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AIBU?

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Original poster

to actually feel sorry for the driver of the car? WARNING- upsetting video.

496 replies

ToThePark · 04/09/2014 21:55

Ok, so I've been a wimp and name changed in case I get totally flamed.

www.suffolk.police.uk/newsandevents/newsstories/2014/september/hardhittingvideolaunched.aspx

The motorcyclist was travelling at 100mph past a busy junction. I watched this video and thought, as a car driver, this could easily happen to me. What an horrific thing to have on your conscience.

What if it had been a child crossing?

OP posts:
LRDtheFeministDragon · 04/09/2014 22:49

Besides which, I doubt there are any single carriageway roads in the country where there is a speed limit of over 50mph, so on such a road your fellow road users are not expecting very fast moving vehicles, they don't even make allowances for them in their subconscious.

There are masses near me.

But I do agree with you - absolute madness to be going so fast, of course. Sad

I don't think it would very much more be ok on a motorway either, though. Speed limit is only ten miles different, and to be 30 or 40 miles over it is huge.

VivaLeBeaver · 04/09/2014 22:49

I'm sorry for the guy that died and is family and sorry for the car driver.

No way should he have been disqualified from driving.

Mintyy · 04/09/2014 22:50

LRD - my point was 100mph on a single carriageway road. 100mph on a motorway is bad enough, 100mph where you are hurtling towards people, who will be travelling at half your speed and who could be overtaking or swerving to avoid an animal = reckless.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 04/09/2014 22:50

Very Sad but it shows it is literally split second timing.

It is really difficult to gauge the speed of something coming towards you too.

Mintyy · 04/09/2014 22:51

Ok, ok, I know you like to win LRD. I agree.

5madthings · 04/09/2014 22:51

Given that the police and the courts that dealt with it know the roads they are best placed to decide where fault lies. Even if the motorcyclist had Been slower it would still have happened. Maybe the result may not have Been so catastrophic, but the car shouldn't have Been turning, even the driver himself has admitted that and not only did he not see the bike but he hadn't seen the car behind him.

Mintyy · 04/09/2014 22:53

If the motorbike had been going at 50mph surely he wouldn't have hit the car? Or, more likely, the car would have seen him and not turned?

Notacs · 04/09/2014 22:53

Well yes, but the sentence was death by dangerous driving which I think is harsh, as the dangerous driving didn't really cause the death- the speed did.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 04/09/2014 22:53

Yes, I know, minty. I was agreeing with you.

I only bolded that bit of your post to point out that there are masses of single carriageway roads all over the place where the limit is 60. Sadly, it wouldn't have changed anything if the limit on this road had been 50, though.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 04/09/2014 22:56
Confused

I like to win?

WTF?

I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you mean. I have been agreeing with you.

The guy on the bike was travelling at 97 mph. He was ignoring the speed limit. Had it been 40, 50, 60 or 70 would (sadly) have many no difference at all.

The poor bloke driving the car did get it wrong as he should not have turned, but I have a lot of sympathy, and I can't see that the speed limit made any difference.

All I am trying to say is that I think it was an awful thing to happen no matter what the speed limit, no matter what the road was like.

I only corrected my posts because you, very understandable, didn't want to watch the video and asked us to help you out by describing it. I thought I might have misled you as to what was going on.

edamsavestheday · 04/09/2014 22:58

Horrible for all involved. No idea what chance the driver stood of seeing him given his speed - but drivers do fail to see bikers at any speed.

TheFairyCaravan · 04/09/2014 22:58

I feel sorry for all involved. The mum was very brave for allowing the video to be made.

However, no way on this wrath should the car driver have been banned from driving. The motor cyclist was going 37 miles an hour over the soled limit, he should have seen the signs that there was a junction coming up and altered his speed slightly incase of a hazard. He wouldn't have seen the signs because he was going too fast. Had he have been going at the speed limit or slower he may have been able to have taken evasive action and the end might not have been catastrophic.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 04/09/2014 22:58

I'm actually really pissed off by that comment.

Watch the video if you're so offended by people trying to describe it, or have some manners.

5madthings · 04/09/2014 22:59

Well given he didn't see the car behind him doing below the speed limit.. Prob not.

Also even at 60 miles an hour a collision like that was likely to be fatal for a motorcyclist.

Knowing the road he didn't look properly (and it is a horrible turning to see) so you have to be extra careful and give extra time. He didn't, he admits that himself.

I do think it's crap he had lost his license and therefore his job, punishing his family as well but the police and the judge saw fit to bring the case.

The motorcyclist was foolish and was putting himself at risk and paid the ultimate price but the driver was not driving with due care and attention.

JCDenton · 04/09/2014 23:00

Yes the motorcyclist was going too fast but the car driver would have caused an accident even if the motorcyclist was going slower.

Very true, but the accident may not have had the same outcome, an object travelling at 97mph has almost 3 times the kinetic energy of an object travelling at 60mph, much harder to lose speed. Add on the increased reaction time and the crash could have been much, much lower speed.

Sad for all involved.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 04/09/2014 23:00

I agree, 5mad.

And it does sound as if the driver fully blames himself. Poor man, because that must be awful to live with.

Sootball · 04/09/2014 23:01

I think that if you're local you know that stretch of road (rather than just seeing it from the camera) ans it was the drivers fault for turning, three biker was going insanely fast but that junction is lethal - I won't drive that way and use through roundabout.

The statement made about stretches of u road not being over 50mph is a bit random, the vast majority of rural roads are derestricted - 60mph is the limit for single carriageways. Which this is.

JCDenton · 04/09/2014 23:01

The motorcyclist was foolish and was putting himself at risk and paid the ultimate price but the driver was not driving with due care and attention.

Sums it up as well as anything in the thread.

tiggytape · 04/09/2014 23:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

5madthings · 04/09/2014 23:03

It's tragic and horrible for all involved. And yes I feel sorry for the driver as well.

I think it's good the motorcyclists family have agreed to this film being released, there are lots of dodgy roads and turnouts in Norfolk so any campaign to raise awareness of speed etc is good.

Mintyy · 04/09/2014 23:04

I probably underestimate what is an acceptable speed to do on twisting country roads with blind spots everywhere, because I am restricted to mainly 20, max 30 where I live.

5madthings · 04/09/2014 23:05

sootball dp won't use that turn either he uses the roundabout but before it was built he had to use that turn everyday for work. It's not the first accident at that junction and it won't be the last.

KneeQuestion · 04/09/2014 23:07

Even if he had been doing 50-60mph, it is likely he would have been killed anyway.

I feel sorry for the driver, but David Holmes speed is not a reason for the car driver not to be punished, the driver caused the accident and for his mistake, he has lost his licence, David holmes paid a higher price.

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 04/09/2014 23:07

I saw this earlier and I also thought that the motorcyclist was more at fault than the car driver. If he hadn't been speeding he might have survived or even been able to avoid the car. People have near misses all the time but if you're going at 97mph on a bike you lessen your chances considerably.

A friend and I got hit once by a bike speeding. He overtook us as we were turning right. My friend was signalling and checked his blind spot and when he turned there was a bike sailing past and a man going over his bonnet. He swore blind the bike wasn't in his mirror or his blind spot and I believe him. It came so bloody fast we really didn't see it. And the twat overtook a car signalling that it was turning right. How reckless have you got to be?

He was fine, incidentally, he flew off the bike and landed in a hedge. His bike wasn't so lucky, it slid along the road and hit a wall. And then he got done for dangerous driving. My friend was absolved of any blame. Was really horrible though, my friend thought he'd killed someone.

MaidOfStars · 04/09/2014 23:11

It is absolutely the driver's fault. When you are turning across a carriageway, it is your responsibility to do so safely, regardless of whatever anyone else is doing and whatever laws they are breaking. The driver of the car was prosecuted because not only did he not see the biker (and perhaps there are mitigating circumstances for the actual accident) but he also didn't see the car the bike was overtaking. He wasn't looking properly, he took a risk, and he killed someone.

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