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auntblabby
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04 Feb 2019, 10:16 pm

blackicmenace wrote:
^ I am fairly lucky in that I have a pretty good autopilot. Sometimes I come back to reality and wonder how I got from A to B or wonder how I completed x,y or z task while on autopilot. One thing I learned the hard way early in life after having a motorcycle accident is just how focused you need to be to drive safely. With a motorcycle you must drive for everyone else on the road and drive defensively because people either don't see you or don't see you as a threat, so they tend to pull out in front of you or into your lane and you must avoid and be aware of the traffic around you at all times.

isn't that high level of vigilance extra-tiring?



blackicmenace
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04 Feb 2019, 11:13 pm

auntblabby wrote:
blackicmenace wrote:
^ I am fairly lucky in that I have a pretty good autopilot. Sometimes I come back to reality and wonder how I got from A to B or wonder how I completed x,y or z task while on autopilot. One thing I learned the hard way early in life after having a motorcycle accident is just how focused you need to be to drive safely. With a motorcycle you must drive for everyone else on the road and drive defensively because people either don't see you or don't see you as a threat, so they tend to pull out in front of you or into your lane and you must avoid and be aware of the traffic around you at all times.

isn't that high level of vigilance extra-tiring?

Long trips on motorcycles really wear you out. Extremely fun, but it is exhausting and not just because you must be hyper vigilant. The heat alone from the road and the engine also wears on you. However, I am from Florida so perhaps it's much less exhausting in cooler weather states.


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Dear_one
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04 Feb 2019, 11:23 pm

There is a non-tiring, calm vigilance. It works by conscious effort to find the possible obstacles as a game, rather than out of fear. When you see them early, they are not scary.
I am a safer driver when I'm constantly dodging even minor pavement breaks, etc. to keep interested than if I'm on autopilot, thinking of something else but still reacting to keep in my lane, but when I do that, peripheral vision will pick up on brake lights, etc.



blackicmenace
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04 Feb 2019, 11:28 pm

Dear_one wrote:
There is a non-tiring, calm vigilance. It works by conscious effort to find the possible obstacles as a game, rather than out of fear. When you see them early, they are not scary.
I am a safer driver when I'm constantly dodging even minor pavement breaks, etc. to keep interested than if I'm on autopilot, thinking of something else but still reacting to keep in my lane, but when I do that, peripheral vision will pick up on brake lights, etc.

I imagine biking around lots of traffic must be a lot like driving a motorcycle wherein you really need to be aware of what is going on all around you. Certainly makes you a better driver.


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Dear_one
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04 Feb 2019, 11:41 pm

blackicmenace wrote:
I imagine biking around lots of traffic must be a lot like driving a motorcycle wherein you really need to be aware of what is going on all around you. Certainly makes you a better driver.


Riding a bicycle is simpler, and everything happens slower, so that helps for learning. They are trickier to handle at speed on bumps, though. Some skill-building is needed. Some people remain semi-pedestrians, but an aspiring driver should learn to use their mirror, and merge left into the proper lane for left turns, and learn when to "take a lane" in traffic. Don't delay people unnecessarily, but don't let them pass where it is not safe.