Bikers collide with Police car in Buller Gorge (1 December)

[Joni]

Good grief.... I give up....

Indeed... I think you should too....

People want to bitch and persecute at the moment... talking sense does not come into it at this stage.

[Nasty]

The strange thing about the cop doing the threee point turn on a bend was the backing he was getting from his boss. He seemed a pains to indicate that it would be someone elses fault.
Very strange because in my experience Police management usually hang their staff out to dry.

Thinking of U turns reminds me that when the southern motorway went in in Dunedin a few years ago the paper interviewd a cop that wanted breaks in the cheese cutter so he could do U turns and chase speeding drivers.

If this is the kind of thinking of the modern police driver I think they need a serious slapping.

Sorry guys .. but no matter what if I screw up at work I expect to have at least some backing from my boss - not be left to be screwed over in public by the grilling that people who were not there are doing. This guy is suffering .. don't think that he isn't ... he made a huge mistake ... behind the scenes he is getting caned about that ... so we need a public flogging to assage the anger .. if so bring on the 1800's.

[skelstar]

Good grief.... I give up....

Agreed +1 ... no sense in talking sense sometimes.

[Finn]

RIP bikers.

I don't think they died did they?

[terbang]

Oh I dunno might have my accidents mixed up, just in case they did..

[terbang]

Indeed... I think you should too....

People want to bitch and persecute at the moment... talking sense does not come into it at this stage.

Remember some of our kind got knocked down recently and one of them at least due to an irresponsible act by another mororist. Well Joni what do you reckon? A slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket and sweep it all under the mat only to come back and bite one of us in the arse again? Or, make some noise to get to the bottom of it and set an example to prevent it happening again.? Seems you would rather redicule motorcyclists who actually do care about the laxity of some of our road users (and enforcers as it appears). This is a motorcycle forum, not a chamomile tea drinking forum OK..

[et al]

Leaving aside all the gossip, rumour and comment surrounding the circumstances of the accident - I just want to pass on my best wishes for the recovery of the injured riders. My thoughts are also with their friends and family.

[Kickaha]

Remember some of our kind got knocked down recently and one of them at least due to an irresponsible act by another mororist. Well Joni what do you reckon? A slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket and sweep it all under the mat only to come back and bite one of us in the arse again? Or, make some noise to get to the bottom of it and set an example to prevent it happening again.?

So why isn't that applied to the single biker crashes then? instead of all the sympathy that generally gets heaped upon them, it seems every other road user is fair game but motorcyclists protect their own even if they do fuck up

[lemure]

Without any intention cop bashing, my wife and I have witnessed too many of these dangerous U-turn maneuvers by Police cars, over the last few years.


Police car we were following (without warning) pulled quickly hard left swung back out into the road and completed a fast U-turn.

I began to veer right to clear his fast left, then had to get round the back of him as he swung across in front of us! (Oh so close)

John.

Same thing happened to us last weekend - no indication either. Four-laned road, Police car did exactly as you described. I was following him in a car about three car lengths behind, so just braked hard and he crossed about three metres in front of us. Another car had passed us in the opposite direction immediately prior, so was partially expecting something. But it gave us a real fright - had a funny taste in mouth afterward: know what that was - fear! This manoeuver must be standard training for them.

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

Someone in BRONZ needs to approach the the complaints authority, as well as AA and other groups and assiotions, clubs etc if they all start say enough is enough then something will start rolling... because if nothing happens about it another tragedy will and the next one there may not be any survivers... what wll it take ?

Near misses like this should not happen, and all involved need to be accountable for there actions...

But again I know the police and even the HP do have a hard job, and overal are doing a pretty good job, but...

[terbang]

So why isn't that applied to the single biker crashes then? instead of all the sympathy that generally gets heaped upon them, it seems every other road user is fair game but motorcyclists protect their own even if they do fuck up

Well I would like to think that it is. It is normal to empathise with your own kind when they get hurt or killed and try to find out why to stop it happening again. Right? In this case someone was hurt (I wrongly thought killed) because of someone elses dumb mistake, so lets try to prevent it happening again. Right? So lets get out of the touchey feely ACC mentality and get real. A lot of accidents can be prevented and one of the best ways to do this is by using the ones that do happen as a tough lesson. Sometimes this means direct talk and correction for those individuals who acted in an irresponsible fashion. In other words, leave them and all of us with no doubt as to our responsibilities as road users (let alone enforcers) and take heed. In that way the loss of life and limb will not have been in vain.

[Joni]

So how do you propose we do that? What is the solutions in your mind? You say "Time to get real"... ok, fair enough.... how?

My issue is not about finding a solution in the least. Anything that can can be done, should be done, I agree! My issue is people sitting on KB flopping around bitching about what happened... that is not a solution, that is a little bit of fart wind that maybe makes the poster feel better about it/themselves.

Nighthawk, your suggestion is great. Why not PM Ixion? Although Im sure he will see the post at some stage...

[terbang]

So how do you propose we do that? What is the solutions in your mind? You say "Time to get real"... ok, fair enough.... how?

My issue is not about finding a solution in the least. Anything that can can be done, should be done, I agree! My issue is people sitting on KB flopping around bitching about what happened... that is not a solution, that is a little bit of fart wind that maybe makes the poster feel better about it/themselves.

Nighthawk, you suggestion is great. Why not PM Ixion? Although Im sure he will see the post at some stage...

Start by twriting to the police, your MP and even to Helen herself. The squeaky wheel will get oiled, if it squeaks loud and long enough.
Any action, especially a collective one, starts with some discussion and this is a board for motorcyclists to discuss things motorcycle right? And need I point out the public nature of this forum as I am sure Ixion and similar will read this. I think Joni that we are marching to a similar tune, but your problem is with the language which is obviously different to yours. But people are different as you should know only too well. Whilst accusing people of only flopping around and bitching on KB, you might also expand your scope of thought that some of those floppers are also possibly doing the same to appropriate authoritys. You are a moderator, not a judge OK..

[Joni]

You are a moderator, not a judge OK..

Actually I am neither...

But yes I get your point about us being on the same lines of thought...

[Pixie]

I've seen some of our "highly trained professionals" do some astoundingly stupid manoeuvres on the road.
A recent one was a U-turn across three lanes of traffic ( including a passing lane ) on the Raukaka straight in heavy evening traffic,which had cars on both sides hitting the brakes heavily.
This was to stop a truck.Maybe they get extra quota points for trucks.
I wonder if it was the same Whangarei "highly trained professional" that put his car in the mangroves near Onerahi.