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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!think!absolut!matt
From: matt@absolut.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.bicycle
Subject: Highway Hypnosis
Message-ID: <4300001@absolut.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 31-May-85 18:00:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: absolut.4300001
Posted: Fri May 31 18:00:00 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Jun-85 00:36:42 EDT
Lines: 28
Nf-ID: #N:absolut:4300001:000:1091
Nf-From: absolut!matt    May 31 18:00:00 1985


 Has anybody out there experienced "Highway hypnosis"? 

 Recently, while riding back from work, I daydreamed myself right into
the back of a car. This is my first accident with a car in my three
years of serious cycling. While the speed was low, I did some mechanical 
damage to my bike and irritated an old knee injury.

 While I frequently tout the superior safety of cycling, I have noticed
that it the cyclical, high effort nature of cycling lends itself to
a dangerous loss of attention. Several factors seem to have been involved.

 1) Fatigue:
	The accident occured on the way back from work, the day after I
    had both lifted weights and rode my first vigorous 40 mile or so
    ride of the season.

 2) Temperature: warm.

 3) Riding technique:
	I commute on an ATB in winter. My sport tourer has the bars adjusted
    rather low, so I was looking at the ground instead of ahead. My hands
    were on the break hoods, not on the drops where they belonged.

 4) Terrain: gradual uphill.

 I am making some changes to my body position to improve my vision. Any other
 suggestions?