Just one quick observation. I agree with a few of the points made. BUT today's cars are MADE to be much "quieter" sound proof, then they were even say 10 years ago. 20 years ago most of us drove around with our car windows down in nice weather, (which is when most bikes are on the street), as AC in cars wasn't yet all that common. Then you need to account for better quality audio equipment in vehicles, (meaning people play it louder as they enjoy the sound quality better).
One can't really compare being heard with being seen, as the auto manufacturers don't strive to make vehicles, (cars and trucks etc), with technology that decreases visibility as they do with making the car cabin with decreased noise from the outside.
So I guess one could argue that loud pipes with today's noise reducing vehicles, by design would need to be borderline obnoxious in order to penetrate the cabin. But the hi vis clothing is just actually more effective as the manufacturers haven't decreased vehicle visibility.
If one is only interested in "audio stimulus" then why not ride around with a stereo blaring from the bike or sounding a stebel horn continuously as surely these too would lead to saved lives..lol of course I am being sarcastic in the event it was missed.
But the video blogger again needs to consider ALL factors and not place undeserving importance upon one factor as it is the one that supports his argument.
If loud pipes save lives then why was he unaqble toavoid earth in the beginning of the video???LMAO
One can't really compare being heard with being seen, as the auto manufacturers don't strive to make vehicles, (cars and trucks etc), with technology that decreases visibility as they do with making the car cabin with decreased noise from the outside.
So I guess one could argue that loud pipes with today's noise reducing vehicles, by design would need to be borderline obnoxious in order to penetrate the cabin. But the hi vis clothing is just actually more effective as the manufacturers haven't decreased vehicle visibility.
If one is only interested in "audio stimulus" then why not ride around with a stereo blaring from the bike or sounding a stebel horn continuously as surely these too would lead to saved lives..lol of course I am being sarcastic in the event it was missed.
But the video blogger again needs to consider ALL factors and not place undeserving importance upon one factor as it is the one that supports his argument.
If loud pipes save lives then why was he unaqble toavoid earth in the beginning of the video???LMAO
There is a difference between obnoxious and audible. They need not be the same but there is overlap. Again, more in the video.
It's also a category-error to compare 'good riding' to 'loud pipes' or 'audible pipes'. Good riding is a given, all the time. On top of that we strive to be visible and audible because on-balance, that's superior to NOT being visible or audible, or being less visible/audible. See?
Humans and most mammals notice sounds. We hear because individuals literally survived better for being able to hear. Evolution selected for this trait. Why ignore it when it comes to cagers being able to sense your presence in any way they can sense anything? This is why large vehicles have back-up beepers, or why emergency vehicles have sirens, cops have loudspeakers or bullhorns and nearly every manufacturer-created and street-legal vehicle in the world comes with a horn (which is intended to be heard). Some electric cars have been deemed higher-risk for children and animals in residential neighborhoods, along with other motorists, so some have been fitted with artificial noisemakers simply to make people aware of their presence through a sonic medium.
Passive noisemakers of reasonable volume (exhaust and other noise) helps some creatures self-select to preempt your arrival and get out of the way. If kids are playing in the street in a residential neighborhood with vision blocked by cars and hear you coming, they can respond before you get there. Same with small animals and such. Parents can scoop up kids before they dart in to the street because they heard you coming.
Good riding is a given. We all should strive for this. Being visible? A given. Being seen is better than not being seen, in any way you care to be seen (high-viz, good lights, contrast, large swaths of color for a better silhouette, etc.). Likewise, being audible is simply another way for the cager to know that you are there and that you are on a bike (even the type of bike is indicated by sound). It is never the case that sound is said to work perfectly in all cases. Why? People have other distractions.
What is a common refrain from cagers when they fail to yield to a motorcyclist, resulting in an accident? 'I didn't see him', and these are people who are required to pass eye-exams in order to drive. Why then do we keep trying to be seen? It's because sight is reliable enough to trust that person not to rear-end you at the stops, unless they indicate that they're distracted or haven't noticed you in time. In fact, the squealing of brakes is an AUDIBLE signal that someone is about to rear-end you if it's coming from behind.
It's a fallacy to assume that loud pipes means you don't have to also be a good, astute or observant rider. Does wearing hi-viz gear mean you should ride like crap? No. If loud pipes don't save lives, then loud colors don't save lives—except that they can and do. Neither sight nor hearing works perfectly because humans are imperfect, but that's why more stimulus>less stimulus.
Snipers wear camouflage for a reason, and they lie still for a reason. They do this to avoid detection. Thieves sneaking around at night may attempt to be both less visible AND less audible. So, why when it comes to being noticed by errant cagers would we not want to exploit both visual AND audio stimulus?
And that is the crux of the argument. Loud pipes save lives, and the statement is true even if it only saves your life once.
-Taken from the comments of the original video. Sounds reasonable to me. Yay.. 1 star thread..my *feelings*
