Monday Morning Riding Tip

If you ride more than 10 miles a year you invariably have found people in cars do not see us on a motorcycle. The Brits have a great acronym for this condition. SMIDSY – sorry mate I didn’t see you. For the car driver it is a moment of whoops, for the motorcyclist it’s a real butt clencher with some clean underwear needed.

How do you combat this affliction? Since fixing every driver in a car is impossible, we can only make changes to how we ride or appear to the drivers.

Brightly colored or all white helmets provide a distinct visual cue to a car driver. I prefer all white as it stands out with the greatest contrast to the surrounding colors. Particularly in the fall with all of the brown, orange, and yellow that white dome is super visible.

Hi-viz yellow and orange vests, jackets, and riding suits. I personally cannot stand this setup but it does work. I once again prefer white or reflective silver so I don’t blend in with all of the construction zones where I ride. For those that can deal with the hi-viz colors they make a big difference in urban and rural riding for visibility.

When riding in groups, or even solo, I make a point to wave at the car trying to merge. Almost like waving to another rider if I get acknowledgement I know they see me. If I don’t I know to prepare to avoid them trying to run me over.

The video below shows another technique we like to call the Anti-SMIDSY maneuver.

What riding tips do you have to add? Comment below or in the forums.