Biker's death filmed - horrific.

[661-Pete]

I'm sure lots of you will have already seen the viral video of the tragic death of a motorcyclist on the A47, filmed on his own headcam.

I don't fancy posting any links, the footage is too shocking, but it's there if you google. The footage was released by the police with the relatives' permission.

Nor do I wish to pass judgement (the car driver who collided with him has since been convicted of causing death by careless driving, but the motorcyclist was driving at nearly 100mph).

What I'm wondering is, how soon before a similar incident involving a cyclist gets recorded. After all, many of us are now carrying cameras. I carry one myself now, and I see them on a good many cyclists I pass.

Or maybe it's already happened? I don't feel like doing a search.

I'm sometimes only too morbidly aware that my own camera may one day record my own demise.

[mark a.]

Yup, pretty nasty. Hopefully people on both sides will learn something from it* - that's why it was posted after all.

Top tip: don't read any comments about it. They're utterly depressing*.

* (I realise these two statements are contradictory)

[Mark1978]

I've seen the footage. While all the emphasis has been on the motorbiker doing 98mph the fact is the car driver turned without properly checking and I've seen many videos of that happening to cyclists - albeit not with fatal consequences.

[Erudin]

My sympathies go to both the motorcyclist and the car driver.

Youtube - Think Bike advert

Saw this the other day:

STEP 1
Take a look at this photo
STEP 2
Look closer, what do you see
STEP 3
Share this and help get the message out there
STEP 4
When out driving please take that extra second to look out for Motorbikes

[c53204]

I did a driving instructors course a couple of years ago. One thing (as a cyclist and motorcyclist) that really stuck in my mind... "Don't just look - look and SEE, then decide".

[661-Pete]

I've seen many videos of that happening to cyclists - albeit not with fatal consequences.

Yes indeed. It happened to me about two years ago - almost a carbon copy of this video - but I was doing less than 15mph so no serious consequences (for me at any rate).
I didn't have a camera then. If I had, the footage would have been helpful to the police. I might also have put it on the 'tube.

[Ellieb]

I do think a lot of comments on other forums are very depressing. It goes without saying that the biker was going way, way too fast and didn't give himself a chance. But this has meant that there are a lot of comments along the lines of ' I feel sorry for the car driver how could he be expected to see/judge the turn with the bike going at that speed.' The truth of the matter is he had a lot of time to see the bike coming straight at him and failed to 'see' it. That is why he was convicted. A lot of the lesson learning potential amongst car drivers has been lost by the evident recklessness on display. I have great respect for his parents in allowing the video to be shown.

[Bicycler]

Agreed

[Postboxer]

Given the comments, I wonder what would have happened had the case gone to trial.

[Mick F]

What I'm wondering is, how soon before a similar incident involving a cyclist gets recorded.

Not my death, nor was it filmed, but I had a bad crash and my Garmin recorded it complete with my HR going through the roof.

[Phil Fouracre]

Horrible, but, totally avoidable!! 100 mph approaching a junction, and the more vulnerable in the event of a collision? Not looking carefully enough before turning, again careless. Maybe the driver thought there was genuinely sufficient time, not anticipating a bike to be travelling at 150 ft per sec!! I wouldn't want to be the one to have to attribute 'blame'

[[XAP]Bob]

The version on the BBC stops before impact, but we had clear sight of the clio for a while. Stupid speed though

[Bicycler]

Horrible, but, totally avoidable!! 100 mph approaching a junction, and the more vulnerable in the event of a collision? Not looking carefully enough before turning, again careless. Maybe the driver thought there was genuinely sufficient time, not anticipating a bike to be travelling at 150 ft per sec!! I wouldn't want to be the one to have to attribute 'blame'

I think the car driver was still to 'blame' for this one if that word is even appropriate in such a scenario. I don't think the car would have cleared the junction had the motorcycle been doing 60mph but obviously if he had been doing half his speed and considered the possibility of the car turning then he may have been able to avoid the collision. I always say that 'blame' is fine for macho roadside posturing over scratched car paint and insurance claims but where people are liable to be injured or killed the question should be whether each individual had taken every reasonable action to ensure the collision did not occur (having priority is not sufficient). IMO both failed in this respect.

[axel_knutt]

I nearly got caught in a similar scenario, but from a different perspective: I was the one waiting at the give way line to pull out of the side road. The right turning car pulled across the road straight into the path of an oncoming Transit van, possibly dazzled by a low sun. The automatic reaction of the van driver was to swerve left, so there was I with a Transit heading straight at me and nowhere to go. Fortunately the car driver saw just in time, and the van rattled through the gap between the car and my front wheel.

[Chris the Sheep]

I've never turned across the path of a motorcyclist or cyclist - but I've come extremely close. Some drivers do things which are reckless, but many more make occasional errors of judgement which sometimes turn out to be unlucky. Most are saved from disaster by being fortunate enough to tangle with someone who's maybe a bit more alert that day, keeping their speed down, whatever. It surprises me just how rarely this sort of thing happens when we're all human and with varying levels of competence, health, alertness and experience.

Although I looked at this and thought that I, being a motorcyclist, wouldn't have ridden at that speed even on a clear road - I don't feel I can be judgmental. It's a sobering reminder that it takes two to tangle. We don't know how often this rider had made that journey (maybe his mother said, but I had it muted), but maybe he'd become complacent.

Yes, some drivers, riders and cyclists take risks every day - but the rest of us are generally competent yet sometimes get it wrong. Usually we get away with it.