TV1 - Close Up @ 7.00pm - Returning riders causing accidents (20 March)

**DougieNZ** · 21st March 2009, 10:09

I reckon that the article was pretty well balanced and there is a clear message we should take on board.

Stats Quoted:
In 1980 the average age of motorcyclists killed was 22
In 2008 it was 38.

in 2007 41 Motorcyclist Fatalities
in 2008 51 motorcyclist Fatalities
in 2009 16 so far - expanded x 4 = 64 if the trend continues

So more motorcyclists are being killed and they are getting older when it happens.

My Opinion

Motorcycles today are as lot more powerful than they were 20 years ago. Anyone that has ridden a decent range of bikes would say that cruisers do not handle as well as more upright or sports bikes. I do believe that this could be a factor in the above stats.

Perhaps the wrong example has been used, but we all do Craig's loved ones a disservice if we do not take some sort of message on board from this tragic start to the year.

Remember Craig's mates describing the shock "because he was such a good rider". Maybe there was diesel on the road - maybe there wasn't. people have described me in the same way - but it only takes one mistake, or bad decision and it can be all over.

LET's BE CAREFUL OUT THERE

More importantly - lets take the message on board!

**Crasherfromwayback** · 21st March 2009, 10:10

Originally Posted by dipshit

75% of fatal motorcycle accidents in NZ are rider error, yet you want to educate car drivers to fix the problem...???

You know that for a fact? ALL of the nasty ones I've had have been some blind cunt pulling out in front of me or doing a 'u' turn without looking.

And I'd be surprised if anyone here hasn't had car drivers do stupid shit that's caused them to either bin it..or come fucking close to binning it. So you don't think car drivers should be better educated towards motorcyclists?

Good for you.

**cs363** · 21st March 2009, 10:24

Originally Posted by DougieNZ

Stats Quoted:
In 1980 the average age of motorcyclists killed was 22
In 2008 it was 38.

in 2007 41 Motorcyclist Fatalities
in 2008 51 motorcyclist Fatalities
in 2009 16 so far - expanded x 4 = 64 if the trend continues

So more motorcyclists are being killed and they are getting older when it happens.

My Opinion

LET's BE CAREFUL OUT THERE

More importantly - lets take the message on board!

I think something you aren't taking into account (as is the practice when quoting statistics in isolation, lol) is the increase in new bike registrations. This would tend to suggest that there are more motorcyclists on the road, hence the proportional increase in accidents/deaths. Here are the rego figures up to 2007 (sorry, LTSA are soooo busy that there stats are two years old...): http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/statistics/m.../table-20.html

From memory 20,000 was the figure quoted on the show last night (can't be buggered watching it again, so feel free to correct me) and this would follow the trend shown in the above rego statistics.

That aside, it doesn't lessen the message to be careful out there, and as Pete said on TV, if you've been off the bike for a long time and are just getting back into it, do a refresher course. Better to feel a bit of a dick going back to school than to end up in hospital or worse.

**Ocean1** · 21st March 2009, 10:37

Originally Posted by Katman

It pisses me off that a statement can be made like the one I quoted above

Kewl…

Originally Posted by davereid

Helmets, jackets, lights on and pink fluoro jackets may help. But they arent as good as seatbelts, active stability control, 4 wheel ABS, 16 airbags, and 3 feet of crumple zone.

Originally Posted by davereid

Helmets, jackets, lights on and pink fluoro jackets may help. But they arent as good as seatbelts, active stability control, 4 wheel ABS, 16 airbags, and 3 feet of crumple zone.

Originally Posted by davereid

Helmets, jackets, lights on and pink fluoro jackets may help. But they arent as good as seatbelts, active stability control, 4 wheel ABS, 16 airbags, and 3 feet of crumple zone.

Originally Posted by davereid

Helmets, jackets, lights on and pink fluoro jackets may help. But they arent as good as seatbelts, active stability control, 4 wheel ABS, 16 airbags, and 3 feet of crumple zone.

Now go away and be pissed quietly in a corner somewhere.

Originally Posted by AllanB

Mid-life crisis - probably true of lots of riders, so what, who cares why you get back into it,

Mythological urban stereotype. There's fuck all critical about the phenomena, quite the opposite, it's a slackening of social and financial restrictions, allowing a return to something most of us never really left willingly.

Originally Posted by AllanB

Bikers being a notoriously hard bunch to educate - classic comment - I may get T-shirts printed

Put me down for an XL. Suggestions for appropriate graphics should be forwarded to AllanB, care of the society for the prevention of gratuitous social engineering.

I’m a quiet, unassuming type. But the fact that my tax contributions are spent on the “educational” bullshit I see on the rare occasion I watch TV makes me a tad annoyed. I’d have seen the extraordinarily dumbed-down parody of a news show I had the misfortune to be unable to avoid last night as classic comedy, except for the dark suspicion that there’s almost certainly at least six people out there that were indeed shocked and horrored, and will spend Monday’s smoko break alternating between deriding all dem monstrously irrational old bikers and wiping spittle from their chins.

**zzzbang** · 21st March 2009, 11:00

what a bunch of rubbish. they didnt get into any detail of the causes of crashes, bad road conditions drunk drivers.. nothing. they just say that people aged 40 dont know how to ride motorbikes, they will crash. what an intelligent arguement. random woman that says she knows nothing about motorbikes VS. phil goth, battling it out for the motorcyclists, hmm... whatever.

**oldrider** · 21st March 2009, 11:20

Originally Posted by _Shrek_

this must be a standard print in papers, coz I crashed the week before this guy died on a diesel spill & the paper said they thought it was diesel spilled yet in another part of same paper, sand had to be put on diesel that had been spilled in patchers over a 27km strech of road the same strech I was on "Doh" yet nothing is being done to stop this, just blame the biker he's having a mid life thingie

Well in your case I Know you are not in a mid life crisis!

You are just mid way into a "whole" life crisis!

Cheers (your friend?) John.

**Mom** · 21st March 2009, 11:36

Originally Posted by Beemer

It would have been interesting for them to say "in 1990 there were x-many bikes registered and x-many motorcyclists killed on the road, and in 2008 there were x-many bikes and x-many accidents" so we could compare the statistics.

I am in the process of gathering some data at the moment

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=92937

You have asked a good question, I will ask it from the very nice man at LTNZ.

Originally Posted by dipshit

75% of fatal motorcycle accidents in NZ are rider error, yet you want to educate car drivers to fix the problem...???

You know this how? Absolute bollocks mate!

The Ministry of Transport representative on the clip last night clearly stated that 50% of motorcycle accidents are attributed to rider error and 50% to other road users fault. Still not wonderful statistics but nothing like the number you just stated. You have just raised another good question for me to ask.

**rachprice** · 21st March 2009, 11:57

Well Pete werent you lovely!

I didnt agree with a lot of it but didnt think it was that bad

I agree with what has been previously said about the stats did they mention where they were from?

**cs363** · 21st March 2009, 12:01

Originally Posted by Crasherfromwayback

You know that for a fact? ALL of the nasty ones I've had have been some blind cunt pulling out in front of me or doing a 'u' turn without looking.

And I'd be surprised if anyone here hasn't had car drivers do stupid shit that's caused them to either bin it..or come fucking close to binning it. So you don't think car drivers should be better educated towards motorcyclists?

Good for you.

Who was the blind cunt that caused this?: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/pi...pictureid=8986

**Crasherfromwayback** · 21st March 2009, 12:06

Originally Posted by cs363

Who was the blind cunt that caused this?: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/pi...pictureid=8986

Actually mate...the sifter that did a silly thing caused that. That's one of the few road racing biffs I've had that wasn't my fault!

**cs363** · 21st March 2009, 12:10

Originally Posted by Crasherfromwayback

Actually mate...the sifter that did a silly thing caused that. That's one of the few road racing biffs I've had that wasn't my fault!

If that's the case, then I can definitely confirm the last paragraph!

**Crasherfromwayback** · 21st March 2009, 12:13

Originally Posted by cs363

If that's the case, then I can definitely confirm the last paragraph!

And I'd never argue that one mate!

**Tony.OK** · 21st March 2009, 12:18

Another stat to consider re the average age thing would be that theres probably no where near as many younguns riding compared with 1980, they are more interested in 4 wheeled things that make a pssssstttt noise when ya change gear

**Grahameeboy** · 21st March 2009, 12:20

Originally Posted by DougieNZ

I reckon that the article was pretty well balanced and there is a clear message we should take on board.

Stats Quoted:
In 1980 the average age of motorcyclists killed was 22
In 2008 it was 38.

in 2007 41 Motorcyclist Fatalities
in 2008 51 motorcyclist Fatalities
in 2009 16 so far - expanded x 4 = 64 if the trend continues

So more motorcyclists are being killed and they are getting older when it happens.

My Opinion

Motorcycles today are as lot more powerful than they were 20 years ago. Anyone that has ridden a decent range of bikes would say that cruisers do not handle as well as more upright or sports bikes. I do believe that this could be a factor in the above stats.

Perhaps the wrong example has been used, but we all do Craig's loved ones a disservice if we do not take some sort of message on board from this tragic start to the year.

Remember Craig's mates describing the shock "because he was such a good rider". Maybe there was diesel on the road - maybe there wasn't. people have described me in the same way - but it only takes one mistake, or bad decision and it can be all over.

LET's BE CAREFUL OUT THERE

More importantly - lets take the message on board!

Good message but figures can be debated.

Years ago biking was a young persons thing because cars were a luxury...now bikes are a luxury and cars are cheap ie jap imports so your average 22 year old is likely to get a car...don't need expensive protection.

Fatalities may be up...more cars on roads...few more bike registrations.

But agree that if the average 38 year old on a bike comes from driving a car they still have the same baditude.

Could be roads are worse, lots of factor...but either way any fatality is bad