Motorcylist killed by truck in Sydney

[The Ant]

I remember back in 1987 before Toorak Road and the South Eastern Freeway had an over pass for the Toorak Road traffic, about 4.30 am I was travelling west along Toorak Road and sat at the red light awaiting for the green. There was another infront of me at the lights. The lights turned green and a semi with a trailer ran the red light along the end freeway (in those days) heading south east. The car ahead of me was woman driver (has nothing to do with anything) and drove off as she now had right of way. She did not see the truck barrelling through the lights and was collected by the front of the truck and the trucks front wheels ran right over the bonnet of the car just below the windscreen section spinning the car around smashing into the guard rail facing the opposite direction.

I pulled the histerical driver out and watched the truck continue with out the accelerator even being taken off. A Range Rover took chase after the truck which had federal interstate plates and never stopped the truck. The police and ambulance eventually came.

This truck driver would have felt, saw and heard the impact in this case though did not care to stop.

[Tone165]

It's a bit sad. Whenever one of us meets an untimely end as a result of a cage or truck, we end up arguing who might be at fault. The problem is, it's too late. It doesn't really matter. I've been on bikes now for 40 years and the arguments and the accidents are still the same. The only way around this is defensive riding. Just assume the cages and trucks cannot see you, or don't care or are drugged or pissed and will do the thing that can hurt or kill you. You still might get caught out, but the chances are far less.
I also think that MOST drivers are not out there to kill and maim. But it's been proven that the smaller moving targets are less likely to register as threats to our brain, and therefore don't ring alarm bells. Big things are a life threat, so you take notice if you're a smaller target.
None of this justifies what happens at times, and some arseholes do indeed have no regard for other's welfare. You just need to assume the person who can drive over you probably will.
I'll just step off the box now and let someone else talk for a while!

Same system of assumption has kept me alive for 40yrs also!

ALL other road users are incompetent, murderous, idiots. If you give them the opportunity, they will run you down.

I think bike safety is something like 80% attitude and 20% ability. Bikers who ride around as if they were in a car, blithely unaware of what is going on around them are a real worry..go on any kind of club or charity ride, and you will see a few in every group.

I went on a memorial ride on Sat, while I was maintaining a safe distance from the bike ahead, I had several bikes overtake me, some on the left. It gave me a mild case of road rage, and I considered "slamming the door" on a couple of em, but in the end chose to let the "F" wits do their thing, and found a group of competent riders to travel with.

Still dont understand the need to overtake anyone when riding in "formation"

[xxxdamoxxx]

it is sad that a loved one is gone and as we all face the same dangers on the road.
But on this one i would like to sit on the half way line and say that i have seen guys driving dump trucks in the mines run over 4x4s and not even know they hit them and a 4x4 is a bloody big car its just the same as a bike and a truck even more if it is a big semi so sorry to say heidi untill all facts are on the table then and only then we can point the finger