Suspended term for 156mph motorbiker

[Bman]

I cant blame anyone for speculating. We need to see the whole video to be sure of the exact situation. We dont know because it is being hidden from us. That black car *is* in a strange position.

I think the (driver of the) black car started an overtake at the same time as the motorcyclist was trying the same thing. The motorcyclist had no time to react due to excessive speed. The rest we can work out ourselves.

 

[Crankarm]

He was still someones son and someones father. He paid for his poor judgement with his life.

Indeed. I'm sure they are grieving.

Very uncharitable..

Not really. He was travelling at a mind bogglingly stupid speed on the public roads riding like a complete idiot with no regard for any one else's safety let alone his own. He deserved what he got. It's unfortunate that it involved other people. Had your family or friends been in the camper van I think your comment would be even less charitable.

On nice Sundays there are large groups of bikers tearing around the small country roads in my area. Most go a little bit too fast but slow down when they see other traffic including cyclists, but there are a few who are total nutters who scare the sh1t out of me. In my opinion shouldn't be allowed to a ride rocking horse let alone a high powered motor bike. The more that come a cropper the better. I just hope they don't take anyone with them who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Having seen a very serious accident a few weeks ago very close up, I feel very sorry for the occupants of the camper. It must have been horrific.

For sure.

 

[Black Sheep]

Perhaps because it was overtaking?

In the earlier photo the Astra appears to be indicating. The later photo shows that there is (just) room to overtake without fouling the oncoming lane. The lines bordering the hatched area are broken so it is not illegal to use or straddle the hatched area. Even if the Astra driver mirror-signal-manoeuvred the deceased was travelling so much faster than the rest of the traffic that the Astra driver may not have noticed him or may have misjudged his speed.

its hatched, your not allowed into it is what i was taught.

 

[marinyork]

The astra's position is very dodgy. I'm afraid I agree with Comedy Pilot, although obviously the biker's mostly to blame, you'd have to say clearly from those pictures the astra driver has a lot to answer for. I can't really square how you can prosecute one and not the other on a lesser charge.

Ironically although not safe to do so, the motorbike's overtake might be regarded as vaguely going in the legal direction because of the stupid position of the astra and the bike's excessive speed it was necessary to enter into and past the diagonal white lines!

 

[very-near]

Indeed. I'm sure they are grieving.



Not really. He was travelling at a mind bogglingly stupid speed on the public roads riding like a complete idiot with no regard for any one else's safety let alone his own. He deserved what he got. It's unfortunate that it involved other people. Had your family or friends been in the camper van I think your comment would be even less charitable.

Having not seen the whole video, I cannot comment on any speed apart from that on the dial in the still, and there is a very strong likelihood that the Astra was also speeding and didn't look in his mirrors/lifesaver before going for the overtake, so it is as the other have said fairly clear that they must also share some of the responsibility for their actions if their own overtake forced him into the path of the oncoming camper van .


On nice Sundays there are large groups of bikers tearing around the small country roads in my area. Most go a little bit too fast but slow down when they see other traffic including cyclists, but there are a few who are total nutters who scare the sh1t out of me. In my opinion shouldn't be allowed to a ride rocking horse let alone a high powered motor bike. The more that come a cropper the better. I just hope they don't take anyone with them who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.


For sure.

Having seen a car driver nearly kill my friend with a 'poor judgment call' (doing a U/turn on solid white lines) and giving him substantial lifelong injuries in the process (and writing my m/cycle off in the bargain), do I or my mate think that the driver, his wife, and 3 year old son deserved die because of it - absolutely not.
Do I think they deserved to be injured and suffer the 12 hours of major surgery, and the agony of a broken hip, broken femur, 6 breaks in their forearm, and nerve damage causing paralysis in their arm in the way my mate has suffered, absolutely not.

The biker in the article like the driver who caused my mates accident made a bad judgment call. The rider didn't 'deserve' to die for it, and I think if you asked anyone who witnessed it if they felt the same way, I have no doubt they would say no, that they wouldn't wish that sort of death on anyone.

As for your 'all bikers who break the speed limit deserve to die' attitude, i'm really trying to figure out if you are just a keyboard warrior, a total twat, or both!

 

[very-near]

The astra's position is very dodgy. I'm afraid I agree with Comedy Pilot, although obviously the biker's mostly to blame, you'd have to say clearly from those pictures the astra driver has a lot to answer for. I can't really square how you can prosecute one and not the other on a lesser charge.

Ironically although not safe to do so, the motorbike's overtake might be regarded as vaguely going in the legal direction because of the stupid position of the astra and the bike's excessive speed it was necessary to enter into and past the diagonal white lines!

Overtaking at that point is a legal maneuver. The lines were broken on the road

 

[Bodhbh]

It's just stupid. Someone I knew at school was killed speeding down an A-road at a ton fifty. A van simply pulled a side road and no time to react, bang. No one expects or allows for stuff flying down the road at such speeds. It's russian roulette.

 

[thomas]

its hatched, your not allowed into it is what i was taught.

I can't remeber of the top of my head but I think there are restrictions to it! Anyone care to quote my a bit of HC?

 

[very-near]

I can't remeber of the top of my head but I think there are restrictions to it! Anyone care to quote my a bit of HC?

If the lines are solid, then you can't cross them, if they are not, they are advisory.

You can legally overtake a vehicle where there is a solid line provided you don't actually cross that white line.

 

[thomas]

If the lines are solid, then you can't cross them, if they are not, they are advisory.

You can legally overtake a vehicle where there is a solid line provided you don't actually cross that white line.

Are there not speed restrictions in place? I believe (though forgive me when i turn out to be wrong) that you can only overtake when the thing your overtaking is doing 10mph or less?

edit: okay, that was wrong!

if the area is bordered by a broken white line, you should not enter the area unless it is necessary and you can see that it is safe to do so

I doubt it was necessary, therefore even if it was safe he shouldn't of overtaken.

Though, my 10mph thing wasn't just made up completely

Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.

 

[jimboalee]

Similar things happen at the Bassett's Pole, north of Brum.

 

[very-near]

Are there not speed restrictions in place? I believe (though forgive me when i turn out to be wrong) that you can only overtake when the thing your overtaking is doing 10mph or less?

That is actually applicable to crossing the solid lines. Most roads where these lines are in place are too narrow to safely fit a car overtaking a cycle, but it isn't an issue for a motorcycle as there is room for both (obviously with care)

 

[very-near]

Are there not speed restrictions in place? I believe (though forgive me when i turn out to be wrong) that you can only overtake when the thing your overtaking is doing 10mph or less?

edit: okay, that was wrong!

if the area is bordered by a broken white line, you should not enter the area unless it is necessary and you can see that it is safe to do so

I doubt it was necessary, therefore even if it was safe he shouldn't of overtaken.

Though, my 10mph thing wasn't just made up completely

Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.

That is applicable to the actions of both the bike and the car. The difference is that a bike can use that space with a greater margin of safety than a car given its much narrower footprint - the speeding issue is obviously aside to this.

 

[thomas]

That is actually applicable to crossing the solid lines. Most roads where these lines are in place are too narrow to safely fit a car overtaking a cycle, but it isn't an issue for a motorcycle as there is room for both (obviously with care)

It does mean that a lot of the times I'm overtaken on the way to work it would be illegal (I doubt I drop below 10). However, I can't complain too much as I overtake them back, when there are solids but they are moving less than 10 (technically, depending on how you read it, that might not be allowed because they're not stationairy - seems a bit discrimantory though).

 

[XmisterIS]

That is awful.

When I'm on my (motor)bike I am very aware of just how fast it can go and just how much it would hurt if I collided with a car. For that reason, I only open the throttle on empty roads. Also, I don't have a sports bike, I have a "street" bike - designed for lots of low-end torque (i.e. shedloads of low-end acceleration), but not insane top speed - which is nice, because I can out-accelerate anything on four wheels from a standing start at traffic lights - even the lotus elise that tried to race me off the lights the other day . He then overtook me when I'd got up to 70, but I didn't care.

I think these two guys were just nuts. Really, really nuts. I feel sorry for the guy who died, he never got the chance to learn his lesson. I feel very sorry for the poor innocent people in the car that he slammed into. The Astra driver was an unobservant idiot, but then he probably didn't expect to have a nutcase biker trying to overtake him at 100+mph in traffic. I should imagine that the guy who got the three year ban will need to take an extended test to get his licence back - and he might even be compulsory restricted to an A2 licence for two years.