Wow. Honestly, I caught something odd out of the corner of my right eye, but I didn't "see" it by any means! Crazy and completly accurate. I'm going to share too. Jeff
You are right, it IS amazing. One can 'pass the test' and flunk reality.
"Your Honor:
I have known Mr. Peterson for a number of years now and personally attest to his character. As you no doubt know, Mr Peterson is a strong advocate for safe and legal cycling, and as such I am absolutely certain that his transgression, for which he has rightly been fined, has caused him no end of personal concern.
I suggest you consider an alternate form of punishment in this situation. While a hefty fine is certainly a motivation for him to be more cautious in the future, I an equally confident that just the event it self has had that effect, thus eliminating much of the purpose of a fine. I believe that an alternative penalty would be of greater benefit to society while at the same time meeting the need for Mr. Peterson to demonstrate his responsibility for his actions.
Given that Mr Peterson makes a living in the field of bicycling advocacy I am certain that his reflection on this situation has casued him to consider what effective measures would most help others assure that they are not also lulled into a mindset that might lead to similar infractions.
Therefor I suggest you sentance Mr. Peterson to a period of commuity service during which he would be required to produce a variety of awareness tools and strategies that would help others avoid this same mistake.
I realize that this might be viewed as sentencing Mr. Peterson to performing his normal duties and therefor might not meet the standard definition of 'punishment'. None the less I believe that Mr. Peterson would bring to this effort a degree credibility that no one else could.
OK that's a pretty interesting advert, but I think it demonstrates a larger/different issue. Sure, it's easy to overlook something you're not expecting, but this advert also subtly demonstrates how an individual is easily missed because he/she hasn't taken the responsibility of making themselves conspicuous. E.G., replace the moonwalking bear with a cyclist dressed in dark clothing (the classic black hoodie comes to mind) riding at dusk without any lights. As with most things, it's a two way street...
I hope this doesn't scare cyclists as much as it highlights the danger of operating a motor vehicle while distracted. It's not just cyclists that are endangered by inattention.
Also, the more cyclists on the road, the more likely the motorist will know to watch for us -- and the more likely the motorist will be a cyclist.
Yep. I agree with Jim. I'm definitely dumping the fuzzy brown bear suit I've been commuting in. The idea was to elicit a friendlier response from drivers (who throws beer bottles at a *bear*?) but this video has definitely disabused me of the idea.
:-)
Seriously though, I agree it's a good example of how selective attention is. (It has to be, of course, otherwise you'd be constantly overwhelmed by stimuli...)
So be conspicuous! Driven by all the recent left/right hooks killing cyclists, I recently got a bright amber 3 led daytime/night-time running light for the front of my bike. Already I notice drivers doing double takes in their mirrors. (It has a intense flash mode for daytime - I run in in low/steady during the night to help anchor my position.) Very happy with it...
I'm going to wear white and dribble a basketball whenever I ride.
I feel safer already!
Seriously, thanks for this because I did see the Harlem Globetrotters perform in the heyday of Meadowlark Lemon and Curley. Gives new meaning to "cage ball."
Yes, Jim G, that is the message for cyclists -- help other road users see you. Which brings up a question I've been wondering about and hoped I could get some feedback:
Scenario: I'm biking or driving (the speed limit) and am startled by a ped or cyclist appearing at the last second because they were wearing black/dark clothes and my lights did not pick up that they were in the road until I was very close.
Question: How slow should one drive to totally avoid the possibility of hitting a ped or cyclist in the scenario above? It does occur most often on side roads that are not well lit but it scares me that I'm gonna miss seeing one of them one time and BAM! Then again, how slow is too slow? Just wondered if any of you have experienced that. Thanks.
Well I am a biker too on road competiting with many big vehicles. Wear bright clothing and helmet whenever riding on road. That the least we can do to prevent accident happen.
Wow. Honestly, I caught something odd out of the corner of my right eye, but I didn't "see" it by any means!
ReplyDeleteCrazy and completly accurate. I'm going to share too.
Jeff
13! Do I get a prize?
ReplyDeleteYou are right, it IS amazing. One can 'pass the test' and flunk reality.
"Your Honor:
I have known Mr. Peterson for a number of years now and personally attest to his character. As you no doubt know, Mr Peterson is a strong advocate for safe and legal cycling, and as such I am absolutely certain that his transgression, for which he has rightly been fined, has caused him no end of personal concern.
I suggest you consider an alternate form of punishment in this situation. While a hefty fine is certainly a motivation for him to be more cautious in the future, I an equally confident that just the event it self has had that effect, thus eliminating much of the purpose of a fine. I believe that an alternative penalty would be of greater benefit to society while at the same time meeting the need for Mr. Peterson to demonstrate his responsibility for his actions.
Given that Mr Peterson makes a living in the field of bicycling advocacy I am certain that his reflection on this situation has casued him to consider what effective measures would most help others assure that they are not also lulled into a mindset that might lead to similar infractions.
Therefor I suggest you sentance Mr. Peterson to a period of commuity service during which he would be required to produce a variety of awareness tools and strategies that would help others avoid this same mistake.
I realize that this might be viewed as sentencing Mr. Peterson to performing his normal duties and therefor might not meet the standard definition of 'punishment'. None the less I believe that Mr. Peterson would bring to this effort a degree credibility that no one else could.
Thank you for considering this proposal.
Respectfully,
Dr C. Fish
OK that's a pretty interesting advert, but I think it demonstrates a larger/different issue. Sure, it's easy to overlook something you're not expecting, but this advert also subtly demonstrates how an individual is easily missed because he/she hasn't taken the responsibility of making themselves conspicuous. E.G., replace the moonwalking bear with a cyclist dressed in dark clothing (the classic black hoodie comes to mind) riding at dusk without any lights. As with most things, it's a two way street...
ReplyDeleteSee also
ReplyDeleteI hope this doesn't scare cyclists as much as it highlights the danger of operating a motor vehicle while distracted. It's not just cyclists that are endangered by inattention.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the more cyclists on the road, the more likely the motorist will know to watch for us -- and the more likely the motorist will be a cyclist.
Yep. I agree with Jim. I'm definitely dumping the fuzzy brown bear suit I've been commuting in. The idea was to elicit a friendlier response from drivers (who throws beer bottles at a *bear*?) but this video has definitely disabused me of the idea.
ReplyDelete:-)
Seriously though, I agree it's a good example of how selective attention is. (It has to be, of course, otherwise you'd be constantly overwhelmed by stimuli...)
So be conspicuous! Driven by all the recent left/right hooks killing cyclists, I recently got a bright amber 3 led daytime/night-time running light for the front of my bike. Already I notice drivers doing double takes in their mirrors. (It has a intense flash mode for daytime - I run in in low/steady during the night to help anchor my position.) Very happy with it...
Very helpful!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to wear white and dribble a basketball whenever I ride.
I feel safer already!
Seriously, thanks for this because I did see the Harlem Globetrotters perform in the heyday of Meadowlark Lemon and Curley. Gives new meaning to "cage ball."
Yes, Jim G, that is the message for cyclists -- help other road users see you. Which brings up a question I've been wondering about and hoped I could get some feedback:
ReplyDeleteScenario: I'm biking or driving (the speed limit) and am startled by a ped or cyclist appearing at the last second because they were wearing black/dark clothes and my lights did not pick up that they were in the road until I was very close.
Question: How slow should one drive to totally avoid the possibility of hitting a ped or cyclist in the scenario above? It does occur most often on side roads that are not well lit but it scares me that I'm gonna miss seeing one of them one time and BAM! Then again, how slow is too slow? Just wondered if any of you have experienced that. Thanks.
Gene in Tacoma
It took me three re-plays to actually see the moonwalking bear.
ReplyDeleteWow!
Maybe the message here is to act in such a way that you don't blend in. Wear bright clothes, use lights... anything to keep from 'being the bear.'
Very neat Kent. You and Dave Moulton were on the same wavelength as he had it on his blog the same day...the power of the internet.
ReplyDeletehttp://davesbikeblog.blogspot.com/
Bob Gong
Granite Bay, CA
Well I am a biker too on road competiting with many big vehicles.
ReplyDeleteWear bright clothing and helmet whenever riding on road. That the least we can do to prevent accident happen.