OK, so imagine this: You're in a car...

[bakerzdosen]

OK, I've learned a lot this season about how to deal with cages all around me when on a bike. However, I'm also much more keenly aware of the bikes when I'm driving in a car myself.

 

So, my question is: If I'm driving along, and a bike is following me, is there really anything I can do if I see road debris or the like (I was thinking like a re-tread or something that has fallen off a pickup) ahead of me, and I would like to alert the biker behind me. What would you like to see a car/truck in front of you do in that situation - realizing that the car driver would probably only have 2-5 seconds to react.

 

Something like this happened to me the other day, but luckily the debris was in the lane next to me (us). I just couldn't come up with a good answer after I started thinking about it.

[BitScribbler]

How about accelerating hard, thereby opening up the gap back to the bike? The rider then at least gets more time to see the obstacle.

[madness522]

I ride the super slab everyday going back and forth to work so I see a lots of tire gators laying about. If the traffic is light a bike shouldn't be close enough behind you for an obstruction to be a problem to navigate around. If the traffic is thick the biker should pay attention not only to you - the car immediately in front of him - but also to the line of cars ahead of him looking for a pattern of cars moving right of left in the lane or suddenly darting one way. This would alert him of a potential obstruction. I don't see any way a motorist in a car could alert a rider. I rarely pay attention to the person in the car unless they are doing something stupid like yaking on a phone and moving all about their lane. I pay more attention to what the car itself is doing.

[Pete Darby]

I might tap my brakes a couple of times (not enough to slow the car). It wouldn't tell him what the problem was but it would let him know that something isn't right. As stated above I watch very closely for patterns in the traffic to let me know that something is wrong and a blinking brake lights tell me I need to watch for something.

[Paul Mihalka]

The responsability is on behalf of the rider. Ride behind the left or right wheels of the car, that way you won't hit any junk a car can straddle but you can't. If you see the car taking some evasive action, you are prepared.

[Angel]

You might also just turn your headlights on and off several times (Obviously, your rear driving lights will also go on)

 

Same technique commonly used to alert oncoming traffic about police and

also used by truckers to communicate "your rig is completely past me, you can now cross into my lane" the response, is several flicks of the rear drivng lights...e.g., " Thanks"

[James Clark]

If I'm driving along, and a bike is following me, is there really anything I can do if I see road debris or the like (I was thinking like a re-tread or something that has fallen off a pickup) ahead of me, and I would like to alert the biker behind me.

 

 

Do you keep a "trucker's urinal" in your car?

 

 

ISTR a tale of a trucker using a creative method to disuade a biker from slipstreaming just before straddling some debris.

[Albert]

I think what Paul said sums it up. The only technique I can think of that might be useful is to assess, once the rider is behind you, what kind of "follower" they are. Again as Paul said, most will ride in the right or left wheel track but some follow in the middle. If you are aware of their tendencies you could, in theory, "guide" them away from a problem.

[leikam]

Depending on the conditions, I might change lanes to give the rider a better view of the road and the upcoming hazard. The move itself might also cue the rider that continuing in that lane might not be a good idea.

 

But in the end, it's up to the rider to not put himself in a situation where his well being depends on me, as the car driver, doing something to alert him.

[ddreger]

I don't think it wise to try to guide the rider based on their riding tendencies. I think it would be best to avoid the debris so it is not kicked up at the bike making their dealing with it more predictable. If it is not avoidable by you then turning on the hazard lights might be the best signal since they are not as commonly used as the brakes.

[Albert]

I don't think it wise to try to guide the rider based on their riding tendencies. I think it would be best to avoid the debris so it is not kicked up at the bike making their dealing with it more predictable. If it is not avoidable by you then turning on the hazard lights might be the best signal since they are not as commonly used as the brakes.

 

You were perhaps responding to my post above and, upon reading yours, I agree with you. What you describe had not ocurred to me but in thinking about it, it's probably not a good idea to attempt to influence what a motorcyclist behind you will do. I'll defer to what Paul said above. It's up to us when we're riding.

[Doppelganger]

Agreed...we can't be responsible for ANY vehicle behind us.

 

If it makes me that nervous, I ususally switch lanes and go on about my business.