Police say had the rider been wearing...

[MarkH]

..a hi-viz vest, the accident may not have happened".

A motorcyclist was killed by a truck doing a U-turn today. The above quote is what I heard on 3 news.

I heard the same thing and instantly felt pissed off! WTFFF! (what the fuckety fuck fuck)
I think that if the rider had been wearing a hi-viz vest the accident would have most likely happened exactly the same and WTF is up with trying to push the blame on the dead victim?
I understand that the truck driver must be feeling absolutely horrible so saying "if the truck driver had exercised more care before doing a U-turn then the accident would NOT have happened" might have been rubbing a little salt into the drivers wounds - but it would have been a good message to put out there for all other drivers to think about.
I'd like to see the family of the motorcyclist put in a complaint about the comments the police officer made to the police - talk about horribly insensitive to the friends & family of the victim who lost his life in this tragic accident!

Unfortunately I understand that the popo man can't say that "The motorcyclist might have lived, had the truck driver been using due care and attention in the operation of his vehicle."

The reason the driver did not see the motorcyclist is a simple one. He did not look for a motorcycle.

The motorcycle was there to be seen.

Ex-fucking-zactly - I think that the blaming of the victim by the police officer (to the national media) was very reprehensible.

MAG-NZ are outraged that the NZ Police can issue a statement saying that had a motorcyclist killed today when a truck U-turned into his path, been wearing a Hi-Viz vest the truck driver may have seen him. The complete disregard for the family that has just lost a loved one is outrageous and the speculative comment about the lack of an item of clothing being the cause of his demise is nothing short of disgraceful.

How can any comment regarding the cause of a road death be made in such a bald way by our countries Police Force before the SCU have even had time to begin investigating the cause of the crash?

Has MAG-NZ made an official complaint to the police? Hopefully they have (I haven't finished reading this thread yet) but if not then could they consider doing so?

[R-Soul]

EVERYBODY knew that, right people? right?

I mean ya all knew the obvious eh?

It may seem obvious, but given the comments from some here...

(forgive me if that was supposed to be in sarcasm font -isn't there a sarcasm smiley?)

[scumdog]

Ex-fucking-zactly - I think that the blaming of the victim by the police officer (to the national media) was very reprehensible.

The cop BLAMED the rider??

My understanding of what was said is: "IF he HAD been wearing a hi-vis vest the truck driver MAY have seen him"

Hardly 'blaming' the rider.....

[R-Soul]

(Just in case anyone missed it the first time).

At the end of the day, accidents usually happen REALLY fast, and not everybody has superhuman reflexes or the presence of mind to react properly. Which is exactly why this type of defensive thinking and looking for clues must be ingrained in bikers to give them the most amount of time to react in. In this way I agree with your line of thought. BUT:

Going for the jugular and brutally pointing out the riders faults or lack of action(especially in cases where othe other rider was legally at fault) is just a bad time for most people, because they are feeling rather vulnerable and getting a strong sense of their mortality at that particular moment. Which is why you get "impassioned" responses to your comments.

Without wanting to be your PR manager, Katman: Perhaps instead of criticising the rider for "not doing" after the fact, rather be more positive/constructive in your language in suggesting possible things to look for in those situations. Be part of the solution- turn the tragedy into a learning experience at a time when others would be most willing to listen. I am sure that the deceased would have been happy to help others to not be in the same sutuation.

[R-Soul]

The cop BLAMED the rider??

My understanding of what was said is: "IF he HAD been wearing a hi-vis vest the truck driver MAY have seen him"

Hardly 'blaming' the rider.....

Its a tasteless implication. Like saying, after a truck has blown through a red traffic light at an intersection, taken out a few cars and and killed a mother and child walking across a green light, that you "should always look before you walk".

Legally the mother and child can expect to have other vehicles stop and their passage be safe over the road when they get a green light.

Its common sense for pedestrians to look yes, and a good general safety message in normal times. But implying that the truck driver actions were secondary to their deaths, and that their own actions were the main cause, is just tasteless- and very poor time for a police officer to get a mundane safety message across.

[MarkH]

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

I wonder - are all the people that don't understand what you are preaching at fault or is it you that is at fault? Maybe you should consider whether your communications are to blame for the misunderstandings? Just like riding a motorcycle, don't assume that everything is always someone else's fault!

[scumdog]

and that their own actions were the main cause, is just tasteless-

Sorry, I never realised he said anything about the motorcyclist 'own actions were the main cause'.......

[Katman]

rather be more positive/constructive in your language in suggesting possible things to look for in those situations.

What, sort of like post #14?

I could phrase my posts in the most positive and helpful manner imaginable and it wouldn't make a dollop of shit's worth of difference to the fuckheads who refuse to read and understand the words but rather react simply to the name 'Katman'.

[Bytor]

I believe the rider killed was a prominent Head Hunter. So Katman and Viscount, let me know how you get on after you've been to their head quarters and told them what a dickhead their dead mate was eh!!??

If that is the case then his 'patch' would have got my attention more so than a gayglo vest!

[Crasherfromwayback]

but rather react simply to the name 'Katman'.

Don't flatter yourself.

[R-Soul]

I had a friend who had a white bike and a white helm, he could get cars to slow and pull over just by riding up behind them, why because he looked like a bike cop from the front.

I have a bright yellow jacket that I wear in the rain when commuting- it looks a lot like a cop's. And my helmet, while not being completely white, has many reflective stripes that light up in any kind of illumination. I have actually noticed that I get a lot more space and people moving over when filtering when wearing these.

I also believe that the reflective strips on the helmet makes me stand out as being a rider in the dark, and "frames" the headlight when looked at from the front in the dark - properly identifying it a as motorbike, and not just another cars left headlight. IMO the reflective strips also create confusing contrasts, making cars look twice. I have another idea for a spiralling pattern that should also catch their eyes.

Of course this only helps if the drivers actually LOOK.

[MarkH]

The cop BLAMED the rider??

My understanding of what was said is: "IF he HAD been wearing a hi-vis vest the truck driver MAY have seen him"

Hardly 'blaming' the rider.....

He didn't say "the motorcycle rider was at fault" so no, he didn't blame the rider in the explicit sense. But what did his comment imply? After the motorcyclist had been killed in this incident the cop was suggesting that there was a deficiency on the part of them motorcyclist that may have made all the difference. My view is that it most probably would not have made a difference and that if the truck driver had followed the law then the motorcyclist DEFINITELY would not have been killed.

R-Soul was spot on with his reply.

[R-Soul]

Sorry, I never realised he said anything about the motorcyclist 'own actions were the main cause'.......

He did not- but his implications distracted the focus away from the main cause at a tasteless time.

[gatch]

Bit of a storm in a teacup here team..

What is important is that a dude has died. RIP that biker.

Spewing fire and brimstone at each other isn't going to solve any problems..

[avgas]

What were we arguing about again?