Happy New Year everyone! Is it just me or did 2023 simply shoot by? It seems fitting that my last “From the Saddle” should be about road safety and this time from a personal perspective. I write in a separate article in this month’s Slipstream about Observing and the need to keep our skills up to date.
One reason we ride motorcycles is our ability to filter through heavy traffic, making progress when other road users cannot. In fact, this is the main reason why I commute by motorcycle to work in London every day. And it was one such day a few weeks ago that I was filtering between traffic in lanes two and three along the M4 eastbound between junctions three and two. I became aware of another motorcyclist approaching me from behind. I could feel his frustration as I was clearly travelling more slowly than he wanted to go. A gap appeared in lane three and so I moved over to the far right to allow him to pass, which he did. He accelerated through the traffic at a speed that I estimated to be in excess of 40 mph; the traffic was crawling.
About 3-4 car lengths in front, a white Ford Transit van pulled out. I heard a “bang” and then motorcycle and rider parted company and both slid down the M4. By the time I arrived, a few seconds later, the rider was laying on the road attempting to get up, his motorcycle was wedged under the crash barrier at almost 90 degrees to the flow of traffic, and the white van was straddling lane three; its driver frozen in his seat.
My “Biker Down” training kicked in and I immediately secured the scene. It was my little Honda X-ADV that blocked off the M4 that morning, hazard lights on, and my Hi-Vis vest draped over my top box to make it more visible, creating miles of tailbacks, I’m sure!
Then to the rider, who was conscious and trying to stand. It became clear that he had a pelvis/leg injury so that wasn’t going to happen. A grey van in front had also stopped and a girl on a motorcycle from behind too. They were able to comfort the rider and so I checked on the van driver, who was shaken but otherwise uninjured. Fortunately, no other vehicles were involved. The driver’s immediate response was the classic SMIDSY “sorry mate, I [just] didn’t see you”. He was a chap in his sixties and said he’d been driving all his life, and this was his first incident. I got him to call an ambulance and the police and I waited at the scene until they arrived, taking off my bike jacket to keep the rider warm. My other two assistants both then left the scene.
So why did this happen? First, the van driver clearly hadn’t seen the motorcyclist. But had he looked for one? As someone who admitted that they drove that route every day (he was a courier), you would think he would be expecting filtering motorcycles?
Second, our motorcyclist was filtering too quickly, and certainly much quicker than I was prepared to. The rider had remarked that he had “not broken the speed limit” so his idea of speed was completely different to mine!
The third contributing factor to the incident that day was the rider’s lack of suitable protective clothing. He had been wearing a jacket and gloves but had no protection on his legs – merely wearing a pair of trackie-bottoms.
When the police and ambulance crew arrived I knew our rider, who was clearly in much pain, would be in safe hands. I gave my details and proceeded on my journey to work, arriving an hour or so late. A few days later, the rider called me after he had been discharged from hospital (I had left him my card) and we discussed what had happened. He had a broken pelvis, cracked ribs and a bruised shoulder. He was contemplating whether to ride again, and I suggested that he must, once he’d healed, but he needed to join TVAM! (Coincidentally, the ambulance driver was also a biker and I tried to get him to join too.)
This incident highlighted the conflict between a keen benefit of motorcycling and one of the most dangerous manoeuvres – that of filtering and making progress through slow moving traffic.
The Advanced Rider Course says “The most important rule of thumb is only filter when the surrounding traffic is moving at less than 20 mph and then only exceed that speed yourself by 10 to 15 mph.” Motorcycle Roadcraft adds “take extreme care” and “keep your speed low – you need to be able to stop suddenly if your circumstances change”. This is sound advice and every day I ride into work I see motorcyclists whizzing through traffic, not just stationary/crawling traffic, but performing “filtering manoeuvres” at speeds in excess of the National speed limit. I ask myself “why?” – for the few minutes it might save on their journey. Is it worth the risk, not just to themselves but to other road users? I wish that I could somehow ask them.
Every day, I also become aware of riders behind me, who clearly think I am not filtering quickly enough. Some rev their engine, others hoot their horn. Up until now, I used to let them pass whenever an opportunity arose. I reflect on the fact that had I not let our rider above pass, the collision may have been avoided. But then, having impatient riders behind isn’t good either, especially when they then try to get past using the gap between lanes one and two. Two reasons why this might not be such a good idea: vehicles may not be expecting it and traffic in lane two moving to the right is then impeding filtering motorcycles between lanes two and three.
Then there is the question of motorcycles using hazard lights. The Highway Code is clear (Rule 116) and Motorcycle Roadcraft adds “don’t use your hazard lights when filtering – it’s illegal and causes confusion”. In days when nearly all cars have daytime running lights, seeing a filtering motorcycle from behind is becoming more difficult.
Hazard lights may help, so should we be campaigning for a change in the rules? Lastly, road signage. I can remember the M4 bus lane, which operated between 2001-2010 when lane three was painted red and only buses, taxis, motorcycles and emergency vehicles were permitted to use it. I doubt we will see the return of that but for what must be one of the busiest stretches of road for motorcycles to filter through, why is there not active signage warning drivers to be alert for filtering motorcycles?
So, I hope this experience serves as a reminder to us all: please take extreme care when filtering. As the weather is likely to be at its worst for a few weeks, please also be mindful of that, checking that your motorcycle, and especially tyres, are in tip-top condition.
Finally, don’t forget it’s the Club AGM at 12:30pm after the St Crispin’s meeting this month – please do attend. It’s your chance to add your voice to the way your Club is run. And with this, I will sign off and say it has been a real privilege to act as your Chief Observer for a year; I have learned an awful lot and whoever gets to fill the role from now on gets my full respect!
Adrian Ellison
Chief Observer