Submitted 1 year ago by unionagainstdhmo@aussie.zone to australia@aussie.zone
I have no doubt car drivers are causing lots of accidents with motorbikes, but living near a main road I find it hard to believe the riders aren’t at least partially to blame for a decent number of those fatalities.
Unless there’s a legitimate reason for bikes to be hitting like 20,000rpm on one wheel of course. I’m not a rider so maybe this is one of those “loud pipes save lives” type things I hear so much about, where being obnoxious is justified as safety.
Anecdote incoming:
Every motorcyclist I ever see is driving like a fucking maniac, solidly 20 mph faster than traffic, aggressively weaving between cars, using the breakdown lane at their convenience, etc.
I know there are “safe, normal” riders but the ones I interact with all seem like they are tempting death for fun
Where is the incentive to ride safe when they are paying half the rego (too much!) to share the roads with people who so careless that they’d kill them without hardly noticing they hit something? Im not saying its ok. Im saying I understand it.
Definitely my experience
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Authorities say more motorcycles on the road and less experienced riders may be contributing to a surge in fatal motorbike crashes in Queensland.
Police Superintendent Douglas McDonald, who oversees the Southern Queensland district, said motorcylists were some of the most vulnerable road users.
As Queensland Road Safety Week begins, police said their constant reminders to "slow down" and stay attentive remained unchanged.
Toowoomba-based motorcycle instructor Tony Gallagher said there was a lot more traffic on the road now than a couple of years ago during lockdowns.
“If you see someone on a side street, set your brakes and slow down, you might lose 5 kilometres an hour, but you’re not going to be late for work.”
But for all the talk of dangers on the road for riders, Mr Gallagher said he couldn’t imagine a life without a motorbike.
The original article contains 514 words, the summary contains 134 words. Saved 74%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
givesomefucks@lemmy.world 1 year ago
It’s weird there’s always calls for drivers to be more careful, but not the people making the choice to ride an unsafe vehicle.
Like wearing stilts to a moshpit and asking everyone else to be more careful and attentive
zik@aussie.zone 1 year ago
Nice victim blaming. Most motorcyclist deaths are due to them being hit by cars, but it’s their fault you’re saying?
dbilitated@aussie.zone 1 year ago
to be honest, as a rider, i always blame myself if i’m in a position to be hit by a car.
you really have to assume everyone is going to do the wrong thing and ride accordingly. it doesn’t matter if someone wasn’t supposed to do something, someone will eventually fail to see you and you’ve got to plan for it. I’ve had near misses but no accidents - and every near miss was a good lesson in what to look for in future. on a bike road rules are nice to know but you have to monitor everything for threats and make sure you’re always in a safe position. if you ride in someone’s blind spot you’re actively putting yourself in danger.
having said that, the op comment is an asshole. YES obviously car drivers should be more aware. what the fuck? if you’re obliviously running people off the road you don’t blame them, good lord what a fucking psycho.
givesomefucks@lemmy.world 1 year ago
No, I’m saying it’s weird to ask everyone to care more about someone’s health and safety than that person does.
Motorcycles aren’t as safe as cars, even if everyone is careful. Accidents happen, and cars have seatbelts, airbags, and a shit ton of other modern inventions.
Motorcycles have helmets and leather jackets, both of which aren’t required everywhere so motorcyclists don’t even wear them all the time.
If you cared about motorcyclists, I’d think this time would be better spent trying to make motorcycles safer by pushing for legislation.
Hell, they made those inflatable cocoons that go off like a giant airbag years ago. I’ve never seen one on the road, because they’re not “cool”. And if someone values safety over coolness, they wouldn’t be on a motorcycle at first
unionagainstdhmo@aussie.zone 1 year ago
I can’t stand it when people jump to the “victim-blaming” conclusion; anyone can be the victim, just depends on how you look at it plus it avoids actually responding to the argument
uniqueid198x@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
Motorcycle: 600 pounds, very good sight lines, ability to hear surroundings, maneuverable around obstacles
Car: over 2000 pounds, poor sight lines, poor stopping and maneuverabilty, lots of distractions.
motorcycles are more dangerous to the operator
cars are more dangarous to other road users
unionagainstdhmo@aussie.zone 1 year ago
I reckon you’re still more likely to walk away from a crash between two cars than one between two motorcycles
name_NULL111653@pawb.social 1 year ago
mcsweeneys.net/…/youre-a-cyclist-who-was-just-str…
givesomefucks@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Ok…
NightSicarius@aussie.zone 1 year ago
Did you read the article? It’s primarily aimed at motorcycle riders and states that rider behaviour is a large contributor to crashes. It urges motorcyclists to slow down and stay attentive, watch for hazards (vehicles and road conditions), keep an eye on traffic that might pull out onto the road in front of you. Seems all reasonable stuff to me.
It’s only the last section that’s mentions the need for drivers to be careful. And even then it’s only “please take a second look” which is always good advice. Always check twice so you don’t pull out and hit a motorcycle (or bicyclist, or pedestrian!) that was blocked from your view by the A-pillar when you glanced at traffic.