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Stay out of the cookie zone

ppenrose

ppenrose

Street Cruiser
I was riding in to work today in fairly dense traffic at about 45mph when I was reminded why I don't drive down the middle of the lane (the cookie zone). Because of the cars in front of me I could only see the small stretch of road between me and the one directly in front of me. Then suddenly a 2x4 appeared in the middle of the lane; all the cars were just going right over it. If I had been riding down the middle of the lane I would not have had time to avoid it. There's no way to know what would have happened had I hit it, but going down in traffic like that carries the real possibility of being run over.
 
Better then the 4x4 I had pop out from under the cars in front of me a few years ago.  I was far enough over in  the wheel track to swerve and miss it but not by much.  At the angle it was at it most likely would have slammed me to the ground rather then go over it.
 
Never override your sight distance and always maintain a safe space cushion. We often equate "sight distance" to mean the area level with the horizon typically when riding through curves. However sight distance also included identifying objects/hazards, reference points/targets in the distance that help to determine when, where, and how much inputs are required to maintain a safe path of travel whether in a curve or on a straightaway. You need to maintain both in order to have the time and distance to react and/or stop if warranted in an emergency. We recommend a minimum following distance under ideal conditions to be 2 seconds, however this needs to increase when the conditions are less than favorable.  Another point to consider is to always determine the consequences of your actions. That is to say, play the worst case scenario in your head and then determine what to do before this worst case scenario becomes a reality. Playing it in your head before hand is better than reacting to a real surprise.
 
+1 However, "ideal" conditions are extremely rare so a 3-4 second following distance is likely more prudent.
 
In heavier traffic it is almost impossible to maintain that kind of following distance, regardless of what kind of vehicle I'm driving. If I leave too large a gap, someone will pull in there and leave me with nothing as a buffer. Then I have to back off again, pissing off the people behind me, which then aggressively pass me (on the right if need be) and then pull into my buffer again. So I find the best compromise is to keep a couple of car lengths of buffer and stay to the right so that I can take the shoulder (or even the ditch) if necessary. Avoid what you can anticipate, and be alert for what you can't. And continually improve your gear.
 
Hey Paul,
Why is the center of the lane called the "Cookie zone?"  I've never seen that before.  The only reference I found was in the urban dictionary, and it wasn't really much help.
BTW, in the MSF new rider course, they'll have you riding over 2X4s like nothing.
 
I don't remember where I heard the term "cookie zone", but it has stuck with me.

Yeah, I know I could easily ride over a 2x4 with motorcycle sized tires. But it's one thing to do that on a course were you can see and anticipate them. Quite another to have one pop out from underneath a car when you are going 45mph and not expecting it. Also, it was at like a 60 degree angle to me, so not exactly a good scenario. It's very possible that the front tire would have spit it out to the left and then who knows where it would have gone. Maybe bounced up and hit me in the leg or something.  I'm just glad I didn't have to find out.
 
Old Steve said:
Hey Paul,
Why is the center of the lane called the "Cookie zone?"  I've never seen that before.  The only reference I found was in the urban dictionary, and it wasn't really much help.
BTW, in the MSF new rider course, they'll have you riding over 2X4s like nothing.
Click to expand...

Because that is where you will most likely be "crunched"  :-[
 
My guess would be because that's a where all the 'crumbs' collect.
I agree with your riding distance in heavy traffic - but disagree with your lane position.  I think if you're in the  right lane, you need to "claim your lane" by riding in the left wheel track.  Less likely that the cell-phone momma (or business-person thinking their participation on a call is more important than every other person's safety) in the Suburban will push you off the road into the safety lane or ditch.
I'll never ride in the cookie zone unless on open highway where I've got significant forward visibility.  It's also the slickest part of the road if wet and more than likely where the manhole covers are located (if engineered correctly).
 
I think lane position depends on the surrounding traffic.  I tend to ride in the carpool lane on the highway. If traffic is busy, I ride the right side if the lane, because I can see both my lane and the lane ahead the furthest, see blinkers, head movement etc.  if traffic is more open, and I have good visibility ahead, I ride the left edge, because if someone unexpectedly enters my lane, it gives me the most time and space to deal with it.

I used to "claim my lane", but after having a minivan jamb in front of me in the rain and stand on the brakes once they figured out they were cutting me off, I stopped.  It was really blind luck that after braking as much as I could, I was able to squeeze between them and the car in the fast lane next to them.  Doing a stoppie in the rain on a slick highway just isn't fun.

 
I had a deer come out from under a semi near Stonewall, TX... I went over it. Yes, on Connie at 75mph.  It had benn dead already for a few hours but was still pretty completely intact. Glad I hit it dead center.
 
BlueZX10R said:
I think lane position depends on the surrounding traffic. 
Click to expand...

Oh and much, much more!. Lane position and proper strategy for riding in traffic need to be a multiple approach incumbent on basically five things.

See and be seen. You have to be seen in traffic and you have to be able to see in traffic. It is way too easy to hide in traffic and to allow other larger vehicles obscure your ability to see and to be seen. Finding the best position to  see and be seen is one of the five.

Space cushion. You must have room to move into, Left, right and forward and also have an adequate space cushion behind you. This allows you options and it is important to maintain this while moving or when stopped.

Escape route.  You must always maintain at least one escape route. If not then proceed at your own peril.

Protect your lane. You have to be aware of all other vehicles and their ability to encroach into your space. This can be difficult, but you must command attention, let others know you are there and not let others compromise your space cushioning.

Avoid surface hazards. Simple strategy, but some still believe it better to maintain a single lane rather that move to avoid hitting a pothole, or dead skunk.

So lane position requires the highest degree of diligence, and maintaining as many of these five elements as often as you are able to.
 
I understand the idea behind "claim your lane", but it is predicated on the idea that other drivers see you, but are just being aggressive, so that if you show them you won't be intimidated, they won't crowd you. But more often than not they don't see you, and you are no match for a 2 ton minivan with a distracted/clueless driver. If I have a decent shoulder on my right and a lane of traffic on my left, like I did in this incident, I will generally ride in the right side of the lane. This gives me the most time possible to see someone merging into me and to escape. This also gives them more time to see me and abort their merge. If I have a guard rail or a cluttered ditch on the right, then I will move between the left and right, hoping to improve my visibility. Every situation is different and depending on the conditions I will ride the same stretch of road differently as needed. The important thing is not to become complacent, ever.

On single lane roads I generally ride to the left. This helps me see down the road and keeps me more visible to oncoming traffic which will hopefully help prevent people from turning in front of me, etc. I do switch from time to time or when I see someone waiting to turn on or across the road to be more visible.
 
PaulP said:
The important thing is not to become complacent, ever.
Click to expand...

That pretty much says it all.  If you're riding to be seen while actively looking for potential sources of trouble AND looking for ways out of trouble, you've got a good start on keeping yourself safe.
 
I understand the idea behind "claim your lane", but it is predicated on the idea that other drivers see you, but are just being aggressive, so that if you show them you won't be intimidated, they won't crowd you. But more often than not they don't see you, and you are no match for a 2 ton minivan with a distracted/clueless driver.
Click to expand...

"Claim your lane" is predicated on the idea that other drivers see the space as an opportunity, but don't see you...not that they're being aggressive.

Claim your lane is tied in with moving within your lane to different positions - our brains ignore things that don't change - we see the static background (all vehicles moving at roughly the same speed) and don't see the details. By claiming your lane you're in the most visible position - and become visible if you're moving.

It's not an aggression tactic - it's to overcome being seen as part of the background.
 
JimBob,

I agree about moving around to help stay visible. I do a smidsy swerve every once and a while, but my experience is that the cagers (at least around here) won't see you any better if you are a few feet closer to them or not. So I choose to maximize my reaction time by keeping my distance from them and always looking for escape routes, when I can.
 
JimBob said:
I understand the idea behind "claim your lane", but it is predicated on the idea that other drivers see you, but are just being aggressive, so that if you show them you won't be intimidated, they won't crowd you. But more often than not they don't see you, and you are no match for a 2 ton minivan with a distracted/clueless driver.
Click to expand...

"Claim your lane" is predicated on the idea that other drivers see the space as an opportunity, but don't see you...not that they're being aggressive.

Claim your lane is tied in with moving within your lane to different positions - our brains ignore things that don't change - we see the static background (all vehicles moving at roughly the same speed) and don't see the details. By claiming your lane you're in the most visible position - and become visible if you're moving.

It's not an aggression tactic - it's to overcome being seen as part of the background.
Click to expand...

As I stated in an earlier post:

Protect your lane. You have to be aware of all other vehicles and their ability to encroach into your space. This can be difficult, but you must command attention, let others know you are there and not let others compromise your space cushioning.
 
PaulP said:
JimBob,

I agree about moving around to help stay visible. I do a smidsy swerve every once and a while, but my experience is that the cagers (at least around here) won't see you any better if you are a few feet closer to them or not. So I choose to maximize my reaction time by keeping my distance from them and always looking for escape routes, when I can.
Click to expand...

Right Paul, it's not about being closer necessarily, it's more about the SMIDSY.

BUT, I can say from years of experience that staying to the far side of your lane (away form cars) makes you less visible - people don't "see" whole cars in the lane next to them, so it's easy for them to "not see" a motorcycle if it's farther away - they see the "space".

Drivers view the road as "cars" and "not cars" (or space) - somewhere they could be. By being the in the closer side of the lane a motorcycle makes more of an impression than in the far side. And actually provides more "escape" zone than if in the far side - because an encroaching driver will only notice the motorcycle once they get close enough to them, and then perhaps stop encroaching.

I've found it works much better to be in the closer portion of the lane more often, and to vary my speed as much as I can.

I've also found that SMIDSY on a multi-lane road tends to "bother" cagers - perhaps even unconsciously - as they tend to give more space when I'm always moving back and forth in my lane.

 
I thought about this quite a bit and realized that I was probably getting used to staying on one side of the lane too much, especially on roads I know well. I find it easy to get into habits like this. So I have decided to change which side I'm riding on more often. Not like constant weaving, but enough to keep everybody on their toes, including myself.
 
I was a rookie rider riding two up on a 4 lane (460 E) following a semi as it passed a string of slower cars. It or the one in front of it had just hit a cow leaving some very lumpy and slick carnage....we rolled through it and miraculously did not go down...my guardian angel was with me that day. I was way too close to the truck to react and that may be what saved me. I would hate to count on that working again.
 
hotshoetom said:
I was a rookie rider riding two up on a 4 lane (460 E) following a semi as it passed a string of slower cars. It or the one in front of it had just hit a cow leaving some very lumpy and slick carnage....we rolled through it and miraculously did not go down...my guardian angel was with me that day. I was way too close to the truck to react and that may be what saved me. I would hate to count on that working again.
Click to expand...

I avoid riding beside or behind trucks - tractor trailers or pickups - you never know what's going to come off one of those things to take you out. Something as small as a rubber bungee could take out a motorcycle, let alone a 2x4 or worse. Plus tractor trailer tires launch the tread off occasionally - Mythbusters had an episode covering a story of a car driver killed by a failed tire coming through the windshield. Even if the story were not true, that tire would easily take out a bike.

Tractor trailers are good for turning a small avoidable thing into a projectile. Recently watched a 2x4 get launched in the space behind a tractor trailer because it was kicked up by the tire then bounced end-over-end. Fortunately no one hit it, but on a motorcycle that would've been pretty terrifying.
 
All:

I'm a bit of a safety nut. People see me, from my hi viz jacket to my hi viz helmet. Looking for hi viz pants next. Years ago driving my car on 285 here in Atlanta, going 65 in the slow lane (55mph limit), getting ready to exit, I see this shovel launch from the road as the tractor trailer in front of me rolled over it and shot it back and up about 15 ft. :'(

In a split second I think its going to miss me, pass over me but no. It comes down in a perfect arc and hit the chrome trim around my windshield,right in front of my head, then bounced off of my car continuing on to the car behind me. Multiple cracks across my window but it didn't implode. However there  was another tractor trailer following me and I saw the shovel bounce off of my car and go right into the radiator of a big tractor trailer. Who knows how long that cadence lasted.

At that time I rode an XS1100 Yama and thought had I been on the bike with that situation I would probably have been impaled by that shovel after it broke through my windshield and then knocked me to the ground to subsequently be rolled over by the the following 18 wheeler! But they'd find me! Hi Viz and all  :'(

Sometimes you can't get away from all the in-bound projectiles.  I've learned to space out, get in front of the bunching up cars or hang back.  Seems to keep me semi safe. I play games as if I'm a P-51 pilot and can maneuver any which way I want. Just don't get in the pack, then they can attack you.

Ride safe, save that powerful throttle for the right conditions

Phil
COG5879



 






 
Being born and raised in Florida I can tell you from experience that on a two lane you have to be out of your skull to ride in the "cookie zone". I will only do it if I have 1/4 to 1/2 mile visual on on-coming. These guys and gals that ride in the extreme left side of the lane have a death wish in my opinion. Cars and bikes alike collide in head-ons all the time here. When you get two cars/bikes approaching each other at 60mph, your talking 120mph closing speed. You had better leave yourself plenty of reaction time. Thanks very much but I'll stick with the p1 fighter pilot theory for lack of better terms. There is a time and place to "own your lane" or "command attention." You should always think that no one can see you EVER!
 
I can't figure out how to keep a safe distance without being tailgated and/or constantly passed. Those are the worst feelings for me. So, well, I guess I just keep my speed 5 to 10 over the flow of traffic and probably look like a jerk in a hurry when I'm just trying to stay alive and not get boxed in.

At any speed I am never in a hurry.
'Officer, I'm in no rush I just hate getting boxed in'

Is there anything we can do to educate 300miion drivers to go with the flow and share the road? Nope. Now hurry up with the motorcycle dash indicators and smart cars Google. Society is soon to longer be trusted with handling the responsibility of driving.
 
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