Car game to increase motorcycle awareness?

[FraserG]

My partner's younger siblings are staying with us for the weekend (some summer holiday fun that I got told about yesterday!) and part of the 'plans' was to take them to Longleat safari. However, they tend to get a little bored on car journeys (can't say as I blame them), so we opted to play a new game to keep them entertained. It stemmed from one of them asking why I always said "there's a motorbike" whenever I see a motorbike (which I do if I'm with bike unaware passengers to highlight how many you can come across on a journey).

So the game was simple, spot a bike and say "motorbike" and get a point, person with the most points wins (I was judge and not allowed to play because apparently that would be unfair...). Over the course of the journey there and back, we encountered maybe a dozen or so bikes, and each one was found by one of the youngsters, with the occasional disagreement over who saw them first.

While completely irrelevant to most things in life, I did ponder whether there would be some benefit in later life if this were a regular 'car game'. Would it impact on youngsters when they then begin to drive, subconsciously spotting bikers because they always used to get the points? I suspect a proper psychological academic assessment may be needed to actually define whether playing a 'spot the motorbike' car game would increase motorcycle awareness in young drivers or not, but I wondered what you guys (as fellow bikers) thought about trying to ingrain motorcycle awareness through these sorts of measures at young ages.



P.S. To raise awareness for cyclists, I opt for the good old fashioned 'ten points for every one you hit' game

[BB]

Both games sound very worthwhile to me

[croweman]

Believe it or not that is a practice used in mindfulness but its generally spotting yellow cars. The theory being taking your mind off outside anxities while concentrating on finding a yellow car.

It might be said that they would become too preoccupied looking for bikers that their concentration for other road users might be compromised. I think it boils down to the individual you can drill into some people till your blue in the face to watch for bikers and the minute they're out on they're own you may as well have told a goldfish. And then others naturally become aware.

It would be worth a try because any influence that potentially saved a life is worth trying.

[Kingy]

Ha ha. From a cycling perspective I'm a nailed on ten points every ride!

The game just needs another element of competition adding. Above spots the motorbike gets to punchbthe person (dead arm) who didn't.

[Yogi]

Good idea on both counts mate.

[jollyjoiner]

Fraser I know, instead of shouting bike you give them your wistle to blow and see how you liked it being blown every few minutes hahahaha