SOBS on the road
Here’s a quick report on last week’s trip to Cornwall for a presentation of ‘Science Of being Seen’ (SOBS) to a combined mix of Cornwall IAM and Cornwall MAG.
And it was a great turn out too – I didn’t do a precise headcount but the hall holds 100 and I estimate at least eighty-plus seats were filled. It was great to see a couple of my former trainees in the audience too.
Science Of Being Seen looks at the SMIDSY crash, human visual perception and motorcycle conspicuity, and explains why conventional hi-vis clothing and day-riding lights have proven less than successful at preventing junction collisions.
Since it’s a rather long way to Cornwall from NW London, we took it a bit easy. We got as far as Oxford on Sunday evening to have a meal with friends, then a second overnight stop in N Devon. The leisurely pace did allow a cross-country route and a bit of exploring on what turned into a lovely day after the early showers had passed over.
The only thing was, some of the back lanes we took have almost reverted to nature. On one road, I actually stopped to check the map to make sure we really WERE on a road. The surface was so broken up it was more like a typical farm access track than a public highway.
If you fancy some real adventure bike riding, just head to NW Devon. You won’t be disappointed at the experience. But don’t bother with the Gixxer!
I’m back in Devon in a fortnight for another talk – this one will be ‘Crash Course (in how not to)’ and I’m looking forward to that very much indeed.
One warning – there seem to be a lot deer around this year. We weren’t far along the M40 out of London on Sunday when I saw a deer at the side of the motorway in the early evening sunshine at 6pm. And I saw another yesterday not far from the M25.
The next WEBCAST of the full presentation of SOBS will be on Wed 3 August, but you can see one of my ‘SOBS – the fine detail’ presentations on Wed 6 June. This one will look at how we scan the roads, and the issues of ‘Saccadic Masking; and ‘Motion Camouflage’ and the potential lateral motion in depth.
WEDNESDAY 8 JUNE 2022 AT 20:00 Tickets cost £5 Book at https://t.co/1t5m9DKanr
I hope to see you there!
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