Police say had the rider been wearing...

[baptist]

Vehicles don't pull u-turns without giving some clues as to their intention.

I try to be observant but I am sure you cannot see everything all the time...

If the truck driver had looked the crash would certainly have been avoided.

So true.

My prayers are with the riders family and friends at this terrible time, and for the truck driver, they will all live with this for life (asuming the truck driver has a conscience)

As for the cops comment.... engage brain before selecting mouth.

[Katman]

Also, Twatman is a fucking hypocrite, with 95 demerits he obviosly doesn't practice what he preaches.

What exactly is it that you think I'm preaching?

[avgas]

The thread was started to point out the stupid statement on the news. Not the truck drivers visual impairments.

Because Cops always say the most wonderful things?

Seriously though.
a) You care what the news says? and
b) You care what a cop thinks?

[jafar]

seem to have pulled the video from their website.

This isn't the first time they have been hung out to dry for their biased & inflammatory reporting.

Mabey the cop was quoted out of context,
Mabey the rider was looking to the right when the truck moved from his left.
Mabey the truck driver didn't look well enough.

Too many mabey's in there for me, I'll be interested to see what the SCU have to say on the incident.

The only thing that is KNOWN is that one rider is dead & one truck driver is having a really bad day.

[steve_t]

[/FONT] Don't u-turn in front of a truck?????[/I]

I think you might have your wires crossed a little

[avgas]

Headlights are more visible than hi-vis vests

They are also directional things charlie, a headlight is as good as a glow in the dark tampon if its going the wrong direction.
This is why Hi-Viz is good on a work site.

I dislike Hi-Viz as it looks too much like a road cone, and drivers some bizarre tendency to hit road cones.......

[Smifffy]

I think you might have your wires crossed a little

Yeah - next it will be "Sorry mate I didn't see your post"

[Spearfish]

If people can't see a big-arsed railway locomotive with a big-arsed headlight (or two) and on a fixed track how the hell are we motorcyclists ever going to be seen consistantly????

Now that's a point.

[avgas]

I think you might have your wires crossed a little

Ah that you are right - thats the prob when you try and read 3 pages of posts in 30 seconds....

So I have changed todays lesson to

"Look out for big turning things! or things that could hit you"

Did the truck indicate for 3 seconds? 1 second?
Did it turn its wheels?
Last time I check they don't exactly change lanes in 2 seconds. So a U-turn would not really happen in less than 4. I can slow down in that time.

[monkeymcbean]

Trust me, I hide behind fuck all, 's why I don't use a pseudonym.

I am as energetic in my view nomatter the stage.

But putting me in front of the media, or minister only creates a negative headline. Something along the lines of..."Angered motorcyclist lashes out at public figure". Not the generally accept productive kinda thing.

Im not really pointing to you, but this is what I think when I look at this site is alot of this energy is wasted.
ha ha....there is nothing wrong with a 'angered biker', it makes people sit up and take notice, the French bikers as small and short as they are a force to be reckoned with if they have something to say, though there is alot of them!
We just need more bikers out there on the roads.

[avgas]

The only thing that is KNOWN is that one rider is dead & one truck driver is having a really bad day.

And this is the sad truth in the matter

[Mystic13]

Katman

1/ if so many people are taking your comments a certain way and have a certain view of you at some point it might be an idea to take a breather, do a bit of self reflection because I wonder if by trying to make the point in the way you're doing is actually having the reverse effect.

2/ I kind of expect a level of language and behaviour from a moderator and it seems, for me, that you're outside of that level of expectation. Personally if I was moderating I'd be moderating some of your posts.

3/ There is a lot of speculation on here and we don't know the facts. A U turning vehicle implies a level of blame in one direction.

Sure if the rider was 3 seconds slower or faster, or if he took a different road or wore a hi viz vest or had a cage around him or he had a puncture etc he may be here.

Seems to me the question was "is the cops reported comment okay?". Had this been a cyclist without a hi viz vest what would be the deal?

Should someone lay a complaint with the police to check what the cop actually said and if it is as reported then deal to this bias within the police.

I'm guessing the cop was well intentioned. But with car crashes you could argue that if they had worn a helmet they'd be okay.

We do need language from police addressing the cause and a statement saying if the motorist had been looking for bikes the rider may not have died. This will create an awareness amongst motorists as is happening with cyclists.

Until you make statements that increase awareness as is going on with bicycles at the moment the 1.5m signs, the watch out for bikes stuff and etc then the problem will increase in all likelihood.

There is a anti bike culture within the police that may be unintentional. The language being used is problematic for rider safety. In my opinion police, ACC and the government are increasing the risk of injury to riders by the use of this language.

This use of language needs to stop.

The danger with the reported statement is that many go "yeah, he wasn't wearing a vest" .... then when they see riders without vests they go " bloody idiot" and become more aggressive to the rider and less tolerant of the rider. And lets face it kiwis can get pretty aggressive defending their view of right and wrong. This shows in the don't let them pass me mentality. Or I'll drive slow in the outside lane, or closing the gap when people indicate etc.

We all have these experiences. Today I had a car change lane and move into me. No indicator. I tooted the horn and he looked at me and just kept coming. He seemed to have the view, you're smaller, you'll move.

Or was it the view "you #@$, you're not wearing a hi viz vest you deserve to be run over".

The only hi viz vest I'd think would work would be the one with a giant "S" in a triangle on the front that withstands bullets.

Goodnight.

[Katman]

2/ I kind of expect a level of language and behaviour from a moderator and it seems, for me, that you're outside of that level of expectation. Personally if I was moderating I'd be moderating some of your posts.

Read my lips......

I ain't a fucking moderator.

[Grasshopperus]

Katman

2/ I kind of expect a level of language and behaviour from a moderator and it seems, for me, that you're outside of that level of expectation. Personally if I was moderating I'd be moderating some of your posts.

I don't expect information to be censored just because someone else doesn't like it.

I liked what you wrote after the Katman bashing.

[Brian d marge]

lifes a bitch when we we realise we are wrong

Sux bals big time ....

Stephen