Hi Ann ,
Firstly , I was very sorry to read about your customer , and his Bottecchia . I completely agree with your "little rant" !!!!!!
And , when I took Psychology 101 , the professor described the course as , "the most dangerous course at the university" . He said that students left Psychology 101 THINKING that they actually knew something about Psychology . . . So , with that warning in mind . . . Here's a subject we actually discussed in that class .
The professor described an accident , an accident which he knew had actually happened . A person ( a woman if I recall correctly , but it makes no difference ) was driving an automobile down a small highway . The automobile driver made a left turn . The day was sunny . The road was straight . There were no hills . There was almost no traffic . The automobile killed a young man on a motorbike . The dead victim was wearing very visible clothing . The motorbike was bright red ( or some other highly visible color ) . I don't recall if the motorbike had its headlight on . But the conditions on the day in question gave perfect visibility .
The professor asked the class to explain it . The professor was surprised when one person in the class , I myself , could actually begin to explain it .
I'd read many "Road & Track" sports car magazines . I knew something about the way the human brain works in driving situations . I'd read many "Bicycling" and "Bike World" magazines . I knew something about how motorists view bicyclists . I'd even read quite a few motorbike magazines . I knew something about how motorists view motorbikers .
The Psychology professor had testified at the murder trial of the driver . The charge was raised to murder , since there was no possible excuse . The driver was seen by a witness to be LOOKING STRAIGHT AT the motorcyclist , before , and during , the collision .
But in reality , it made no difference that the driver was looking right at the other vehicle , before , and during , the collision . The automobile driver did NOT see the other vehicle . In order to "see" something , the image has to actually be PERCEIVED or REGISTERED by the brain .
Basically , in the minds of most drivers , bicycles and motorbikes do NOT exist . Therefore , they do NOT "see" them . And that is what my Psychology professor testified to , in court . The driver in that particular case was found to be totally responsible for the accident , but NOT guilty of actual murder . It was an accident , not deliberate .
Safety ? Today ?
Remember , they can LOOK right at you , and NOT "see" you !!
With all of this Psychology in mind , I would feel MUCH safer wearing clothes which make me look like a HUMAN BEING , not some exotic advertising sign , covered with complex advertising messages . We are all of us programmed to ignore advertising . It is what we must do , in order to survive in this modern World . We automatically ignore advertising . A modern flashy team skin-suit , with all of its wild-wild colors and patterns , makes us EASIER to ignore !
A plain , solid color , shirt and shorts , makes us look more like actual human beings .
Ultimate safety in clothes which are actually "seen" ? That would be something which makes us stand out , but at the same time highlights the human silhouette . If we wore a snuggly fitting full body suit , entirely in one plain solid color , then observers would be more likely to "see" the human form of head-torso-arms-legs .
Get a very traditionally looking traditional bicycle . Get something like a 1975 Raleigh Sports 3-Speed , with full fenders , a chainguard , and a handlebar basket . Paint it all one solid color . Wear a snug outfit in a contrasting color , but still one solid color . Now the other people on the road are more likely to "see" you as a human being , and also "see" your bicycle , and put it all together into something which they can DEAL WITH , inside their brains !
Seriously , I feel a strong scientific case could be made that extremely exotic color and pattern combinations on both the bicycle , and the bicyclist , result in . . . CAMOUFLAGE .
Perhaps the dress-code rules of amateur bicycle racing , in England , circa 1935 , would be safer than the latest fashions from the Spring 2004 mail-order cycling catalogs ??
Classic content in this message ? A nice solid color wool jersey , with some nice conservative black wool shorts , and some nice conservative black leather shoes , is probably much safer . . . Much safer than an outfit of broken geometric designs in confusing colors and confusing shapes .
Or maybe I'm completely wrong ?
Look at both modern camouflage ( military issue , as well as what is sold to hunters ) , and also look at the camouflage applied to ships and aircraft during the First World War .
It's all about confusing the mind into ignoring what is right in front of the eyes . . .
Raoul Delmare
Marysville Kansas U.S.A.
Today one of my customers came in with his Bottecchia.... in two pieces.
He was in one piece, but with a lot of staples in his skin and he has to wait for the staples to come out before they will do an MRI.
Apparently some foolish person made a left hand turn in front of him at Stone Mountain Park, our little Dollywood managed refuge away from Atlanta craziness. We all ride there, its got bike lanes and some nice climbs.
2 witnesses said they saw her hit the brakes before she decided to turn in front of him. She said she didn't see him at all, which was kinda hard in his radioactive, asparagus pee green Pearl Izumi jersey and bright red helmet.
He went through the windshield and bent the roof of her car up, pretty much totaling it. We get going to about 28 mph on this downhill and I suspect he was doing about that. Sadly he doesn't remember very much, having come to in the ambulance.
Anyway, my rant is against the drivers who don't look, the lack of driver's skill and knowledge here in GA and the abuse my customer just took because someone couldn't wait just a second to make sure oncoming traffic was clear. Even if it was a bicycle.
My fear is for my son, my boyfriend, my friends, my customers and myself. We ride there a lot.
I wouldn't be so angry, but this is the third person I've known personally who has gotten hit by a clueless driver since October - on a vintage bike. The first one got hit when the driver made a left turn in front of him. The second, when someone ran a stop sign. Later that gentleman claimed "that stop sign was on the wrong side, so of course I didn't see it." In that case, the judge took the man's license away because it was clear he was not competent to drive. Thing is, I don't know every cyclist in Atlanta, so knowing these 3 people personally??? How many DON'T I know that are getting hit?
Sigh....
Ann Phillips, Decatur GA