Thought I would share this with you all... I don't really care if it is wrong or right what I have put down - its all from my point of view & I am seriously sick of fu@kwit drivers.
The police also play a big part in me pretty much ready to hang up the leathers. I haven't ridden reefton in over a year because last time I did a copper blocked the road in a 100kph right on top forcing me to perform emergency braking. Tonight has pretty much made my choice for me.
RE: Motorbike crashes shock figures released - I was nearly one tonight!
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0...62,00.html
OK - Here is the raw truth.
I have been on the road as a full time rider for close to 14 years. Long trips & every day riding to work, sometimes over more then 30 ~ 45KM to my work place each day.
The fact is on the road - no law protects anyone from being killed by another road user.
Over all the years I have never had a crash with another car. I have crashed - but they have been my own fault clean & clear. The worse of which turned in to 6 x surgeries on one wrist, broken leg & shoulder. No skin lost!
So after near 14 years of being a full time rider, I nearly ready to hang up my leathers - the reason is not the road users - but the government, police & media story's.
One of the reasons I haven't ever been hit by a car is because I know everyone will not see me. I know everyone will chop & change lanes & not do a head check - only quickly check the mirrors. I know someone wanting to turn out from a side street will not have time to see me as a danger & so pull right out on me.
Even tonight on my way home, a lady pull out from a side street on to an 80kph road, crossed 2 lanes right in front of me!! If I hadn't had all the experience I had - I would be dead tonight! PLAIN and simple! It is because I expected this to happen at any moment. The practice of hard & emergency braking saved my life yet again tonight. But this was so close @ 11pm I am still trying to settle down... all because she didn't see me!! (my bikes 1300cc sport with light reflective sticker kit painted apple candy & silver & I wear red & silver leathers!!) I actually pulled her over to ask why she crossed 3 lanes to come in to my lane on an 80kph, the Asian girl had no answer & of course no police to be seen so I went on my merry way.
Earlier on the same ride home - on Kings way - a taxi driver I spotted in my mirrors was coming up on me very fast - this section of road is 60kph - my speedo read - 60kph - even tho there was no traffic at this time of night - it still worried me enough to change lane & speed up a little to put more room between me & this taxi that was already speeding - all of a sudden he is next to me - then hit the breaks.... I evade to the left & find I am about to go through an intersection... next thing.. **Flash, Flash, Flash**... What the?
Great a speed camera just flashed me... I look down & see I am doing about 70kph - why? Because I was moving away from this stupid taxi driver in an effort to be proactive about my own safety & now I am going to get fined for it! Speed kills.. NOT! It had just saved my life! Yes I will fight it tooth & nail because it needs to be known to all that sometimes - it saves your life!
This is why I am ready to hang up my leathers!
Speed camera's do not help the roads at all - the term speeding also does not work.
A speed camera can not detect people speeding for conditions, TAC reports use the term "Speeding" in crash's where the road users in question were not actually breaking the speed limit - yet speeding for the conditions - and a speed camera can not see that some other road user nearly killed me before I go past it!
Also I am living proof that the slogan "Speed kills" is a lie! The safest thing for any motorcycle rider to do is stay away from traffic - simple. Sometimes this includes lane splitting, or moving through traffic till there is a break in it.
The reason why we do this is you SEE us pass you - some people may even comment "Look at that stupid rider going past everyone" But the point is.. YOU saw us! Most good riders will ride till a break in traffic then slow down - I say slow down because sometimes to get through traffic you need to be a little over the stated speed limits. Of course there is nothing about this in law terms apart from it saying your breaking the law.
The reason why itâ€s bad to stay in traffic is other road users DON'T see motorcycles. The lady that nearly killed me tonight & her passenger both keep yelling that they didn't see me... wouldn't have helped if I was in hospital right now.
I have had people merge in to my lane right next to me, but they didn't see me!! Simply because all they did was check their mirror's in between changing CD's, reading the paper or texting on their phone & staring at their speedo in case they are breaking the speed limit - another great add-on from the police & government with their speed camera's - most only look at the car ahead & the bloody speedo's! THANK YOU PEOPLE!!
These are all facts & experienceâ€s I have had - not that it is all the time - just 98% of the time.
Motorcycle riders have to accept this & accept that the police & government do not really know what it is like to be a full time rider - its clear by the wire-rope barriers they are putting in - even up in the mountains!! How many riders have to be killed by them before they pull them out?
With all these things against me - I now have to go fight a fine for a speed camera - I actually have a few of these for no more then 10kph over the limit simply be saving my life while riding due to the carelessness of other road users.
Like I said earlier in this letter - I accept that not all riders do the right thing & some spoil it for the rest of us by not wearing the right gear or not keeping with in their riding limits. But on a whole it is the other road users that have to take more care & think about everyone on the road plus, know that no matter what law is made or speed limit set - the road will never be a "Safe" place & the more driver / rider training there is - the better for all as camera's & lower speed limits do nothing. If it did - there wouldn't be things called autobahns & super highways in other, grand countries.
I can only hope that anyone who reads this might have a good think about it next time they jump in their car or on their bike.
The police also play a big part in me pretty much ready to hang up the leathers. I haven't ridden reefton in over a year because last time I did a copper blocked the road in a 100kph right on top forcing me to perform emergency braking. Tonight has pretty much made my choice for me.
RE: Motorbike crashes shock figures released - I was nearly one tonight!
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0...62,00.html
OK - Here is the raw truth.
I have been on the road as a full time rider for close to 14 years. Long trips & every day riding to work, sometimes over more then 30 ~ 45KM to my work place each day.
The fact is on the road - no law protects anyone from being killed by another road user.
Over all the years I have never had a crash with another car. I have crashed - but they have been my own fault clean & clear. The worse of which turned in to 6 x surgeries on one wrist, broken leg & shoulder. No skin lost!
So after near 14 years of being a full time rider, I nearly ready to hang up my leathers - the reason is not the road users - but the government, police & media story's.
One of the reasons I haven't ever been hit by a car is because I know everyone will not see me. I know everyone will chop & change lanes & not do a head check - only quickly check the mirrors. I know someone wanting to turn out from a side street will not have time to see me as a danger & so pull right out on me.
Even tonight on my way home, a lady pull out from a side street on to an 80kph road, crossed 2 lanes right in front of me!! If I hadn't had all the experience I had - I would be dead tonight! PLAIN and simple! It is because I expected this to happen at any moment. The practice of hard & emergency braking saved my life yet again tonight. But this was so close @ 11pm I am still trying to settle down... all because she didn't see me!! (my bikes 1300cc sport with light reflective sticker kit painted apple candy & silver & I wear red & silver leathers!!) I actually pulled her over to ask why she crossed 3 lanes to come in to my lane on an 80kph, the Asian girl had no answer & of course no police to be seen so I went on my merry way.
Earlier on the same ride home - on Kings way - a taxi driver I spotted in my mirrors was coming up on me very fast - this section of road is 60kph - my speedo read - 60kph - even tho there was no traffic at this time of night - it still worried me enough to change lane & speed up a little to put more room between me & this taxi that was already speeding - all of a sudden he is next to me - then hit the breaks.... I evade to the left & find I am about to go through an intersection... next thing.. **Flash, Flash, Flash**... What the?
Great a speed camera just flashed me... I look down & see I am doing about 70kph - why? Because I was moving away from this stupid taxi driver in an effort to be proactive about my own safety & now I am going to get fined for it! Speed kills.. NOT! It had just saved my life! Yes I will fight it tooth & nail because it needs to be known to all that sometimes - it saves your life!
This is why I am ready to hang up my leathers!
Speed camera's do not help the roads at all - the term speeding also does not work.
A speed camera can not detect people speeding for conditions, TAC reports use the term "Speeding" in crash's where the road users in question were not actually breaking the speed limit - yet speeding for the conditions - and a speed camera can not see that some other road user nearly killed me before I go past it!
Also I am living proof that the slogan "Speed kills" is a lie! The safest thing for any motorcycle rider to do is stay away from traffic - simple. Sometimes this includes lane splitting, or moving through traffic till there is a break in it.
The reason why we do this is you SEE us pass you - some people may even comment "Look at that stupid rider going past everyone" But the point is.. YOU saw us! Most good riders will ride till a break in traffic then slow down - I say slow down because sometimes to get through traffic you need to be a little over the stated speed limits. Of course there is nothing about this in law terms apart from it saying your breaking the law.
The reason why itâ€s bad to stay in traffic is other road users DON'T see motorcycles. The lady that nearly killed me tonight & her passenger both keep yelling that they didn't see me... wouldn't have helped if I was in hospital right now.
I have had people merge in to my lane right next to me, but they didn't see me!! Simply because all they did was check their mirror's in between changing CD's, reading the paper or texting on their phone & staring at their speedo in case they are breaking the speed limit - another great add-on from the police & government with their speed camera's - most only look at the car ahead & the bloody speedo's! THANK YOU PEOPLE!!
These are all facts & experienceâ€s I have had - not that it is all the time - just 98% of the time.
Motorcycle riders have to accept this & accept that the police & government do not really know what it is like to be a full time rider - its clear by the wire-rope barriers they are putting in - even up in the mountains!! How many riders have to be killed by them before they pull them out?
With all these things against me - I now have to go fight a fine for a speed camera - I actually have a few of these for no more then 10kph over the limit simply be saving my life while riding due to the carelessness of other road users.
Like I said earlier in this letter - I accept that not all riders do the right thing & some spoil it for the rest of us by not wearing the right gear or not keeping with in their riding limits. But on a whole it is the other road users that have to take more care & think about everyone on the road plus, know that no matter what law is made or speed limit set - the road will never be a "Safe" place & the more driver / rider training there is - the better for all as camera's & lower speed limits do nothing. If it did - there wouldn't be things called autobahns & super highways in other, grand countries.
I can only hope that anyone who reads this might have a good think about it next time they jump in their car or on their bike.