Instilling a sense of conscience.

[short-circuit]

Enough said.

Except to say also.....

[CookMySock]

[...] onsecond thoughts, maybe it is the same thing. If he had stopped to think what the consequences of his insecure load might be for OTHER motorists, he might have used extra rope, or tied his load on tighter, or in a different, more secure manner. In this example, the BBQ flying of didnt make a shit of difference to him. Not a bruise on him. But someone else died, because he didnt tie his load on properly.

Well, it is not that I disagree with you, but for myself I have a brain, and I am certain that a flying tin lid hitting my windscreen won't hurt me, but a sudden pull in a blind panic on a steering wheel of a fully-laden minibus will probably kill everyone.

Some people just don't have the presence of mind to react rationally. But hey, once I didn't, and I left the road on my bike and hit a culvert. Rational? I think not.

So we arrive full circle - what is the solution? I can say I am more experienced now, and better equipped to handle such an emergency, but what of my 16 yearold learner son? What if it were him on his bike?

The courts were correct in that situation, whether I am prepared to bet I could have handled it or not, is not relevant.

So maybe we do need to take care in advance of others over-baked reactions.


Steve

[ManDownUnder]

Any time anyone puts me or mine at risk I have the right to shoot them down in flames - without mercy.

Until that time - their call. I prefer they make an informed choice on the risks they're taking (coming to mind is a new rider who has no appreciation for protective gear) but it's their life - they need to live it.

[Hitcher]

All of this self-righteous tut tutting is enough to make Old Nanas(TM) like me want to go out and pop a wheelie.

[Mikkel]

A few months ago a group of us rode to Akaroa on a Sunday, I had a Street Triple from the shop and we had a mix of everything from Daytonas to Americas, and parked beside a middle aged guy on a GSXR600 with the full race leathers. Did the usual friendly chat and on to lunch. As we left he was waiting on the side of the road, pulled out and joined us. I was leading and thought "sweet, the more the merrier" and didn't think much more of it.

Suddenly he whips past me on a corner and I figured he wanted to go faster than we were, so I left him to it. As we rode through Little River, there he is on the side of the road again. I didn't pay much attention and carried on enjoying my ride. Came up behind a slow car through a couple of corners and as we came out of the corners onto a straight I flicked on my indicator, glanced in my mirror and saw nothing in the right hand lane and a bunch of lights behind me, so pulled out. At that moment aformentioned GSXR rider screams past me less than a meter away at one hell of a speed. If I had pulled out a fraction earlier I would be a newspaper article.

He was having a great time riding really, really quickly and showing a bunch of slow nanas on Triumphs how good he was. He also nearly killed me, and for a moment I seriously considered going after him and giving him a riding lesson with my fists.

Sounds like 5 out of 10 of bikers on their way to Akaroa on a Saturday really. I'm not saying it's cool - or even acceptable, to some - but that is indeed what you can expect if you go there during the "rush-hours".

Oh, and cut back on the drama. He didn't nearly kill you - he gave you a fright, there is a difference you know. Nearly killing you would require him to be hitting you in the first place... I nearly kill myself everyday - all I'd have to do would be not to stop for that red light or decide not to brake when the truck in front does.

All of this self-righteous tut tutting is enough to make Old Nanas(TM) like me want to go out and pop a wheelie.

Look at my...




Oh, as for the question in the OP. Personally I am much much more worried about lackadaisical people in cars not paying any attention, whatsoever, to their surroundings than I am about hyped up adrenaline junkies on motorcycles out for their fix. At least they aren't asleep...

[shrub]

Sounds like 5 out of 10 of bikers on their way to Akaroa on a Saturday really. I'm not saying it's cool - or even acceptable, to some - but that is indeed what you can expect if you go there during the "rush-hours".

Oh, and cut back on the drama. He didn't nearly kill you - he gave you a fright, there is a difference you know. Nearly killing you would require him to be hitting you in the first place... I nearly kill myself everyday - all I'd have to do would be not to stop for that red light or decide not to brake when the truck in front does.

I know you nearly kill yourself every day - I've seen you ride (sorry, you walked into that one). Maybe I was exaggerating, but at the very least he would have caused a major accident and he would have broken bits of me.

I now only ride to Akaroa when it's quiet - during the week, early in the morning or when it's raining because too many half wits who think that because they own a high performance sportsbike and a set of leathers they are good riders and set out to prove it on the Akaroa GP (my observation is that a hell of a lot of them are crap riders). I'm showing my age, but once upon a time you didn't have to worry about people on bikes putting you at risk and left that role to sleeping car drivers. Now it seems there are an increasing number of people on bikes riding in a way that puts all of us at risk and gives ammo to the citizens demanding that "something be done about those bad people on motorcycles". Boy racers have cost genuine car enthusiasts a lot of freedom and idiots will do the same to us.

[Katman]

All of this self-righteous tut tutting is enough to make Old Nanas(TM) like me want to go out and pop a wheelie.

If it's a choice between "self-righteous tut tutting" and hearing of innocent lives being taken by wannabe Ghostriders then you'll hear me tut tutting for a long time yet.

[short-circuit]

If it's a choice between "self-righteous tut tutting" and hearing of innocent lives being taken by wannabe Ghostriders then you'll hear me tut tutting for a long time yet.

We all need to feel like we have some purpose in this life

[Katman]

And for anyone who thinks that a motorcyclist hitting a car head-on will only harm the motorcyclist, a human body hurtling through a windscreen into the drivers or passengers seat could carry more than enough force to kill the person it hits.

[boomer]

And for anyone who thinks that a motorcyclist hitting a car head-on will only harm the motorcyclist, a human body hurtling through a windscreen into the drivers or passengers seat could carry more than enough force to kill the person it hits.

It must be very fookin scary in your world....

[CookMySock]

[...] innocent lives being taken by wannabe Ghostriders.

Where and when did this happen? Does it happen a lot? It is fine to be addressing an issue, but is it real?

Steve

[Katman]

Where and when did this happen? Does it happen a lot? It is fine to be addressing an issue, but is it real?

Steve

Of course it happens.

And as well as it happening, every time a motorcyclist goes out and indulges in their Ghostrider fantasy there is the distinct possibility of it happening.

[short-circuit]

We all need to feel like we have some purpose in this life

Oh Katman baby you defriended me on the basis of this? ^^^ How fickle internet friendships can be.

I'm most hurt Please know you will always be in my heart

[swbarnett]

This is all very well and, in an ideal world, I'd agree with Katman.

However, we do not live in an ideal world. There are two things that Katman and his ilk seem to forget - Human fallibility and the millions of kms that are travelled every day without incident. The accident rate in the western world is damn close if not at the level where human fallibility prevents it getting any lower, no matter what measures are put in place. No amount of education or legislation is going to turn humans in to infallible robots.

People will always make mistakes. I, for one, wouldn't have it any other way.

And before you say that riding at 200kph on a blind corder is a conscious decision. It is also a mistake born of ignorance and the natural human tendency for arrogance.

[short-circuit]

This is all very well and, in an ideal world, I'd agree with Katman.

However, we do not live in an ideal world. There are two things that Katman and his ilk seem to forget - Human fallibility and the millions of kms that are travelled every day without incident. The accident rate in the western world is damn close if not at the level where human fallibility prevents it getting any lower, no matter what measures are put in place. No amount of education or legislation is going to turn humans in to infallible robots.

People will always make mistakes. I, for one, wouldn't have it any other way.

And before you say that riding at 200kph on a blind corder is a conscious decision. It is also a mistake born of ignorance and the natural human tendency for arrogance.

Yeah but research also shows that many people need to be reminded to take precautions (safe sex, seatbelts, drink driving etc).

When these messages are delivered effectively they have been shown to have a marked effect on a broad population.

I'm not sure an intermittent whinge on KB will be all that effective however