I’ve had cars stopped in front of me flip their rear view mirrors to night mode. That was on the BMW, I don’t remember anybody doing to the Triumph, where the light is lower down. In those cases I’d angle my front wheel so the light was pointed straight at the car in front of me.
The high beam/low beam thing is one of the never ending motorcycle debates, so I’m sure it won’t be settled here. As a car driver though, I can’t remember ever being bothered by a motorcycle’s high beam during the day.
I’ve never had a helmet with a sunshade, but my current one came with a transition shield. It goes from clear to dark and back again well enough. It means not having to carry an extra shield, and not needing to ride with sunglasses under my helmet. I’ve never been caught with the shield dark and all of the sudden riding in a dark place. Even the Eisenhower tunnel is well lit enough that it doesn’t matter.
As the article you posted makes clear, the Snell tests are much more rigorous than DOT, and are conducted independently. So even if there may have been some questions about their methodology at some point (I’m not familiar with the situation), the Snell rating is clearly superior to DOT.
It’s been years since I was involved in motorsports and even longer since I rode motorcycles, so I have never heard of the ECE rating. I agree that it seems even better, and if I were in need of a helmet, I’d no doubt look at ECE-compliant models. Do they tend to be even more expensive than Snell-rated ones? (SNell approved helmets were IME generally more expensive than DOT-only models.)
…suggesting that it’s not quite that cut and dried. And consider that Snell doesn’t certify **any **modular helmets or helmets with features like internal sun shades, it’s not a useful standard for me.
ECE is the EU standard for helmet safety features and testing. Similar to how any helmet in the US must be DOT approved, any helmet in the EU must be ECE approved. In most cases, manufacturers have both certifications since the ECE testing is more robust than the DOT testing. My understanding is that ECE and Snell sometimes are either/or though, as the standards differ enough that helmets designed for one standard might not then pass the other.
In any case, I look for helmets that pass the ECE R22.05 testing. In the US, that helmet will also come with the DOT sticker, but I have bought helmets from the EU a couple of times without the DOT sticker and never been hassled, although I understand that’s a possibility.
Here’s a summary of the controversy regarding the Snell certification as it arose back in 2010ish. Of course the Snell M2005 standard is long outdated now, some of the methodology concerns raised still remain…
It’s also illegal in every state save California, or so I’ve been told.
And yes, it’s irrational, but it pisses me the hell off when a biker lane splits. It’s like those asshats who go flying down a turn lane, then try to cut in to the line of traffic going straight; it triggers some atavistic, first-grade notion of “No cutsies!”
That’s right. I split most every time I ride; it’s just a fact of life in SoCal. It just give me and all the other riders the chance to get the hell out of the way and free up the space we’d otherwise take. It’s one of those rare win-win situations. And my experience is that drivers, if they notice I’m coming at all, do their best to help me out by giving me a little room. I’ve not run across anyone deliberately trying to cause a problem.
Must be a cultural thing in California, I get the feeling that if riders tried lane splitting here in New England, they’d be asking to be either blocked in or even “doored”, especially in Massachusetts… a state I will NEVER ride the bike to, it’s bad enough dealing with massholes when I’m in my car, I shudder to think how terrifying riding a motorcycle in mass. Would be…
How many motorcycles do you have on the road there? Here in PA, every last motorcyclist splitting lanes wouldn’t make enough of a difference to even be measurable in your typical Pittsburgh rush hour goatfuck.
As noted upthread, California is the only state in which lane splitting hasn’t been explicitly declared illegal. So yes, it’s fairly common, and can come as a surprise to visitors from other states driving in California for the first time.
I know. That’s why I described my reaction to lane-splitting as “irrational”. I understand that motorcycles don’t take up as much room as cars do, and they’re simply using the road that’s available to them but not me, just as I do when I run in a bike lane. But, as I said, it offends some kindergarten sense of justice. And if I had to wait through another cycle of lights because I had to yield to a splitting bike, a thing that’s happened to me with cars that use a turn lane to jump a line of cars waiting at a light, Imma be pissed.
Regardless, lane-splitting is illegal in my state.
It typically takes two motorcycles, both lane splitting, to relieve the congestion of one car. That’s by the size of the motorcycles. And if both riders were driving cars then that would add to the congestion.
Each motorcyclist you see means less traffic for you. Think about that when you’re driving.
First, let me say that I’m not trying to be combative or dispute anything you’ve said. As I mentioned, it’s been well over a decade since I’ve ridden a motorcycle or used a MC helmet, and about seven years since I last participated in any automobile track activity. So I wasn’t aware of the controversy surrounding Snell’s 2005 standard.
I will mention that, starting in 1979, I owned four motorcycles (sequentially), and rode over 100,000 miles in the following 25+ years. I had been told in my earliest MSF class that Snell helmets provided superior protection, and had no reason to doubt it.
From 1999 to 2012, I participated in High Performance Drivers Education in sports cars. Snell-rated helmets were (and AFAIK, still are) required by virtually all sanctioning bodies.
I estimate that between 1979 and 2012 I bought around 15 or 20 helmets (including spares for passengers), and every one of them was Snell rated. On the three occasions I came off my bike (all minor incidents with nothing more than scrapes and bruises), I was wearing Snell helmets, and they performed admirably, even though those incidents (thankfully) didn’t stress them to their limits. So I have always held the Snell Memorial Foundation in fairly high regard.
AFAICT from the articles you’ve posted (which I admit is is the sum total of my knowledge of the controversy), the problem seems to have been limited to Snell’s 2005 standard. It does appear to have been faulty, but Ford’s NYT piece seems to say that Snell listened to the critics and corrected its methodology starting with 2010 (and presumably 2015 and 2020), and is essentially in now sync with ECE. Is that not correct? Why do you say that
I was curious about that, and found this on the Snell website:
Presumably they believe modulars are not as safe as one-piece helmets, and I have always wondered how secure the flip-up part would be in an impact. But why hasn’t Snell “had the opportunity to test any” of them? And then I found this: The first Snell-approved modular helmet, in 2013.
In short, ISTM that although the 2005 Snell rating was problematic, the issues seem to have been addressed, and I would still say that a Snell rating is a reliable sign of a safe and high-quality helmet, as is ECE. If you value the features Snell hasn’t certified and don’t feel they reduce the helmet’s safety, and if it does meet ECE, that’s your choice. However, personally, I would never use a helmet that was only DOT certified.
I’m a motorcyclist but thanks for such awesome food for thought, anyway. We’ll go with your 2=1 figure. How much is lane splitting actually shown to reduce congestion?
Yeah a lot of the BMWs seem to be high, and if it was a recent model I wouldn’t be surprised if they had HID or LED bulbs.
I ride a Honda VT750 cruiser, it’s pretty low and I’ve never felt like I’m bothering anyone. If stopped behind someone though I do try not to shine my light at their rear-view mirror.
“option 1.” technically “lane splitting” is only supposed to be done at very, very low (or stopped) traffic speeds, and it’s called “filtering.” splitting lanes at speed is just dumb.