Norm’s Five Second Rule
Using power - when appropriate
by R. Bruce Thomas
On my recent ride down east I was sitting at a red light on the Trans Canada in a small community in Northern Ontario behind a car with a Texas licence plate. When the light turned green, the car didn't move.
I allowed a reasonable amount of time before giving a light toot on my horn. The driver extended his arm out his window and waved me to go around him.
My in-helmet response was filled with expletives accompanied by a full-on blast of my air horn.
He got the hint and drove on.
The intersection in question has a thru-lane plus a left turn lane. It was a busy day with opposite direction traffic lined up to turn left also being delayed by this driver.
I have no way of knowing if he was distracted on his phone or just thought he would be nice and allow me to easily get past him, but he was waving me to go around into the path of oncoming traffic.
Not. Going. To. Happen.
Who knows what could have happened if I just took his invitation and rode around him with no regard for the opposite direction traffic. But, I'm in control of my motorcycle and have to be aware of my surroundings at all times.
It wasn't long before we were out of town and I soon got by him when it was safe for me to do so. The thought that went through my mind as I passed him was of my buddy Norm's Five Second Rule.
Many years ago when Norm and I were off on a grand Iron Butt Adventure he mentioned one day that all he needed was five seconds to get around anyone. In the intervening years I've realized this rule seems to hold true for me as well. With the power of my Honda ST1300 I don't even have to drop a gear, but sometimes that helps.
I'm not bringing this up to encourage or condone excessive speed or reckless riding. When a rider encounters a dangerous situation there are basically three things that can be done. Brake. Maneuver to avoid the danger. Accelerate.
If you have no idea how your machine performs under acceleration you are removing one of the means of extricating yourself from potential danger. Practice this. Just like you practice emergency braking and evasive maneuvers, but a parking lot isn't really useful here. Practice the Five Second Rule on a nice open stretch of highway. Even better to practice on a 4-lane divided highway so there is no risk of oncoming traffic.
Sadly this year we've already lost too many riders where the cause has been deemed to be excessive speed and it seems to me that not enough people know or understand the power they control and when it is appropriate to use it.
By practicing braking and acceleration and getting familiar with the maneuverability of your motorcycle, hopefully you can avoid dangers using all three methods.
Ride responsibly, and often.