Motor Cyclists and Brains.

Posted by: DAVOhorn on 23 October 2003

Dear All,

this morning while walking to work i witnessed an accident between a van and a motorcycle.

First off it was caused by the van driver reversing into a road without being able to see if anything was coming.

Unfortunately a motorcyclist was riding down the road and due to the narrowness of the road he had nowhere to go but into the van.

He came off the bike and slid down the road on his knees before flipping onto his back and rolling about 3 times ending up on his back.

I was very close so was able to ascertain the degree of damage to the rider.

He had no knee caps and both knee joints were exposed into the joint capsule itself.

The noise he was making was pitiful due to the degree of damage sustained by his knees.

His upper body appeard unremarkable.

WHY THE DIFFERENCE IN INJURY?????????

He was wearing a leather jacket on top.

HE WAS WEARING DENIM JEANS BELOW

NO FUCKING LEATHERS???????????????????????????

WHY OH WHY DO PEOPLE RIDE MOTORCYCLES WITHOUT APPROPRIATE PRIOTECTIVE CLOTHING??????????????

In my opinion because the impact speed was low he would probably (if he had been wearing full leathers) got up off the ground and beat the crap out of the van driver.

As he was not i doubt he will make a decent recovery.

Certainly his knees will not recover, especially if he has lost both his knee caps.

I have not ridden a motorbike for over 5 years .

This minor accident has confirmed my stand that i will not ride a bike on the road again.

A simple lapse of concentration by somebody else and

WHAMMMOOOOOOOO

no knees.

If you ride a bike regularly do you always wear full protective clothing????????

If not why not?????

I hope the guy sustained no other injuries.

regards David
Posted on: 23 October 2003 by andy c
This is similar to seeing holiday makers roaring around crap roads in Greece one day, wearing a t shirt and shorts, and then the next day seeing them sulking around the swimming pool seeking sympathy because they have come off said moped/scooter/motorcycle...
He started blaming eveyone until I asked him what he was wearing at the time he fell off...
He didn't speak to me again... not sure why...
Posted on: 23 October 2003 by Brian OReilly
Phew !

Morning DAVO,

I agree with what's already been said. I wore a kevlar suit/arai/race boots 100% when I had a proper bike (FZR1000). I always assumed I would fall off, so I always wore the gear. I was pretty shaken up when I also saw tourists (in Thailand) wearing basically g-strings and flip-flops.

I don't ride a "proper" bike any more, because of my family resonsibilities, but I do ride that strange BMW C1. This reduces the risks just enough to make it acceptable to me. The thing is, I no longer wear the suit or helmet, although I still wear the boots and gloves. I'm not totally convinced that this is safe, but the accident reports imply that the rider remains inside the safety cell.

Ultimately the every rider knows the risks involved and they have to accept the consequences of an accident.

No risk - no fun.

Brian OReilly

[This message was edited by Brian OReilly on FRIDAY 24 October 2003 at 08:11.]
Posted on: 29 October 2003 by Steveandkate
I ride a bike, and now always wear all the gear.
I was in an accident many years back and got hit by an off duty policeman. I spent most of the next 2 years in and out of hospital, not knowing if I would keep my leg, but did meet my now wife whilst there. I had on all the gear except boots. My leg was crushed just where my boot should have been. Enough said ? No other injuries bar bruising.
The one's who got hurt most were my family who had to see me in pain, and be unable to help.
Posted on: 29 October 2003 by domfjbrown
quote:
Originally posted by Brian OReilly:
I also saw tourists (in Thailand) wearing basically g-strings and flip-flops.



Aha - but protection gear won't help if you pull the throttle INSTEAD of the brake and land on your thumb, like my mate who was in Thailand recently... She's still got problems with that thumb now... Ooops...

__________________________
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.

Posted on: 29 October 2003 by Brian OReilly
Well domf,

she did make her choice.....

Brian OReilly
Posted on: 29 October 2003 by domfjbrown
quote:
Originally posted by Brian OReilly:
she did make her choice.....



I guess she'd rate that as a thumbs-down choice then Frown D'oh!!!

Hmm - no offence to one certain taxi driver, but I sympathise - they (in the main) drive like lunatics...

__________________________
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.

Posted on: 29 October 2003 by Top Cat
It's a pity about the poor biker, no question. However, can I take a moment to have a pop at the ever-increasing number of bikers I see on the roads who roar up behind me so quickly that I don't even see nor hear them until they were past - I mean, I'm doing a comfortable 80ish trot on a quiet, fairly straight country road in my car, and it's quite common to be passed by bikers doing what must be 150mph.

Do these people think I'll have any sympathy for them if I have to swerve to avoid something in the road whilst they do their lunatic overtaking at over twice the legal speed limit? At those speeds, I might have already started whatever avoidance I might need to take before they're even a hundred yards away, leaving next to no time for either car nor biker to avoid a collision.

Not a pop at bikers, as generally I respect any road-user who respects other road-users (which generally most bikers do), but some bikers should think about the stupidity of their actions just like the rest of us. Doesn't excuse the van driver, of course, but then what speed was the biker doing? Did he have enough space to brake in time?

I have a tiny bit of sympathy for the van driver as I once was in a car (as a passenger) where a very similar thing nearly happened. Pulling out (forward) from a junction (in a 30 zone), we were perhaps six feet into the road when over the crest of the hill a biker came, doing what must have been 90mph. He was very lucky to be able to swerve to miss us, as it would have been goodbye biker had anything been coming down the other side of the road.

I'm sure no bikers amongst our numbers here will argue that for every careful biker there's at least one biker who takes chances - either with clothing, or with speed or whatever.

John

TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."
Posted on: 29 October 2003 by Mick P
Chaps

I have just returned to motorcycling after a 8 year gap.

The clothing today is incredible compared to the old stuff.

I have just bought a good open face crash helmet as I cannot get on with a full face one, a brilliant jacket made from some sort of Goretex material with pads and protectors everywhere.

I also bought some knee hight leather boots. The main difference between these new clothes and the old ones is that they are they really practical (the jacket even has a pouch for the mobile phone) but they are superbly comfortable. Wearing old motorcycle clothing was an ordeal but the modern stuff is great.

I will always wear the right clothing.

Regards

Mick
Posted on: 29 October 2003 by timster
Used to ride bikes when I was younger. Ended up with some dead and seriously injured friends. Eventually gave up after having a few close misses on the ol' Jota (ahh, sweet times.)

The moral is - "It doesn't matter whose fault the accident is, the motorcyclist is always going to come worse off."


ride-on
Posted on: 29 October 2003 by Two-Sheds
quote:
The clothing today is incredible compared to the old stuff.


Yep. I started riding bikes in 1997 and got my first big bike (CBR400RR) in 98. I left the country in 99 so I had to sell it. I didn't get another bike till late 2002 (Fazer 600), which I had to sell 5 months later due to moving country again.

Anyway the point I was getting to was when I bought the fazer I also bought a new Helmet and jacket. When looking at jackets (this was in Belgium by the way) I saw some with airbags.

The jacket had a little gas cylinder (CO2 I assume) and you attached a cord to the bike so that if you came off, the cord would be pulled out of the jacket and cause the airbag to go off. It looked as if it inflated a neck brace and some additional padding around the arms and body.

Has anyone seen any reviews or used one of these themselves? I'd be interested to know if it actually worked or if it was a bit of a gimmick.
Posted on: 29 October 2003 by Justin
I heard on the radio this morning that in the two years since Kentucky and Louisiana abolished their hear protectibe gear laws (two states for which the gene pool already runs a bit shallow) motorcycle deaths in Kentucky have risen by 50% and those in Louisiana by 100%.

Judd
Posted on: 30 October 2003 by Steve G
quote:
Originally posted by Top Cat:

Do these people think I'll have any sympathy for them if I have to swerve to avoid something in the road whilst they do their lunatic overtaking at over twice the legal speed limit?



Despite you sounding somewhat like a grandad micra driver (who probably utters similar complaints when doing 40mph and passed by someone doing 80mph) I do know where you're coming from. Despite being a motorcyclist myself I am often appalled by the dangerous and selfish driving of some other bikers out there.

More often or not these are PYB bikers (posing yuppie b*stards) who only ride their tricked up bikes on the occasional sunny Sunday. Most of these that I know do less that 1000 biking miles a year which makes me concerned about just how ready they are for riding their bikes the way they do. Unfortunately they're very visible, they crash (and die) quite frequently, they annoy motorists because they travel in ego-driven packs and will pass anywhere and anytime with little regard for their own safety or the potential incompetence of other motorists.

Personally I treat ever car driver as a homicidal maniac that can't contemplate anyone going faster than him and wanting to pass and therefore hasn't checked his (or just as often her) mirrors in the last couple of months.

Regards
Steve
Posted on: 30 October 2003 by Steve G
And on the subject of open faced helmets - don't do it!

A friend of mine (the slowest motorcyclist I know) high sided his BMW touring bike and face planted into the ground. He got away with no facial injuries at all but after seeing the damage sustained by the front of his helmet there is no way I'll ever be using an open face helmet now.

He was wearing full leathers & boots and got away with a couple of minor scrapes and a dislocated shoulder.

Regards
Steve
Posted on: 30 October 2003 by Rasher
I haven't been on a bike now for four years and I don't miss it. I guess many were forced by wives & children to be "responsible" Roll Eyes and give up biking, leaving the urge to fester for years until an opportunity to return to it arises. With me, I rode bikes all the way through until I finally lost interest. It's out of my system and I'm still alive. The greatest number of accidents on bikes - so I've heard - is from middle aged bikers returning after many years. Go fast and you're going to meet something head on eventually - go slow and you're going to be a sitting duck. I really wouldn't fancy it again. Get an R1 and stick to track days.
Posted on: 30 October 2003 by DAVOhorn
A follow up to my original post.

Received through the post today a pre prepared insurance type form from our local police.

Seems the guy i gave my address to gave it to the police.

The covering letter is a blinder.

To save time we will not be sending an officer to interview you for a statement.

Fill in the bloody form or else!

Trouble with all pre prepared forms is that they dont cover a pedestrian witnessing an accident.

So form is pretty useless for me .

Also the accident happened a week ago so memory is now a bit shaky.

A skilled officer taking a statement would be of more use than a forgetful witness doing a crappy drawing ON A CRAPPY FORM.

Oh well out with the colouring pencil.

no info on the rider.

Looking at the above posts i will not be going on a Motor Cycle again.

Too many idiots in cars like me.

regards David
Posted on: 01 November 2003 by Jedi
Riding without the proper kit is plain daft. Very few people realise the potential of a spill even at low speed.
I would say to Mr Parry that if your going to ride with an open face helmet you might as well not bother wearing one. I saw a picture on the net some time ago of a Harley rider who had lost the entire lower section of his face in a 40 mph spill, not a pretty sight. He had been wearing an open face lid.

I had an off nearly two years ago now, some idiot U-turned in front of me with no warning, I dread to think what would have happened had I not had all the kit, as it was I had two broken arms and damaged ligaments in one knee.
The driver was done for driving without due care, for the second time! He only got 6 points and a one hundred pound fine for trying to kill me! Sad but true. The missus wont let me have another bike now, but to be honest with the standard of driving getting ever worse it's probably not such a good idea anyway.

Still, other toys await!

_______________
Hmmm, upgrades.
Posted on: 02 November 2003 by Steve Toy
Taking risks

I always give motor cyclists a wide birth as I can see how vulnerable they are. What would be a prang in a car would probably be a stretch in hospital on a bike. I like bikers though, cos they rarely get in my way. Big Grin

I drive at speed only by creating sufficient space for my vehicle - that means keeping my distance behind whatever is in front of me until I can swap to a clear outside lane at traffic lights, for example. It is easy just to let bikers go as they need less space than I do, and they tend to accelerate quicker than I could dream of.

If anyone is attempting to overtake me on a single carriageway road - bike or car, I always decelerate to give them more space in the face of an on-coming vehicle. It is f*cking annoying (and potentially deadly) in the face of an oncoming vehicle) when you try to overtake Mr Snail who suddenly accelerates as you pass him/her, though.

A copper in a patrol vehicle once thanked me for slowing down to give him space with his hazard lights when he passed me, despite the fact that I was already doing 70 in a 60 zone on an open single-carriageway road. (I didn't realise he was a copper until he was in front of me.)

Anticipate the very worst in every situation, and you can't go wrong, and vary your speed in accordance with the conditions.

I drive defensively as I pass junctions - presuming that the car or bike on the side road is about to pull out...

I do overtake idiots who treat speed humps as stop signs though - you don't need to break the speed limit to do so either, it's a question of timing your movement to the other side of the road without altering your own speed as they brake - the Highway Code discourages this, but the law does not prohibit it.

In the last few days I've been crawling through leaf-covered lanes on bends and I pity inexperienced motorcyclists riding in those conditions.

Despite the fact that I'm not required to wear a seatbelt by law - I'm exempt as a taxi driver, I always do, and I always insist that child passengers wear theirs too before my wheels turn. For this reason all bikers by the same token have no excuse for not wearing the appropriate protective clothing.

I always endeavour to drive carefully, responsibly, and yet quickly where conditions allow. I've been doing this job for 9 years now off and on, and the conduct of some of my colleagues on occasions is shameful.

Then there is the issue of using mobile phone whilst driving...

Touch wood... my driving licence has always been clean.



Regards,

Steve.