No not always Loz, if you have a slower moving vehicle, and you think you can over take, pull in well before you get to the junction, easing off, then not have to slam your brakes on causing inconvenience to the driver you have overtaken I do not really see a problem, of course assuming you are not driving at a ridiculous speed. In my case I posted I was not really speeding, I was aware and ready
The actions of the driver should be secondary to us (not least because we are the most vulnerable) but shouldn't be secondary for the driver. The video in placing speed at the forefront throughout conveys that it is.
The car driver was at fault for failing to look properly, not seeing oncoming vehicles, and pulling across their path carelessly. The motorcyclist was at fault for failing to anticipate that the car driver would fail to look properly, not see him, and pull across his path. The punishment for the car driver was delivered in court, but the punishment for the motorcyclist was the death penalty. OK, it's not fair and it's not justice - but it's reality.
I cant be arsed trawling through 12 pages to try and find an answer that may not be there. Do we know what punishment the driver received?
"The driver of the Renault admitted causing death by careless driving after saying he didn't see the motorbike or the car behind it. He was sentenced to 130 hours community service and banned from driving for 18 months." More quotes " Officers from Norfolk and Suffolk roads policing unit believe the video, entitled David’s Story, is the first of its kind in the country, and have worked closely on it with Mr Holmes’ family. The 38-year-old was an experienced motorcyclist, who had been travelling at speeds of up to 97mph as he returned home to Sprowston from King’s Lynn on June 8 last year but an inquest heard that driver Benjamin Austin would have had sight of him and his bike for seven seconds before the collision. Austin, 29, of Long Lane, Stoke Holy Cross, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving in April and was disqualified from driving for 18 months and ordered to carry out 130 hours’ unpaid work. Ch Insp Chris Spinks, head of the Norfolk and Suffolk Roads Policing Unit, said the car should not have attempted the manoeuvre, for which Mr Holmes had paid “the ultimate price”." Hmm 7 seconds is a hell of a long time not to see something
MaDProFF - when are you going to get the point that several people are making on here? What people should or shouldn't do it not the point. The fact remains that people make mistakes. No-one pays 100% attention 100% of the time when driving or riding. In your previous post, where you confronted the car driver, his default answer was "SMIDSY"... have you considered why? Maybe a motorcyclist accosting is something out of his comfort zone... maybe it was the first thing he thought of... MAYBE there was a good reason why he actually didn't see you. Maybe he mistook any lights on the front of your bike for DRL's on the car that he had already seen, the one that you passed approaching a junction. Think about that for a minute or two - why did he not see you? I'm guessing that even if you do think about it, you'll still 100% blame the driver. SO, given that there are, and we all know that there are, drivers out there who genuinely, for whatever reason, do not see you, why put yourself in a position where you rely on being seen to be safe?
Bradders you are prob right, Ironic that people have gone to jail for just speeding involved in no accident. I am quite shocked that the car had so long to see them, even at the speeds they were travelling at. Surely in 7 Seconds you can assess vehicles speeds on coming with in reason, and assume that one could be going very fast, but all irrevelent I guess if you did not see them at all.
JR45 I get the point, my point is do not blame someone else for it. all your maybe's is their mistake's not mine. Most are blaming the bike rider, I think it was a forgone conclusion he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, what ever speed he was doing. Yes it cost him his life, but it was the car drivers fault. In my case yes he did not see me because he did not look correctly, he saw a gap in 2 sides of traffic with out looking correctly and pulled out, even knowing people would have to brake.
I filtered past an Indian guy steering with his knees whilst eating his cornflakes with 7 kids in the car one morning.
Bradders why? DRL's are there to be seen, why should a car pull out in front of a car thinking it is a car and not a bike, they should not pull out in front of anything.
MadProFF - DRL's ? I lost a workmate to an accident exactly like that. A woman pulled out of the local golf-club carpark directly in front of him. It was dusk and she was looking up the road - she saw the lights on the car behind, but failed to register the bike in front. Left a 35 year-old widow and two kids under 5 without a father. DRL's make cars more visible, but there is no evidence that they cut accident rates - let's face it, look at Volvo drivers' reputation and they have had DRL's for decades...
DRLs also take away the ability to gauge the moving speed of an oncoming vehicle in anything other than perfect visibility, especially at a glance. It takes a long look and sun in the wrong place, bike passing car, bike in front of a car, all these things affect it. How many times do you see these high beam cycle lights and have no idea what it is or how fast its travelling?!
JR45 I see your point, Just a matter of interest, do you know the distance between the bike and car behind? who she pulled out in front of.
