the way the "instructor" is hopping as he queues at the entrance to the roundabout. Looks like he's struggling to balance the bike at low speed and suggests to me he's a novice (or just not very good).

[tea007]

That's brilliant