The latest from Europe
 

The latest law being pushed on us by European Union is that all cars will have to use lights on our roads 24 hours a day. The Government didn't wanted to impose this new law, but found they had to, one small chink is that this will only apply to new cars. A motoring organisation has said that this will put motorcycle riders at risk when this new law comes in:rolleyes:

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On the radio this morning it said that this would only stand in Newcastle? :confused:

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why should it put bikers at risk? we tend to run with headlights all the time and some bikes are wired with them permanently on. As a Volvo owner I have mine on all the time as well(I can turn them off but it needs a screwdriver and I am too lazy) and no-one seems to be struggling to see me.

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It might have something to do with the rust falling off it that people don't have a problem noticing you :D Maybe you could use a rachet to charge up the lights if you turn fast enough :D

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was just gonna say that volvos have them on all the time.....cant see what the problem is meself:rolleyes:

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I suppose it would stop all the women who forget to turn their lights on :cool:

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Motorcyclists have their headlights on all the time for their own safety so they can be seen by others, if drivers wernt so ignorant and LOOKED where they were going riders wouldnt have to have their lights on all the time

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most drivers dont even have there fog lights on when needed!!:eek:

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Wow your brave! :p

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At least having them on all the time would stop those idiots driving around with their side lights on. If you think you need lights on then switch on your headlights dim wits. The number of people who put side lights on when the visibilty is poor on the motorway is amazing. When you look through a wet window at your door mirrors you can barely see them compared to people with headlights on. You should be unable to have sidelights on when the engine is running IMHO.

Don't get me started on you idiots who drive around with your fog lights on when it is not foggy (or adverse driving conditions as it says in the highway code) you should all be shot. On many cars having your rear fogs on makes your brake lights stand out less. This means the car behind you might not spot you are braking for a second or two longer, that could be enough time for him to hit you if you are braking hard for some reason.

On the negative side to having lights on all the time there is of course the enviromental aspect. I thought this Government were trying to reduce carbon emissions. Seeing as everything on your car runs of petrol/diesel/LPG/Asda rapeseed oil or whatever fuel you are burning, having your lights on when not needed will use more fuel and create more CO2 emissions.

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In Pakistan and simliar countries they don't put their head lights on till extremely late at night when it is pitch black according to an Asian friend of mine :eek:

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most drivers have their fog lights on when its not foggy and it dazzles the driver behind them

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Another perk of being in the EU :D

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If bike riders knew that the speed limit is not a target to be doubled we might have chance to see you coming before we pull out and your body liquefies on impact with our cars.

I think bikes should be banned from the roads. All the improvements that have been made to cars for safety like air bags, seat belts, pre-tensioners and now these stupid Volvos that are going to start applying the brakes for you.
What have they done to improve bike safety, suggest you wear leathers and hand on tight?

I firmly believe that if the motorbike was invented today it would not be allowed on the public highway.

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Why are you assuming i am a bike rider? i dont ride i drive

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The post was about bike riders not you, sorry if I made a grammatical error, I often do, English is not my first language






I natively speak bulls**t :D

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well your not in the minority there :D

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oh i just cant to the double quote, sorry i meant to seperate the quote but couldnt do it

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Well at least thats one thing we have in common Neil:rolleyes::D

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will we now see taxis that actualy have both lights working or will we still have to guess if its a motorbike or car coming the other way

this law will be enforced as well as the booster seat and mobile phone laws if you ask me :rolleyes:

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What's the problem ... it's a great idea ... cars in Canada have daytime running lights which come on when you start the vehicle. Studies show that this cuts down on accidents by allowing motorists to see oncoming cars and bikes much sooner. Like the wearing of seat belts it is a definite safety feature.

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Ooooo, get her!!! :D

what saftey aspects are on bikes?

Anti lock brakes( so we can stop quickly on slippy surfaces), traction control(so we can get every possible ounce of power down) are two that fall into typical car driving mentality however bikers will extoll the virtues of superb brakes(seriously if you aint been on a sportsbike you have no idea how good they are, most cars are like chucking an anchor out the back and hoping in comparison), super sticky tyres so you can lean to ungodly angles to swerve round idiot cars, amazing suspension to dael with the crap roads we have in teh UK, lots of power to get you away from idiots, then the biggy............ riders on the whole are constantly thinking about their riding, not fiddling with Air-con/Radio/hair straighteners, shavers, the A-Z, the morning paper, texting their mate etc(BTW I have seen each and every one of these examples on teh motorway going to work, Yes I had to look twice at the straighteners!!!!). We also tend to be quite critical of our riding skills and look to improve them on each and every time we go out. When was the last time you heard a car driver discussing his driving skills and where he should improve?

Safety goes beyond having some computer telling you its safe and taking over if it thinks your an idiot.

IMHO the biggest aid to road safety this goverment could introduce is 8" spikes on all steering wheels and remove all seat belts. I bet there wouldn't be many tailgaters and drivers would start concentratinga damn site more than they do now.

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The bikers are making the point that if all vehicles have their headlights on you wouldn’t know whether it was two bikers side by side or a car approaching in poor visibility.

They do have a point.

The only problem that I have with the lights on all the time rule is that there will always be some clown who has his headlights set for maximum elevation and has a full car and then has his main beam on as well. You can get blinded in daylight as well.

Maybe all cars should have hi-glow stripes?

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im 99% against this simply because it is a rule from another country telling me what to do

the other %1 is against it because it is a pathetic idea

its bad enough with these bloody volovo's driving around with their lights on in daylight

the reason why the statistics show that it works in other countries isntbecause it actualy works its because in these countries they dont have the same ignorant attitude towards other people that we have in the UK , it just so happens they have lights on

on my way back from blackburn tonight i must have counted at least 30 cars with a headlight out, i couldnt believe how many there were and a few in front of me with a side light if not both out

no one polices the laws we have now because as far as i remember it can be 3 points if you have a light out , 10 years ago there were a lot less people driving unfit cars about but now people know that they wont get done so they dont give a crap if their headlight is out and in some cases i have seen them driving around with main beam on because that part of the bulb still works

its about time the police started pulling these idiots instead of hiding in bushes with radar guns

i have rode motorcycles myself and as far as i am concerned if you are going to sit on nothing more than an engine stuck on 2 wheels and weave in and out of traffic then silly you for putting yourself in that position in the frist place

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Not one biker gets on with anything other than knowing he is more vunerable than car drivers. thats why they concentrate on what they are doing.

To be against something because you don't like who's telling you it? thats not only childish but pathetic. If we go around instilling that sort of attitude in our children then we end up with the exact thing that you complain about. Ignorant, couldn't care less idiots, which way do you want it?

Jambutty, I know its not that we agree often :D but I'm with you all along re people who don't understand what the dip function of their headlights is for. However I would question what difference is it if its two bikes side by side or 1 car you should still not pull out!

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no entwisi its not pathetic to be against another country telling your country what to do ,your just annoyed that somone had a go at bikers which is justified seen as %90 of them deserve to go under the wheels of a waggon with the stupid and negligent things they do on the road , you may fancy yourself as Mr Goody two shoes on this forum but your probably just as much of an idiot as the rest of those that think traffic laws only exist for cars and complain when somone gets knocked off their motorbike

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No other country has told us to do anything. A collective of countries that we have agreed to join are making collective discussions on what they believe is the right thing to do(rightly or wrongly just with any other law in any other country). Whether you like it or not we all live under rules imposed upon us by either laws of this country, morals or personal scruples. If you really struggle to accept this then you are going to be unhappy for pretty much the rest of your life.

I'm not annoyed that someone has had a go at bikers, I took Neils post and responded with my opinion based on my experience of > 20 years as a biker. Your statement of 90% of bikers shows just how ignorant you are of them. I doubt you know 10 bikers so how you can make sweeping statements about them being injured or how they ride shows you up to be talking from a viewpoint with little or no basis on reality. I sit here with a broken back which will cause me pain for the rest of my life due to a car driver making assumptions about bikers ignoring traffic laws. She decided that Amber to bikers meant accelerate where I know it means stop, unfortunately for me she decided to 'be a biker' and accelerated into the back of me as I stopped. so don't go pontificating at me about those who choose to ignore traffic laws.

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Please don't use the 'we' word, I do not want to be in Europe. The sooner we get out the better :rolleyes::D

Did you get your car sorted out mate?

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WE as in collective not majority then :D

should be delivered back in 20 mins!!!!! I'll post a mini review of the courtesy car when I get a minute (1.4 corsa automatic)

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Seems very good for the environment. Well done EU, working hard.

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actualy i grew up around bikers , i make my assumtions about bikers by the amount of idiotic actions i have seen done by bikers that put car drivers in serious danger because we try to avoid hitting and killing them

as for your accident amber means preppare to stop if it is safe to do so, RED means stop , this is why we have 3 coulours not just 2 colours for stop and go so if you had bothered to use your mirrors before stopping then you probably wouldnt have ended up with a car up your backside

as for lights been on , if you cant see a car coming in broad daylight then you shouldnt be on the road in the first place

we need jaywalking laws like america , if pedestrians knew they didnt have the law %100 on their side they may take more care crossing roads instead of just walking out blindly into the road and been surprised when they get hit by a car

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Amber does mean stop unless it is unsafe to do so. I stopped and had put my foot down, I hadn't jumped on the brakes or anything extreme, just a gradual normal stop. the car was plenty of distance behind when I had checked a hundred yards or so before and it is THEIR responsibility to ensure correct space, what could I have done to adjust that, sped up and broke the law?. You seem to be trying to make it out as my fault??????? I'm sorry for having the audacity to ride two wheels within the law its clearly totally irresponsible of me.

It isn't said that people can't see cars, purely that it improves people peripheral vision when there are items of great contrast i.e. lights.

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If someone runs into the back of your vehicle it is their fault regardless. The vehicle behind should have been back far enough to stop without hitting you should you stop in an emergency.

It could even be argued that if you are stopped on a hill and your car rolls back as you set off and hits the car behind it is their fault for being so close. Of course that would depend on the roll back distance.

Jaywalking pedestrians are a danger to everyone. Some will turn and look straight at you then step off the pavement almost daring you to hit them.

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Irresponsible? Maybe it is now you have your lovely little girl to think of.







.....Neil goes and hides before he is accused of being a trouble maker again.



Just ignore me I am in one of those moods

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Siobhan will be on the back as soon as she can touch both footrests(thats the legal requirement for being a pillion). Life has taught me one thing and that is that you have no idea how or when your number will be up, in the meantime I choose to LIVE rather than exist.

Daddy will be happy to collect her from primary school on his big black, evil, loud, smelly, socially unacceptable motorcycle (deleted whatever doesn't apply in your view of bikes :D )

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I was only quoting what bikers on the radio were saying. I think that what they were trying to say is that their single headlight would get lost in the myriads of twin headlights of cars.

But I agree whether you see one headlight or two you still don’t pull out unless you want a few hundred pounds of metal sat on your lap.

As an ex-biker of the early sixties I can say that because the biker is more vulnerable s/he will be more careful. I know I was. Of course there will always be idiots but you can’t tar them all with the same brush because of the antics of the few.

In general bikers are better road users than a car driver.

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LOL, I know a bloke who used to take his lad on his bike. He had a very long, wide leather belt. He used to put it around them both so his lad could not fall off. Then he was a big bloke and could probably have climbed on/off the bike with his lad strapped to him still :D

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More aware yes, better users, not sure on that one. I see so many doing crazy things like weaving in and out of traffic. Yes they can see better but it only takes one nudge from a car on the motorway and you are dead.You would think that would stop them being idiots, I think some of them think that just because they are high up and can see well they are safe. It only takes a car to move over within his lane to see what is ahead in heavy traffic and the bike driving down the white line is dead

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I ride every summer and on my touring bike I have a pulsating headlight for the daytime and LED turn signals and brake lights ... every little bit helps.

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that wouldn't be allowed over here on motorised transportas the emergency services use pulsating headlights. I've seen them oon push bikes and thought them effective at making me aware of them, there is a push bike I pass most mornings and I don't know how many batteries he carries but his headlight is better (brighter) then most cars!

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Our emergency vehicles use the pulsating lights too ... but anyone who can't tell the difference between a fire truck and a motorcycle should not be on the road.

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I'd agree in principle and boy would it make the roads quieter but somehow I fear there are lots that can't/wouldn't. :(