Riding Safe in China - New Rider Guide

[Kernalpanx]

I am aggressive when needed use my horn constantly until they cock their head turn or just swerve. I pass wide and quickly give a safe distance. I look for drivers eyes in mirrors if windows are not tinted. Usually when they notice I am a foreigner they give me safe distance. But once or twice I get an aggressive driver. I mount a go pro and tape my rides. I was a bike messenger in university in New York Berlin London and Toronto ( including winters) ... I thought I had seen it all. For a country that demands high education and academics .... Why so many stupid people. Just saying.
The other thing I noticed is no one knows what a blind spot is.... Wtf!!! I constantly check my blind spot. I also find staying out of the "bike" lane is safer ... Riding aggressively on the left lane and using acceleration to get past the idiots and passing on the left seems to put me in less danger.... I keep and eye out for miss daisy and her 12 lane sudden no look right turn. Knowing your streets and exits and remembering bottle necks seems to be the best type of riding here. Also use the horn!!! As much as possible as a signalling device. Long honks are the least given attention many short bursts seem to get the most notice. Just my thoughts on the whole thing.
Basically driver education is none existent ... Caring for another human being none existent ... Think that all drivers have tunnel vision do not know how to use a mirror or work a signal ....have a exit plan at all times. You should be cool .... Go pro is on my helmet ... They see it and smile and wave a lot or roll up their tinted windows and back off.

[prince666]

That the way to go ???? "GO-PRO" http://gopro.com/ you cant beat it cost from $300 but beleave me it is the best thing to have on your bike and car 1 week ago rideing my bike dick head chinese bike rider 2 up on far right lane just turns left with out looking right in front of me i hit them SQ on nocked the 2 of there bike lady hurt bad ,the man a few cuts and me all ok my bike nocked up a bit ... poilce came loads of friends of the chinese riders was ganging up agains me saying i was riding to fast and that the other riders done fuck all wrong ??? so i say northing at this time looked very bad for me ??? did not tell them about the Gopro on my bike untill my wife turned up and i told her to bring the laptop with her ??? when all the talking was done from the other side the police come up to me and said i am in deep shit ??? asked why and was told that it is all my fault ??? based on the imfore from all the other people around who said i see what happen ??? ok can i shown you what happen now ???? the police looked at me very strange so out came the ladtop put the card from the Gopro in and played back the video well you should of seen the look on the 2 police man faces with great shock to them all what the other people had told them was 100% lies The police men was not happy i could see and told me not to worrie the police went back to the other bike and some very loud talking was takeing place between the police and all the other people for some reason most people left at this point i wonder why lol then the police came back over and told me the other rides have changes their story of events ... and told the police that there was in the far right lane and did not look and cut across the lanes with out looking or indicating .... i got paid out in full 2000 rmb and did not have to pay northing to the other people so get your self a GoPro lads it will save your bacon as it did in my case

[ZMC888]

Great addition I added this quote of yours to my original narrative because it's so good: '

Think that all drivers have tunnel vision do not know how to use a mirror or work a signal'. ...have a exit plan at all times.

I credited you too, great stuff.

[euphonius]

Dear Prince666,

Great post! Thanks for the horror story with the happy ending. Couple of questions/comments:

• Are you saying you just keep the camera running at all times when riding?
  
• How big is your memory card and what video settings are you using?
• How many minutes/hours of video can it hold?
• Can you program the camera to write over earlier video so that you always have the most recent footage at hand?
• Or do you have to manage that by hand, i.e., erasing the card before every ride?
• (Or does the US National Security Agency just archive it for you? They seem to archive everything else...)
• Have you posted the video of this recent collision on a video sharing site so we can all have a gander?
• Any chance of using a bit more punctuation in your posts to make them less difficult to read?
• How was the the 2000 rmb in compensation determined, and was it adequate to cover your repairs and medical expenses?

Thanks!
euphonius

[prince666]

Did take a few pictures on my Iphone


smash.jpgsmash2.jpgsmash3.jpg




AS you can see the road was empty nice and long no other cars about that probably why the othe bike rider did not look why should they ????

But please look at the face of the lady rider loads of pain hope it hurt love sorry to say i hit her hard on her leg with my front wheel the old saying is "No pain No gain" well in this case we hope the gain is knowledge ... The knowledge to look first ????


so as i said its not IF it will happen to you it is just a case of WHEN ....


so drive safe


steve

[xiaoqiang]

A lot of really good posts here. Thanks to all. I have been riding in Beijing for nearly 3 years. As mentioned in previous posts, the unimaginable happens so expect the worst of other drivers and hopefully be prepared. Ride safely. I have followed a few basic rules that hopefully will help other riders especially new riders. First and foremost I almost always surrender right of way. Assume that all car drivers are out to kill you, so even if you think you own the right of way, give it to the other guy. Always keep your eyes peeled, for debris and holes in the road, missing manhole covers, pedestrians, etc. When I see a pedestrian walking along the road I expect they will step out in front of me and slow down accordingly. The same if I see a dog or a ball on or near the road; expect a child to be following it onto the road. I never assume that anyone is paying attention to traffic lights. So if the light is green at an intersection I automatically assume someone is running the opposing red light. Often making a left turn through opposing traffic without looking. Cars usually turn right onto the road without looking and then slow to almost a crawl while they check to see if they made it through the turn. More recently though I am leery of other motorcycle riders. In the past few months in Beijing electric and motorized bikes, scooters and yes even motorcycle riders seem to be graduating from bicycles to motorized 2 and 3 wheeled rides. Bicycles and pedestrians don't need to know the rules of the road in China. That is even on the test for motorcycle license. So I usually let less experienced riders that pull up beside me, to get in front of me and stay there.

Ride safe drive defensively. It is not always the injuries (although they are bad). The inconvenience of not having your ride to get to work, or of having to replace a mirror or a broken light is bad enough.

[ThePope]

All of this talk about the recent beatdown incident in NYC made me remember a relatively mild crash I was involved in in Guangdong right before the national holiday last week.

A car cut right across in front of me without signaling in Zengcheng, Guangzhou as I was travelling about 20k/h. I was in the bike lane and my adrenaline was high because we had found and been hammering an awesome new jump that you can see in my avatar snapshot. Unfortunately I was in the car's blind spot and my horn shorted out on me a few days before and I smacked the car, then slid across the hood onto the ground. I got back on the bike, as I just had a little road rash and bruises (which I wouldn't feel until days later) and the driver and my friend and I all drove away without saying a word. There was nothing wrong with my bike, but I'm sure the car was dented up nicely.

Key lesson learned - this ONE time - I had decided to go out without all of my gear on and smacked a car. I usually always wear it, but I figured since I was just driving about an hour away I didn't want to be bothered with it. I remember leaving the house, and that naked feeling coming over me as I was speeding through the mountains on the way to meet my friend. I had a premonition - seriously, that I would have an accident. And I did. It was surreal.

Never ride without your gear. I needed that reality check because I've been getting too brave. Be safe.

[prince666]

The law of advantages states when driving in china

It is not IF you have a accident but WHEN

I try to wear all my gear when i ride but at times when just to pop around to the shop then i dont yes i am a fool .....

[prince666]

[QUOTE=euphonius;58169]Dear Prince666,

Great post! Thanks for the horror story with the happy ending. Couple of questions/comments:

• Are you saying you just keep the camera running at all times when riding?
  
• How big is your memory card and what video settings are you using?
• How many minutes/hours of video can it hold?
• Can you program the camera to write over earlier video so that you always have the most recent footage at hand?
• Or do you have to manage that by hand, i.e., erasing the card before every ride?
• (Or does the US National Security Agency just archive it for you? They seem to archive everything else...)
• Have you posted the video of this recent collision on a video sharing site so we can all have a gander?
• Any chance of using a bit more punctuation in your posts to make them less difficult to read?
• How was the the 2000 rmb in compensation determined, and was it adequate to cover your repairs and medical expenses?

Thanks!
euphonius[/QUOTE


Hi Euphonius


1... camera is on all the time on the bike or in my car

2...I use a 64GB card and i am trying diffance setting but mainly use the 1080 HD

3...From the GoPro website, here is how much you can record on a 32GB card...

1080p30: 4 hours
960p30: 6 hours
720p60: 4 hours
720p30: 6 hours
WVGA 120: 4.5 hours

not sure if i get X2 with a 64GB card
4..... can re-write or save when you get to the end of the card

5...full detail on the GoPro can be found here

http://cbcdn1.gp-static.com/uploads/...G_REVD_WEB.pdf

6...not sure what the NSA can or cant do

7....did not save this one as it was all sorted out by the police sorry

8.... sorry bad eyes

9.... was taken with my bike to a yard a goverment official inspected my bike to make out a report on the cost because he did not know some of the cost of the damaged parts on the CF MOTO bike i had to ring them and find out the price and he added 500 rmb to these cost at this time you could of told him the part cost more ??? i did not and i did not need to ask for medical expenses. The other people paid me in cash as i think they did not have insureance ..



I hope i have answered your question ok


so sfae riding

[euphonius]

[QUOTE=prince666;58175]

• Can you program the camera to write over earlier video so that you always have the most recent footage at hand?
• Or do you have to manage that by hand, i.e., erasing the card before every ride?

5...full detail on the GoPro can be found here

http://cbcdn1.gp-static.com/uploads/...G_REVD_WEB.pdf

Ah, Looping Mode. That's perfect. It just keeps recording over earlier stuff. Wonder if my Contour helmet camera will do that.

Thanks for the detailed replies. Very useful.

cheers