Learning from accidents

[rocketman1]

I am not one to look at gruesome accident videos etc. Generally I choose not to look at these video clips on youtube etc.
But the other night I looked at 1 hour of motorcycle accident clips in the hope I may learn from them.
The most of them involved stupid behaviour on the part of the rider, especially at intersections.
Many of them involved motorcyclist travelling through intersections at careless speeds, especially for a vehicle that has no protection.

I then got to thinking that we read about mc accidents in the paper and on tv etc, never really to know why these accidents happen.
All you hear is car vs Bike , or car vs truck etc someone made a mistake but know one except the police seems to know the real reason why these accidents happen.

If one person is killed in a aircraft accident there is a full investigation carried out with finding published, which all pilots are required read the findings, and learn from them. If a motorcyclist is hurt or killed it is just a few lines in the paper.

[Motu]

You can't talk about ''accidents'' here, so you'll learn nothing.

[haydes55]

Good on you from learning from other peoples mistakes. Thousands of crashes happen for each one that makes it onto youtube. So there's millions of other mistakes that lead to crashes that haven't been seen in youtube videos. So learn from others mistakes and keep your common sense switched on 24/7.

Shiny side up.

P.s. Those crash compilations are a good watch

[Hitcher]

Learn from your own mistakes, as well as those of others. In the right conditions, we're all capable of riding like a dickhead, so it never hurts to ask oneself "What would a Dickhead be doing right now?" and then doing something better.

[Grashopper]

I did notice the same thing. If there is an item on a news website, they will only give general information eg., car vs motorcycle or motorcyclist crashed/got hurt/died... I wonder if it has to do with a certain kind of mentality of a non-bike rider: "It's a motorcyclist. It's just dangerous. No wonder he/she crashed..."

On another note, I've also never seen a mention of 'motorcyclist got hurt/killed due to gravel that was left on the road surface after the roadworks had finished." Hm.... Ah well, as long as they mention, if the rider was wearing a helmet...

Anyway, it is one thing to grab a book on motorcycling and read the theory of the dos and don'ts, but it's a totally different, much more intense learning curve if you actually "see" what can really happen if you mess up. Preferably without experiencing it first hand yourself...

In one of the training courses I did, the instructor let us analyse a real life motorbike accident scenario before talking it through with us. I'll never forget what the kid did wrong.

That road safety video from the UK last year was also very sobering and I do remember it all the time coming to similar intersections.

[Winston001]

On another note, I've also never seen a mention of 'motorcyclist got hurt/killed due to gravel that was left on the road surface after the roadworks had finished." ....

Mmmm but no other road user blames loose gravel or other small matters when an accident occurs. We motorcyclists have to take the rough with the smooth.

I am not one to look at gruesome accident videos etc. Generally I choose not to look at these video clips on youtube etc.



If one person is killed in a aircraft accident there is a full investigation carried out with finding published, which all pilots are required read the findings, and learn from them. If a motorcyclist is hurt or killed it is just a few lines in the paper.

True but travel by air is still miraculous compared to travel on the ground and errors are fatal for everyone on board. By comparison bus crashes in our neck of the woods seldom even have one fatality.

[schrodingers cat]

Like the op, sometimes I watch these compilations and it is pretty rare that I think 'poor old motorcyclist got the rough end of the stick there'.

Give yourself room, give yourself time. Perhaps pray a lot.

[awayatc]

People don't learn from accidents. ......

otherwise very few people would have a brother or sister....

[Edbear]

Learn from your own mistakes, as well as those of others. In the right conditions, we're all capable of riding like a dickhead, so it never hurts to ask oneself "What would a Dickhead be doing right now?" and then doing something better.

That would make a great sig!

[rocketman1]

You can't talk about ''accidents'' here, so you'll learn nothing.

Yes, Thats why some make the same fatal mistakes . Nobody learns.
I recently heard about a fatal accident that every one could learn from.
A rider was following a van close enough and to the side of the road that the car coming the other way and wanting to turn right ( ie across the road, behind the van), the car driver thought there was no vehicle following the van, and made a quick turn behind the van only to collect the bike.
This is an occurence I had never really thought about when riding, but unfortunately is a reality. I only found out about it because of the reporter described the accident in some detail.
This is not laying blame, it is advising others......... this poor rider did not survive . LEARN from it.

Oh so sorry we shouldnt talk about it. We shouldnt gain from others losses. RIP

[AllanB]

Jesus - just blame the government.

[Hitcher]

Yes, Thats why some make the same fatal mistakes . Nobody learns.

If one doesn't learn from one's fatal mistakes, one could have a problem.

[haydes55]

Yes, Thats why some make the same fatal mistakes . Nobody learns.
I recently heard about a fatal accident that every one could learn from.
A rider was following a van close enough and to the side of the road that the car coming the other way and wanting to turn right ( ie across the road, behind the van), the car driver thought there was no vehicle following the van, and made a quick turn behind the van only to collect the bike.
This is an occurence I had never really thought about when riding, but unfortunately is a reality. I only found out about it because of the reporter described the accident in some detail.
This is not laying blame, it is advising others......... this poor rider did not survive . LEARN from it.

Oh so sorry we shouldnt talk about it. We shouldnt gain from others losses. RIP

Actually site rules that we aren't allowed to talk about fatalities. But I think that refers more to posting an article about a fatality then speculating about it. There's always a chance that someone on this forum might know the deceased, or their friends/family might google the accident and find the thread. You've seen how accidents get 'analysed' on kb... It would be an offensive read if there were pages of keyboard warriors (myself included) blaming them for not avoiding the accident or causing the accident, even though we would barely know any facts.

There is definitely a lot to gain, learning from others mistakes. I think your anecdote is good. It doesn't use any specifics to identify the victim and it's a helpful lesson to learn.

I actually saw a scooter tailgating a van today and thought that exact scenario could easily happen. I saw the scoot a mile away because I saw her helmet. Average Joe isn't as obsessed by motorbikes and wouldn't have noticed.

[Motu]

But learning from others fatal mistakes could be of great benefit.

I hope that a bad or fatal mistake of mine would be discussed in great detail, I'm sure all could learn from it. Any family or friends offended or upset by the analysis obviously don't know enough about me to care.

[Berries]

Yes, Thats why some make the same fatal mistakes . Nobody learns.
I recently heard about a fatal accident that every one could learn from.
A rider was following a van close enough and to the side of the road that the car coming the other way and wanting to turn right ( ie across the road, behind the van), the car driver thought there was no vehicle following the van, and made a quick turn behind the van only to collect the bike.
This is an occurence I had never really thought about when riding, but unfortunately is a reality.

Is positioning not survival 101? This is no different to following a car that is turning left and being surprised that a car turning right pulls out in front of you. Too often we are quick to blame 'bloody cagers' for not following the rules and yet we fail to look at the bigger picture and see that something we did actually contributed to the crash taking place.

We are small, we are fast, we are hard to see. Allow for it.