Well for those non-QLD'ers amongst us that would not have seen the Sunday Paper, the weekend was a pretty sad/angry up here. A guy on a 5 week old grey and silver Busa (dont know if the owner is a club member or not??) and what looked like a VTR SP1, were both killed instantly when a car towing a trailer being driven by an 'elderly couple' pulled out around a blind corner.
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The newspaper went on to quote the coppers who immediately laid 100% blame on the motorcyclists citing 5 deaths since April 2002 in the same area saying speed was the cause. The only evidence it would seem that has now been taken a conclusive is that the Busa's speedo was stuck on 190km'h when the bike was picked up off the ground. So what? The throttle could have stuck open after it went down, the force of the crash could have jolted it? - Any number of factors.
While no mention is made of the family the two riders now leave behind, the paper went on to re-assure the general public that the drivers of the other vehicle were 'receiving counselling'.
I am sick and tired of motorcyclists being blamed for their own deaths when sure, rider error and excess speed is to blame for many accidents but the negligence of other drivers and the road conditions themselves are up there as the cause of just as many.
Stay upright people.
Adrian
Sad news and condolences to the families. Perhaps forward your post or near to it to the editor of that paper. Always easy and simple to blame those dreaded bikies, especially when they are unable to give they're version of events.
Damn it! That is really sad news and it also makes me angry.
I once got totalled in a car when an 'elderly couple' did a U-Turn on a 4 lane highway - I was in the fast lane and when they saw me they stopped the car - I had no choice but to T-Bone them ... I think people of a certain age should be having reflex tests rather than driving tests. If I had of been riiding I would be dead now ....
It's not a matter of speed - it's a matter of idiots who cant drive! .......
Always sad news. The post title alone was enough to cause a few goose bumps. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to lump us all together and label us with blame. Let's not be careful to do the same with elderly drivers. Many should not be on the road, yet many are very careful and have years of experience and are still safe on the road. (I am not defending the actions of the driver in this particular incident, as it appears on the face of it that they are significantly, if not totally, to blame).
The big problem is the bias of the media, who will continue to re-iterate and promote popular opinions at the expense of facts, thus perpetuating any prejudices and preconceptions that the public at large may already hold.
My thoughts go to the families.
Very sad set of circumstances indeed & I feel sure the motorcyling community's collective thoughts & condolences will go out to the families of the rider's concerned.
If the car/trailer pulled out around a blind corner I assume this was an ill advised passing manouvre by the driver that went tragically wrong. I have seen this type of thing happen on the Great Ocean Road where timid car drivers move into the opposite lane on blind corners out of fear of going over the edge.
On a personal note & in another time I have been hit head on twice by other trail bike riders who did the same thing by cutting corners without due regard for oncoming riders.
It's hard enough to stay upright out there battling road conditions etc without other road users excercising poor judgemental skills that can have such a tragic impact when things go wrong.
Here's hoping that we can all stay safe & be ever vigilant for the unexpected.
We had a death here in Canb almost a year ago, and the media had a LOVELY time trumpeting that the rider was doing 200kms/hr plus. There is no way Mick Doohan would have been able to do that speed in that set of corners, the media just wanted Ma and Pa to nod knowingly to each other and make some comment about 'temporary Australians'.
The media paints us as the bad guys because we are an easy target.
HEIDI xxx
I read that as the car pulled out of a driveway around a blind corner... so what were the oldies supposed to do? wait forever, just in case something was coming? A bike rider (especially) should know that if your travelling too fast to stop in the distance that you can see, your asking for trouble. I would like to know which road it is, what the speed zone is and how many driveways and other intersections were on the road before i blamed either party.
Im also sad for the deaths, but its expected if riders ride with no thought for "whats around this blind corner?"
Besides... what classes as elderly? Over 40? Hey, thats most of you busa riders!
Media , media ? Ah yes.......professional bullshit artists par excellence ! Didn't Randolph Hearst & his New York paper manage to start a war with the Cubans by manufacturing blatant lies through creative reporting ?
According to the "Media" either 20,000, 50,000 or 500,000 actually attended the anti war rally in Melbourne !!!
The media. Now, that's one group I don't object to stereotyping and grouping. Them, and politicians...
I have scanned a copy of the article in PDF form but bugger me if I know how to upload it onto the board. Richard I tried to send it to your hotmail account but it got bounced because of that size restriction thing for files.
Its a pity , but such is life, and death is inevitable, and the way of death is just an excuse when your times up...
As for the speedo stuck on 190, i wonder if the person that found the "conclusive" evidence researched the operation of the hayabusa intrument panel and realise that it winds the speedo, tacho, temp and fuel guages to the end then back again on reset, and that if power is cut and reappliedd during a reset it can get stuck anywhere in the rev/speedrange.
Or if they know there are intermittant faults with the busa's instrument panel that makes the dials get frozen at any one place sometimes!!!!!!!!!!!!
bloddy idiots.
Sorry about the quality
or if image does not show click here Edited by: demeester at: 2/18/03 4:57:04 pm
I've right clicked on the cross,gone to open picture but nothing happens.What am i doing wrong.Rod
right click properties, then copy the url address and paste it in another window...
without sounding flippant, the "death triangle" call in the article is a bit over the top?
'Elderly' in the case of my accident was 78!
Mind you I would be happy if I was riding a Busa or anything with 2 wheels (apart from a wheelchair) at 78 - but I would question the reflexes of anyone on the road that old these days ... especially with bikes arond that can accelerate to 100k[h in just over 2.5 seconds! .......
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