I came off the M6 last night onto the A500 at Stoke on my way to see Mr Pitts. The roundabout opens out onto a nice section of dual carriageway and I had the top down, it was a crisp dry evening and there wasn't much traffic about.

An artic was in the inside lane so I pulled into the outside lane to enjoy a quick vtec blast past it.

Something in my head said, "No, relax and just cruise". I don't know why but I did. I pootled past the lorry, and past a layby with 2 motorcycle cops in it.

I'm glad I listened to my little voice. This kind of thing has happened to me a few times before. About to gun it and then thinking "No, I'll take it easy" only to spot a copper who would have been most annoyed by my actions.

Have you any experience of this strange phenomenon?

 

Yeh the A500 is a nightmare for that, I used to go to Keele University which is close to Stoke and you always had to be on your toes for either speed cameras of which there are hundreds set at stupidly low limits (30 on a quiet dual carriageway) or the cops who have nothing better to do than target motorists as it is easier to deal with than the real criminals in Stoke.

And yeh, had that a few times the sixth sense, especially on the M40 where the rozzers hide on bridges and you have a Corsa up your ass and it is so tempting to drop a cog and go but no...pull inside let the Corsa go and see him get done by the sneaky Oxfordshire police!

 

No such thing as sixth sense. It's either a co-incidence, you caught a glimpse of them but only noticed in your subconscious.

It's also possible if they had radar that you "felt" the radar. Some people can detect that a phone is going to ring before it does.

Nothing spooky, just science.

 

Indeed.

How many times do you go to pass a car & think "that c unt's gonna pull out any second now?" It's the vehicular body language plus the f ucking great dent on the OSR wing that gives it away.

 

I find my self in that situation very often NG, I think motor biking has helped my ability to ultra analyse the littlest of vehicle movements and driver behavior.


To the OP, I find my sense of smell helps a lot in police detection

Oink Oink

 

 

I must say I've had similar experiences. Hopefully it keeps happening! *touch wood*

But you can read people's "vehicular body language". Especially the clever folks that like to circle a round-about in the outside lane and cut everyone off. Actually saw a coming together happen infront of me the other day. Made me chuckle

 

That happened to me test-driving the NSX; as if it's not nerve-wracking enough driving someone else's rare supercar.

I just went round n round the roundabout a car length behind; it was one of those dives where everyone was out to get me, in spite of my paranoia.

 

I think that's why bikers tend to be good drivers; one has a very real sense of every single threat, of which there are many.

The thing that makes me think "plod" is usually a rolling-pile-up of cars, all too scared to exceed an indicated 70 to pass what's probably a traf off anyway. They must all think I'm Osama Bin Gaddafi when I cruise past at 77.

Actually, the sixth sense thing is a scientific mystery. Obviously, the 'eyes in the back of the head - someone's watching' sense is essential to survival in a predatory world. No-ones actually managed to pin-point how it works. Or whether it's just paranoia.

 

That's a good point. I know having been a biker for many years, that self preservation instinct never really leaves you and you find yourself very aware of reading upcoming situations/risks.