Motorcyclist dies in crash

[CaleyMad]

A motorcyclist has died one mile from lossiemouth after colliding with a car.

I had seen, 3 ambulances, 2 police cars, 1 uncover police car and 2 fire-engines horse out of lossie.

Press and Journal

STV

BBC

Edited July 22, 2009 by Yngwie
Not appropriate to give name when unconfirmed.

[RiG]

There was a beast of a crash in Mosstodloch (spelling?) on Sunday night when I was going through there. Apparently it was a learner driver and her instructor who were both unfit to drive through drug misuse. The car had ended up in someones garden!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8159030.stm

[CaleyD]

I was reading something somewhere, or heard it on TV, that most accidents on the open road involving bikes were the bikers fault....however, once you got into towns and cities the statistics pretty much flipped on their heads and it was other vehicle users who were most to blame.

[Alex MacLeod]

That is often the case. Biker going too fast and losing control. Going too fast and meeting other objects round a bend. These are the cause of a lot, but not all, accidents on open road. Others are vehicles pulling out to overtake having not seen the bike thats overtaking them. Vehicles making a right turn with no indication and no site of bike overtaking them.

In the built up area most accidents are the result of vehicle drivers not paying full attention and coming out of, or turning into, junctions in front of bike. Pedestrians and animals walking in front of bike.

Sadly, in many cases the bike rider is killed or seriously injured because he/she has not the same protection as the vehicle driver.

One reason why there are so many bike related accidents could well be lack of awareness of bikes. In France the accident rate is a great deal less than in this country. This may be because from a very early age the french people are introduced to two wheeled transport. They cycle a lot. They progress to mopeds and scooters. They get bigger bikes. Then they get families and see the need for more wheels. They have learned two wheeled survival from an early age and that awareness is always in their mind throughout their driving life. In this country there is not the same emphasis on two wheeled transport.

Another problem is that youngsters can pass a test and purchase a very fast machine that they have not the experience to handle (same applies with cars). Older people go back to biking and think things are the same as they were in the past. Bikes are faster and more powerful. There are too many vehicles on our roads and too many roads not up to the standard they once were.

I rode bikes up till a bad scare about three years ago when some wifey decided she wanted to turn right, up a farm track, without indication, when I was half way past her. The R6 did well at 60 over the verge and I managed to keep control but I had a passenger and thats what decided me the roads are not safe. I once fell of when I locked up in the wet. Thats been my only near things in thirty odd years of riding. I put a lot of that down to excellent training. I completed a police roadcraft and defensive driving course and would urge anyone to do the same. The tips and tricks taught make the rider think totally different without taking away the enjoyment of riding.

[Georgeios]

Think Bike when Turning Right.

[absent friend]

I had a motorcycle experience on Saturday that gave me a few more grey hairs.

I am mature but not known for hanging about when driving and I like to think that I am 'switched on' behind the wheel.

I came up to a T junction and noticed a car parked on the right (the two people with the car were putting up a 'Happy Birthday' sign opposite the T junction) which meant that I would have to negotiate around it when I emerged onto the road. I therefore took extra care as this maneuver would mean I had to make certain the road from my left was free for me to so do and also the road to the right allowed me to do this. I suppose the point I am labouring here is that I took extra care in every way....I Thought!

I had just completed my return to my own side of the road when a motorcyclist came up along side me.. an unhappy bunny... and was of the opinion that I should not have came out in front of him. He and his gang were a dot on the horizon when I started my maneuver but I was supposed to assess his/their speed from this dot.

They must have been clocking a mighty high speed to have covered the distance they did in the time they did. They had excellent visibility as all was happening in front of them, say over circa half a mile, but I would suggest they were along side me in seconds, maybe 10/15 seconds.

In fairness the road conditions were excellent, weather bright and therefore ideal for opening the throttle BUT a major T junction off to the left, a parked car at the T junction, people on the bank at the junction and this did not spell 'watch out' to them?? Maybe hitting the ton + at this time is a bad idea?

Biggest disappointment for me?? They were all hairy ar*hed bikers reliving their youth who should have known better. Teach the young? Some older ones want to get a grip!

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