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PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 19:45 
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video : http://bilibr.com/bikers-final-moments- ... ety-video/

This is an interesting incident. The car turns into the direct path of the bike yet the driver claimed they didn't see him.
To make a turn at a junction with vehicles oncoming without ensuring the path was clear is very bad driving indeed.
Whether they failed to 'look properly' or saw but didn't see, is only one for that driver to truly know for sure.
I also wonder if the car who appears to be 'cutting the corner' thinks that the 'bike will go behind'... although their speed needed to be quicker for this to happen. Although the biker brakes, had he looked for the (all so important) escape route to the left or right he would very likely have avoided the worst scenario the head on crash, which is what tragically happens.
He's been riding for 22 yrs, has all that experience not taught him this? Would a Police bike course have taught him this?

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PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 18:21 
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He had one second to react which at the speed he was travelling left him no time to react and at that speed, would veering left or right saved his life anyway. Drivers need to learn that speeds are deceptive, the car driver either missed the bike totally (very bad) or misjudged his speed thinking it was an NSL road so everyone would be travelling no faster than this (also a bad mistake).

People need to learn to read the road better but unfortunately this government and many previous, expect drivers to just read a traffic light and a lolly pop, to become excellent drivers and little else.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 11:50 
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He does 'back off the throttle' as you can see on the rev counter drop but his speed remains high. He needed to slow for the junction, 'in case' of anything. To remain at a high speed was really bad riding IMHO. He assumed that the (clearly) indicating car wasn't going to turn, backing off wasn't enough.
If or when travelling over the posted limited it is essential to drop to a safe speed as soon as possible of hint of a hazard. The old trusted phrase of "Travel so that you can stop, on your side of the road, in the distance that you can see to be clear" could not be more true today, as it was when it was first stated!
:scratchchin: Had the rider slowed so that he could have safely stopped and had the driver properly looked and ensured that had any hazard presented that they could have stopped the tragic incident would not have happened.
Judging the speed of a vehicle is not a skill that everyone is terribly good at. A vehicle that is travelling higher than the predictable expected speed is putting themselves in greater danger too. It is essential that if adrenalin is 'running high', to run a 'self-check' on your actions to absolutely ensure that you are truly being safe.

We can all become a bit complacent too, and if this film, acts as a really good reminder to never assume anything then this chaps life might help to save others.
May he R.I.P.

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 13:34 
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We saw that video a few weeks ago, the riders shout when he realises what is going to happen is chilling, been there but survived.

The driver has been prosecuted, however the surprise for me was that a rider with that much experience put themselves in that position. A close friend died a few years when he hit a road cleaning truck driving the wrong way up a curving sliproad. He had even more years of riding experience so I guess all it takes is a moment's complacency and the wrong timing ...

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 16:57 
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I saw this some time ago. Not sure what the speed limit is there but, that aside, there’s no way on earth I would be going as fast as that looks in that situation at that point. (The old proverb “treat everyone else like an idiot”).

The ‘body language’ of that car/driver would have had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end!!! In fact just watching it and knowing what was to come was as cringing as it was saddening. :(

Even if the junction was clear, I might be doing the speed limit but the second I see anything approaching I’d scrub some speed off, (either brake or just throttle-off), and be ready, (hands and foot over brakes). I would have expected to see the front end of his bike ‘dive’ under hard braking before the impact...? But I saw no such thing. Did I miss something?

I don’t mean to sound like I’m blaming the rider; I’m not! These SMIDSY’s are all too common and the drivers should learn to look properly. (Think Bike). But I am surprised that, IMO, this could have been mitigated or possibly even prevented by the rider. (Still no excuse for the driver's actions).

I suppose these things always look simpler after the event and I may well have done similar; but I somehow doubt it.

RIP mate. :(

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You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.


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