Car Drivers, This One is for You đ«”đŒ Commuting in Monsoon.
Let's keep our fellow riders on the two-wheelers safe and well...alive
Monsoons are FINALLY upon us. Almost a month late in the city of Mumbai but alas theyâre here. I cannot wait to hit trails nearby with waterfalls running in their full glory. BUT, there is a more important aspect to discuss today.
Keeping the two wheelers on the streets safe.
In my very first post I wrote a statement which I think cannot be re-stated enough.
Roads are a shared infrastructure. They belong to the cars as much as they belong to the two-wheelers (scooters and bikes equally), 3-wheelers, trucks and bicycles (wishful thinking, I know!)
With the onset of monsoons, the sharing of this infrastructure becomes even more tricky.
SAFETY.
Does it becomes less safe to drive cars in monsoon? Not really. Your tyres are as grippy because two wheels on either side balance out. Your massive size itself with your rear lights are enough to mark your presence on the road. With your spanking bright LED highlights, I can spot you even under bad visibility. So you will continue to drive in the same comfort zone as you did a month ago.
Letâs discuss how safety levels have suddenly changed within a week for two-wheelers.
Visibility - Two-wheelers already suffer from lower road presence and visibility by the default virtue of their size. With the onset of rains, especially post sunset, visibility is impacted and itâs even harder to spot two-wheelers. Most of the two-wheelers on the street are not the latest top of the line premium motorcycles. They suffer from pathetic throw of tail lights as well as headlights. Even with these lights on, theyâre hard to spot under heavy rains. Add to this black helmet (most common color youâd spot) and black / gray rain jacket with no reflectors. Two wheelers are free for all target now.
POV of a Motorcyclist Riding in Heavy Rain
While rain-sensing wipers are clearing your windshield every second while youâre nice and dry in your cozy sedan interiors, letâs think from the POV of the motorcycle rider in heavy rain.
RAIN IN MY EYE. They are battling from rain either hitting their eyes constantly (especially with half-face helmets; please avoid at all costs) or cleaning their helmet visors to have visibility. If the rider is wearing glasses (again not uncommon), add the complexity of fogging of their lenses. On surrounding visibility, the rear view mirror become pointless at one point due to rain and all it tells the rider is thereâs a lot of light behind. So if a car is overtaking them, one only has to assume.
SPOT THE POTHOLE. Itâs a constant game of wack-a-mole that nobody likes. With partially flooded streets, the rider is continuously trying to analyze pot holes and hoping not to hit an open manhole.
WET. While simultaneously battling the above, the riderâs feet are getting wet (lord help them if they decided to wear shoes with socks), there would be a stream of water trickling in from that one weak spot in the rain jacket. Theyâre trying to avoid cars that would splash water all over them because again - the driver in the car CANNOT be wet at any cost. This is coupled with trying to ensure the bag theyâre carrying is not being wet from somewhere (which could be holding anything ranging from cash in wallet to documents to office laptop).
HOT. Indian climate is lovely. One minute itâs raining. Another minute the sun is shining. While youâre searching for that ever-evasive rainbow from your carâs sunroof, the motorcyclist is currently sweating under their full rain gear. The annoyance cannot be put into words.
Couple all of the above together. That is the daily journey a motorcyclist is enduring to reach their place of work. Someone battling through all of this is not doing this out of sense of adventure but out of lack of option.
Hence the only purpose of this post is to provide a perspective to car drivers because you probably have never gotten the POV of the motorcyclist who you might assume to be a nuisance on the street. Try to be a bit more empathetic on the streets during the monsoon. If theyâre trying to avoid a patch of street because they canât fully gauge how deep the water is, allow them to wade into your lane. Give a small honk and upper dipper before overtaking them from the right to alert them. Itâs just small basic driving actions that would make the streets much safer for both the vehicles.
For motorcyclist, small upgrades could make a massive difference. Naming a few below, do comment if you have more hacks that work for you.
VISIBILE: Stick reflective strips on your helmet as well as back, sides and the front of your bike. Make yourself as visible as you can.
LIGHTS: If your tail light stopped working last summer, probably a good time as any to get that cheap part fixed. If your indicators or headlights have died, get it fixed. This would make you more predictable thus safer on the road
HORN: Visibility is not our best friend in the rain but everyone will hear you. With heavy rains your horn will drown out so ensure your horn is as sharp as new or upgrade it (legal ones only, please). Honk before you overtake (cars or bikes), it will ensure the other vehicle is alert and not stray into your lane while youâre overtaking.
GRIP: Donât remember when you changed your tyres last? Take it to a bike shop or service center and get an assessment of your tyre tread (or you could do this yourself). Tyres are not too expensive in India but remember, theyâre the ONLY part between your motorcycle and the road. Grip is everything. If youâre planning to change the tyres in a few months, best to get it done at the start of the monsoon as this is when you need the most amount of grip.
Let us not make city commute a game of Too Fast and Too Furious, especially in the rain. Try to understand the POV of the other rider on the street.
Ride safe and enjoy the monsoon responsibly. Everyoneâs just trying to get home, safe.