From: svoboda@rtsg.mot.com (David Svoboda)
Subject: Re: HELMETS
Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 15:51:29 GMT

In article <1992Nov20.155742.14850@spdc.ti.com> serafin@epcot.spdc.ti.com (Mike Serafin) writes:
|In article <1eh763INNa20@sixgun.East.Sun.COM> egreen@east.sun.com writes:
|>
|>2. You (and Mike) are splitting hairs.  Whether the vision is
|>peripheral or just "over there" (moving your eyes) is not the point.
|>The point is that wearing a helmet compromises your vision.  To dispute
|>the fact is an exercise in futility.  Put on a hemet and see (get it?)
|>for yourself.
|>
|
|Can't agree with this one Ed.  The very minimal area that the helmet blocks
|when I just turn my eyes is pretty useless. All I tend to see is a blur.  If I
|really want to know what's happening in that region I HAVE to turn my head.
|With or without a helmet that information I gain by only turning my eyes is
|pretty useless. 

That's you.  I, on the other hand, can see through the corner of my eye easily 
well enough to save my life, under some circumstances (hell, if the print is
large enough, I can READ through the corner of my eye).  We are obviously 
different.  Yet you, in your royal pompousness, were very quick to call anyone 
not wearing a helmet "an idiot", and to call the peripheral vision issue 
"nonsense".

I can refute the Expert Witness who studied fighter-pilot vision, simply by
pointing out the differing character of riding a motorcycle and fighting in
an F16.  In the F16, every single threat is so small as to require the pilot
to look directly at it to recognize it as a threat.  OTOH, a threat to a
motorcyclist tends to be rather huge, and occupy a significant arc of vision,
and often has some sort of flashing lights (I'm particularly thinking of
the favorite cage trick around here--ride up very slowly into the 4:30
position, to one side, out of sight of mirror, and blocked by the edge
of the helmet (unless you do a head check, and I don't know anyone who
just rides down the street doing head checks), then change lanes into you, 
sometimes even flashing the signal first.)  Though there are other, less 
optimal solutions (such as spot mirrors), I would greatly value having a 
peripheral vision warning as well.

Also, has anyone here ever been riding, and noticed something possibly
threatening forming ahead of you, and you want to head check to make
sure you have an out, but if you take the time to snap your head over
and back, you're afraid the danger ahead will develop fast enough to
get you into trouble?  I can tell you, the problem is the limited
viewport and weight of the helmet.  The limited viewport makes you
turn your head farther to the side than if it weren't there, and the
weight of the helmet keeps you from doing it quickly enough.  If it 
weren't there, you would turn your head just enough to check the 
blind spot with peripheral vision, while keeping part of your attention 
(also peripheral) ahead of you, on the forming situation.  There is no 
break in observation.  

Even though it is illegal, try driving a cage with a helmet on, just
once.  I did it once, just as an experiment, and it DEFINITELY changed
my mind about peripheral vision.  (I had this exact argument with Randy
a while back, with me on the other side, so I thought I would try some
things.)  I still wear a helmet regularly, but am now much more
conscious of my peripheral sense limitations.

Dave Svoboda (svoboda@void.rtsg.mot.com)    | "I just can't take
90 Concours 1000 (Mmmmmmmmmm!)              |  this weird shit
84 RZ 350 (Ring Ding) (Woops!)              |  before breakfast!"
AMA 583905  DoD #0330  COG 939  (Chicago)   |   -- Evo Woman