This is getting to be an everyday thing  " another Rider Down"    what do we do ?  louder pipes ,  "wear fluro helmets and coats"  maybe we all have to carry a packet of marbles - I dunno

Davo thats pretty much what I have always done.

Living in Melbourne city, if I see the yellow of a cab, I will never be next to, behind or in front of them.

Also being a commuter on the bike, I see waaaaaaaaay too many other commuters crazily flying through traffic. Dont get me wrong - I lane split or filter with the best of them... but only in slowing up to the lights or stopped traffic. I see ghost rider wanna be's splitting lanes at speed on punt rd (cars doing 70kms) with the rice burner doing at least a hundred k's in heavy traffic. This is daily.

A lot of new riders, even guys I know, only started riding because of the money they save on petrol, parking, purchase and getting to and from work in half the time. Most of them for the latter. These guys brag to all the cagers they work with about the ease of traffic with their "skilled riding" (see: reckless - most of them have only been on a bike for less than 2 years). 

I see it as an overestimation of skill and underestimation of the dangers or random acts of other road users.

I raced dirt bikes for years and drove cars around speedway tracks, and feel I can control a bike generally, and especially in a slide or emergency manoeuver as well as anyone. Still everyday I see very inexperienced riders pushing into gaps that are on the limit.... bikes slamming mirrors.... bikes lane changing assuming cars have seen them. Gaps I would give up and be to work 2 mins later than if I push it. And dont get me started on scooters and how many prangs and tension they cause.....

Im 30 years old, and not conservative by any means, just not worth the risk.

SJ

 

i think you`ve summed it up pretty well davo..... it farkin` sucks, but it seem to be the only way. maybe we should all get some of that nuclear stuff all over us and they`d leave us alone???

G`day and Yeah Well Said All Hey , i was gonna say grit ya teeth , peg it back a gear and ride a bit more agressively , but sorta takes away from the almost theroputic , relaxing enjoyment of it all hey ?
It seems like bikes or riders in Oz just don`t enter the minds of drivers until it`s too late , though people who ride always look out for all , especially other riders , whether they be riding or driving , it`s getting deadlier everyday which is a deffinate worry hey ! Cheers Fellas , Skin

i ride  like everyone is going to hit me.

Dunno Firey, I think the sensor technology they have in Mercs etc is a far way off from being included in most everyday cars. As others have said you have to be vigilant, wear what you think it appropriate and just take care.

SJ, I don't reckon I could ride through Melbourne traffic everyday, especially around the city. Used to work in Richmond when I was a young bloke doing deliveries and saw some very average dopey driving plus I tend to believe in the law of averages. I even apply the law to living in 2 story houses, you know that one day someone is gonna come down those stairs the wrong way. I'm not cautious by any stretch of the imagination either.

Australian car drivers are the worst in th world (well the civilised world anyhow- India's another story), you blokes are right on the ball, those tin top bastatrds are worse than gadaffi against anything on two wheels. They are fucking lunatics, and like one of you said ride like they are all trying to kill ya.

I was reversing out of a park in the main Street in my ute the other day (its a bit hard to see with the other cars parked alongside) & a girl comes down the road (it was middle of the day & it was really busy) she pulled right up behind me & would not let me out. I did not get to see her face only the top of her head cos she was looking down at her phone texting. So I had to go back in, she drove on & the woman behing her let me out. I went upt to the lights 20m up the road & as I indicated to turn left a girl stepped off the pavement right in front of me (so I had to slam on the skids) she had her head down & her fingers going flat out on the keypad, she never looked up, she just stepped back & kept on typing. The other girl was still at the light's texting away.

So if you are riding your bike & you come across these two, well mate they 1st they aint going to see you &  I reckon if they do they will probaly not be too interested in what you are doing anyhow.

I treat everyone as though they dont see me,I watch there heads and try to anticipate there movemets, never ride along side them.

But there is too many single vehicle accidents, maybe the cars aren't allways to blame.

i ride on red alert and also scan the road like a sniper.i stay out of blindspotsand generally keep away from cars even if it means blasting past to get away from them.

I dont think Im the only one that thinks that when a car driver is shown to be at fault, and has killed someone on a bike, they should be held accountable through manslaghter charges or whatever.

Not just to be brutal to some poor sop, but after a few people are locked up for text squishing someone next to them, people will start to look for bikes yeeeeah!?

Ha 

My point is currently there seems to be no consequence.

SJ

It would be great not to see Another Rider Down for months not days, like you say Gents - keep an eye out! I don't think it will be one of us who's next

 

Spot on Rodders! And everyone else who mentioned the texting in particular!!

Oh yeah, that's gonna be a killer of note when they start keeping stats on phone use leading up to an accident. I often see people texting in the traffic and they're ALWAYS (in my experience) Gen Y aged females. No offence meant to the ladies but that's what I see almost daily.

Good comments so far - I'm teaching my young bloke to drive at the moment and keep telling him to keep as much space around him as possible, and same goes for us on a bike. My thinking is if you're not riding near them they can't hurt you - so I almost always look for space in traffic and manage my speed (up or down) to avoid having too many cars/trucks come past since having more vehicles around you has to increase the odds of getting hit.

I certainly feel that having more space on the road gives me more time to make better decisions if evasive action is req'd. Riding to my own capability is really important; the road is not the place to practice some of these things. Get out to a track day or advanced riding course to see what you and your bike can do without the cagers around. Gives a lot more confidence in different conditions.

I'd hate to have to commute to the city on the bike these days - there's just too much peak-hour traffic so I'll always choose to ride into Melbourne outside of the morning or afternoon peak whenever possible.

The standard of our roads is a worry though. There's clearly not enough $$$ being spent on repairing the road surfaces and it does seem to be a contributing factor in at least a few of the recent offs. Pisses me off when we're paying a shit load of money to the government through our taxes and other registration charges and the roads are getting worse.

Just seems to me our governments still aren't investing in the roads at the same rate traffic is increasing.

A final pet hate on road safety I have is that new drivers aren't made to drive different vehicles in their licensing period. Make them drive in a truck, tow a heavy trailer, drive a manual and ride a motorbike - even just to give them an appreciation for their different handling capabilities and some empathy with other road users.

The limited driver training, coupled with the lack of brain power that it takes to operate a car these days just makes it too easy to become distracted from the task at hand a kill someone.

Failing that - let me carry a shotgun like Arnie in T2

Do they still teach learner drivers to mirror check every 3 - 5 secs and head check (especially blind spot) every 8 - 10 secs in traffic?

I was made to do that, even if there was no need. Just keep checking and be aware of all vehicles around you.

Pretty sure that has stretched out to 3 - 5/ 10 minutes these days!

G`day All , yeah head checks , scanning , whats that stuff ? Deffinately a head fugg , that`s for sure !
Since the invent of a camera on every fuggin corner , the time i used too spend doing those things , i now find myself lookin down at me speedo , head checkin that i`m not disobeying thier 3 million different posted fuggin speed limits by the proverbial 3% tolerance and then lookin for the next camera , and the tools think that adding more speed detectors and cameras will bring the road toll down ?
Yep , Road Safety , couldn`t possibly be about the revenue being collected ya reckon ?
Cheers , Skin

Hi everyone,

Just have to put my 2 bobs worth in here, one of my biggest  is the way people are driving these days, I'm going to give away my age here, I've been driving for a very   long time and I was taught by my boyfriend at the age of 17, I learn't alot of valuable tips,drove around Melbourne & Vic. for many years  without a problem in the world UNTIL  the last few generations got behind the wheel with mobile in hand !! and the reason I say that is because in all my experiences some of the worst drivers are WOMEN,  the amount of accidents I've seen, near misses( and myself have been hit from behind) are by young P Plate women drivers, USING THEIR MOBILES !!!!  as well as walking out onto the road in front of you and don't even look !! , (this happened to me the other day)

A guy I know lost a mate (bike rider ) who was hit by a car being driven by a young girl on her mobile !!!! she killed someone all because she put using her phone as more important.

A few days ago a  women in a black merc. nearly ran up the back of me, she had her head down,looked up in time to see I had stopped due to a red light (peak hour traffic on a busy road) I was watching her and thought she was going to hit me but she swerved into the next lane in front of another car, head down still busy on her mobile  

I  would rather drive amongst  the guys (except for the oldies, they go toooo slow)  because guys drive in the way that they do most things, they get on with the job, careful but efficent and don't do the 101 things that women do while driving, you wouldn't go out on the road if you saw some of the things they do,and the mums rushing to and from school 

So after having said that, sorry guys ( cars or bikes) you've got no hope, I'm serious  (and I am a women) but  put me in traffic any day with guys and then I can enjoy driving, with the women I'm forever trying to avoid being hit !!!!

My next car might have to be a hummer !!!!.

Bonez 

 

p.s I ALWAYS  know when there is a bike long before I see it because I can hear it and being a bike lover I want to check it out !!

G`day Bonez , good onya , first time i heard a chicki admit that about women drivers hey , but are ya sure it`s the bikes ya checkin out Jan or is that just the story ya stickin too , lol , deffinately ain`t gettin any better hey , between the chicki`s with their mobiles and repetative mirror kissin , the hiroshima screama`s and the boy racers that think the road is their own personal race track , ya see some pretty unbelievable shit on the roads on a daily basis !
When driving a truck one red hot day , i seen a chicki in a miniskirt come past in a convertable doin 110 , readin a mag , with her left leg cocked up on the centre consol , sounded like she was drivin with a flat tyre hey or maybe it was her seat belt flappin away in the wind lol ?
I know we used to do some silly shit on the roads when we were younger but the roads deffinately were nowhere near as busy and we actually used to concider the other road users most of the time !
Though one night back when we were 18 , true story , comin back to Sydney after a big night down in the Gong , me late , Paraletic , Paraplegic mate (no shit) who was actually our tequilla swiggin designated driver most weekends lol , crashed his hand controlled shagon wagon flat out on the top 15km right hand bend at the top of Buli Pass , "going up it" way too fast , it was 4am , wet and foggy with sand all over the corner from the safety ramp there , we ended up goin air bourn , seein the stars and landed teeterin on the edge of the guard rail and the cliff sayin farrrk that was close , funny part was though , me other mate was ploughin his chicki`s fields on the back seat when it happenned and they hit the roof , luckily for our paro mate drivin , it was a general duties cop in a falcon panel van that arrived first , i can still barely remember the freaked look on his face as he rushed to open me howlin 100kg paro mates drivers door , lookin up at him , (who after comin out of a 3 month coma , from bein hit and rolled up under a train , snappin his back in 8 places , while workin on the tracks 2 years earlier in his prime of 21 & couldn`t give a fugg about anyone or anything includin life or death) although he was half harnessed in his seat but still nearly fell out , 8 feet to the road and cop below and was yellin out "arrhhhh fugg , I can`t feel me legs , help , i can`t feel me fuggin legs arrhhhh" then reallising he was maggotted and crackin up , the cop actually pissed himself laughin at the 4 of us and almost looked releaved when he seen the hand controls and realising he was a paraplegic , let me mate off sayin lucky it wasn`t a Hwy Patrol that got there first and how the fugg we gonna get ya down from there mate , lol !
Must of looked funny when the Hwy Patrol finally pulled up while we (2 legless teens an even more legless paraplegic and a cop that was crying from laughter) were trying to lower the big bugga down , him still carryin on and the cop tellin him to shhhhhshh fuggin shut up and then tellin his stern faced buddy that he had already bagged him and he was ok , lol !
Don`t even ask how he finally kicked it hey !
Ahhhhhh Mammories ? RIP Wally ya fuggin ledgend , Cheers , Skin !