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The Squirt Factor
By David & Dori Dirig; CA-1F

No matter what rider-training course you attend, the techniques of scanning and reacting to hazards are discussed. Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) describes their method as SIPDE (Scan-Identify-Predict-Decide-Execute) or SPA (Search-Predict-Act). The bottom line is to develop a scanning and evasion strategy so that you are prepared to handle developing situations. We discussed a scanning technique in the previous article; now let’s talk about a reaction strategy.

A short physics lesson first. Acceleration is defined as an object’s change in velocity. Technically, any change in direction can be defined as acceleration. Thus, swerving, speeding up, slowing down and braking are different vectors of acceleration. I hated physics in college, so just defining acceleration for this article made my hair hurt. So as not to get bogged down in the physics, we will call acceleration the Squirt Factor. Years ago when Dori was riding and I didn’t even own a helmet; I had an interesting conversation with a co-worker who was an experienced rider. He commented that there were two advantages that 2-wheelers had over 4-wheelers; acceleration and maneuverability. Capitalizing on these advantages will keep you alive out there on the highways and byways. (I found out later that this hard-core Harley rider was an MSF instructor with the Navy). His terms, acceleration and maneuverability, are actually the same force being applied in different directions and are the equivalent of my Squirt Factor.

Force vectors, velocity, and velocity squared (acceleration) sound impressive, but just what is this Squirt Factor? I think of the Squirt Factor as my personal ability to ‘squirt myself’ out of a bad situation. This could mean getting out of someone’s blind spot, slowing down to give myself a reaction cushion, speeding up to get out of a potentially bad position, or changing my lane selection or position within a lane to avoid a potential hazard. Of course, all this assumes that you are scanning the road ahead and behind you and interrogating your environment for potential hazards as we discussed previously. As MSF describes in their courses, you must Search for hazards, Predict what MAY happen, and then Act accordingly. Actually, you should ‘Squirt’ accordingly, but that would mess up the S-P-A acronym.

Where does the Squirt Factor come into play? It comes down to where you are riding and what potential situations may develop. If you Search/Scan aggressively for hazards and Predict what may happen, then you are prepared to Act before a situation actually develops. Use of the Squirt Factor will put you in position to Act immediately to any developing hazard. Each of us has our own riding style, which includes speed and lane choice/position. While you are riding, are you ready to change that speed/position in response to changing road or traffic conditions?

The major area where the Squirt Factor comes into play for me is in freeway traffic. If you need to change lanes, squirt yourself into a position that avoids blind spots and gets your out of the way of other traffic that is also changing lanes. When commuting in heavy freeway traffic (or lighter faster-moving traffic), scanning and squirting can save your life. It could be a matter of recognizing where blind spots are and avoiding them. Awareness of blind spots must extend across multiple lanes. If I am getting ready to change lanes, I need to not only check for traffic in the target lane, but also watch for any other mergers coming from multiple lanes that may want that same lane position. If I am running in lane #1 and wanting to move to lane #2, I may need to squirt forward/backward so that my lane change occurs ahead/behind the car in lane #3 that may also be trying to move to lane #2. If I made a simple lane change without this awareness, it’s possible that the car in lane #3 would move to lane #2 at the same time that I did, resulting in a collision! By moving forward or backward relative to the potential threat, I can affect the lane change in a safer manner. Awareness, scanning, and squirting combine to allow me to avoid the possible situation. Predict a possible situation and then squirt yourself to a position that deals with the prediction.

On surface streets, squirting takes on a different meaning and relates more to ‘side to side’ squirting. This cannot only get you out of bad situation; it can also increase your visibility in traffic. We have to deal with cars and other autos turning in front of us, changing lanes without seeing us, or pulling out in front of us. Changing your lane position and lane selection can assist in making you more visible in traffic. If on-coming traffic is set to turn left in front of me, I change from left track to right (or vice versa) to increase the chance that the driver sees the headlight coming at him. There are no guarantees of course, but it’s about doing everything you can. If a car is pulling out from my right, I will change lane position to the left track or even move a lane to the left if possible. This ‘squirt to the left’ gives me additional reaction time and room in case the driver doesn’t see me. In urban areas, these lane changes and squirting also require an awareness of oil and other materials that buildup in the center track of urban roads as well as the reduced traction of painted surfaces. These are times when ‘squirting’ should be done gently.

The Squirt Factor comes down to your ability to control the motorcycle and make it go where you need it to go when you need it to go. This depends on your training. Maneuvering half a ton of machinery is not something to be taken lightly, and assumed proficiency is anything but. In this and the preceding article, we discussed a number of mental models and thought processes that can help you stay alive on two wheels. Just thinking about them, however, is not enough. The important question is can you actually perform these maneuvers in an emergent situation? If you wait until you are in a bad situation to test your abilities, there is no guarantee you were ever up to the test in the first place. Practicing can take many forms including the GWRRA Cornering Guide, professional classes through MSF, or Parking Lot Practices. Why wait? Test yourself often, and practice evasion techniques under controlled conditions. In a perfect world, you’ll never need these techniques. How many of us ride in a perfect world? Practice.

Ride Safe & COAST (Concentrate On A Safe Trip)