Another fatality

[Kickaha]

Because thats what life is all about...fucking luck and nothing else.

Accidents will always happen whether you like it or not... and you can choose to be wraped in 2 tons of steel and increase the odds of survival or just sit on 170kg thing with two wheels, if its the later you are likely to get hurt.

lets just ban all motorcycles, Nick Smith and Katman will be happy....

You must be related to DB because you come across dumber and dumber every time you post, Katman has never advocated banning motorcycles

Anyone who relies on "luck" is an fucking idiot

[PrincessBandit]

"Police say it appeared the tractor, also heading towards Waitara, was attempting to make a right hand turn into a driveway on the opposite side of the road across double yellow lines"

So if they were heading in the same direction and the tractor was in front wanting to turn right, bike is behind going straight ahead.... Are people saying that anyone turning right has to be thinking of what anyone behind them might be doing as well as watching for their opportunity from the front to execute their turn?

Yes, I know of the pull to the left "rule" to allow traffic behind you to pass, but I thought that was primarily if there is a string of oncoming vehicles preventing you from making your turn fairly well immediately. Was the tractor stationary, just sitting in the middle of the road for some time before being able to turn or was it in the process of turning when the motorcyclist hit him?

Either way it doesn't alter a death, but I'd be cautious before calling for the head of the tractor driver especially if he wasn't actually doing anything other that what he was legally entitled to do (turning into a driveway).

[PrincessBandit]

lets just ban all motorcycles, Nick Smith and Katman will be happy....

you're still a dick.

[Berries]

Are people saying that anyone turning right has to be thinking of what anyone behind them might be doing as well as watching for their opportunity from the front to execute their turn?

I'd say so. Not specific to this incident, but put yourself on your bike wanting to turn right somewhere. Wouldn't you want to know if a car is hurtling towards you from behind while you are in such a vulnerable position ?

[doc]

Do have to they register tractors, and do they pay ACC ?

[Str8 Jacket]

Oh look, another KB shit fight about something none of you were there to witness!

[Mom]

Do have to they register tractors, and do they pay ACC ?

I would hope that this one is written up as a workplace accident by ACC, and that OSH also investigate.

[PrincessBandit]

I'd say so. Not specific to this incident, but put yourself on your bike wanting to turn right somewhere. Wouldn't you want to know if a car is hurtling towards you from behind while you are in such a vulnerable position ?

If I am on my bike, waiting at ANY intersection I am aware of what is behind me (especially as my son had the experience of being bumped into from behind while at an intersection recently while he was stationary). However if I'm in a fat arse truck or tractor I can hardly skippity skip out of the way just because I see another vehicle coming up from behind who seems to not have noticed my presence.

The question is whether any vehicle "hurtling towards you from behind" (your words, not mine) has the right to blame you for the ensuing crash if they hit you.

Before anyone reads that and thinks I'm "blaming" the rider for hitting the tractor, I am not. What I am questioning is why people are blaming the tractor driver when the law is pretty strict on the following motorist.

[Grubber]

It is what it is.....



NO, he shouldn't..... not that blind a brow of a hill, on a bike, looking at the big arsed tractor....



From some witness comments already, moments before....



Tractor was a big fecker, there to be seen. Went to go around it over the yellows, then realised it was turning...

Ok it seems to me that you have read it all correctly and made your well calculated opinion of the events (unlike many here it would seem). In my opinion you have got it right.
The poor fella crossed the double yellow to go round the tractor as it was in fact about to turn into a driveway on the right hand side of the road. There would have been plenty of clear vision and plenty of last minute choices to be made.
My condolences to the family and friends.

[Quasi]

Before anyone reads that and thinks I'm "blaming" the rider for hitting the tractor, I am not. What I am questioning is why people are blaming the tractor driver when the law is pretty strict on the following motorist.

Maybe we are feeling a tad annoyed with the tractor driver as from what i have read, he was turning right over double yellow lines - normally placed for a good reason?

But... despite this - a life has been lost, a family grieves, another comrade has gone too soon. For this, we must all take a moment to reflect.

[Grubber]

In addition to the double yellow lines the tractor would have been about to cross two lanes of opposing traffic (passing lane on "Big Jim's" hill) and just beyond a blind brow that prevented the motorcyclist from seeing the tractor until (obviously) too late.

It will be interesting to see if the tractor driver gets a death by careless use charge put on him ' cause it sure as hell appears that he should

Your a fuckin muppet mate. don't make accusations such as this until you know the facts. I have seen nothing yet that would allow me to come to that conclusion.

[davereid]

Do have to they register tractors, and do they pay ACC ?

Yes, tractors may registered, but the ACC is not charged to the vehicle licence. The ACC is paid from the farms normal ACC levies.

A tractor that can (or does) travel faster that 30km/hr is also required to have a WOF, but the law allows the tractor different standards - it is treated as a mobile machine, not a vehicle.

[PrincessBandit]

Maybe we are feeling a tad annoyed with the tractor driver as from what i have read, he was turning right over double yellow lines - normally placed for a good reason?

So, if your driveway out in the boondocks (or wherever for that matter) happened to be where there are double yellows you would have to either (1) relocate your drive entry/exit to a more appropriate segment of the road (any my guess is that possibly the driveway was there before the double yellows were painted, but i could be wrong) or (2) never go into your drive.

Interesting options.

[Berries]

The question is whether any vehicle "hurtling towards you from behind" (your words, not mine) has the right to blame you for the ensuing crash if they hit you.

Depends on a whole lot of other factors. It is a fairly common type of crash, but blame doesn't always fall with the turning vehicle, or the following one, because there are always other issues that contributed to it happening.

Interesting options.

And totally impractical. People turn right across single and double yellow lines every day. I have yet to see anyone charged for it.

[Grubber]

Depends on a whole lot of other factors. It is a fairly common type of crash, but blame doesn't always fall with the turning vehicle, or the following one, because there are always other issues that contributed to it happening.


And totally impractical. People turn right across single and double yellow lines every day. I have yet to see anyone charged for it.

Well said.
One has to be careful to note all the circumstances and i believe we have very few of the outlying facts here.