Visual (and farm) fields

Keep your head on a swivel...

by R. Bruce Thomas

It was a lovely day. I was riding some of the great routes in southeastern Ohio when I came out of a nice little forest to these rolling farmland fields, spied a fast-moving threat, and immediately rolled off the throttle.

The pictures here are from my helmet-mounted GoPro camera which I've set to take a picture every five seconds, giving me plenty of opportunities for good shots during the day.

The fisheye lens, however, makes it hard to pick out the object of my concern.

Let's make it a bit easier.

Yes, that blur in the white circle is a deer, and it was really cruising. There was a good chance we'd have a too-close-encounter if I didn't adjust.

In five seconds I'm closer to the deer even though I've rolled off.

The oncoming traffic, due to the height of the road above field-level and slight hill obstructing their view, may have got a big surprise if they hadn't been scanning the fields or perhaps been distracted in the cab. As it was, the deer crossed the road unscathed and the road traffic carried on, perhaps a little more awake.

I've talked about vision a number of times here as where you look, what you look at, and for how long, is very important to staying safe on the roads. Keep your head on a swivel looking forwards, to both sides, and backwards in your mirrors, all the time in order to get the most amount of warning if a hazard pops up.

Ride responsibly, and often.