This video covers the story of a 38 year old man called David who was fatally killed in an accident on his motorbike on the way home from meeting work colleagues on the 8th of June 2013.

At the time of the accident he was traveling at 97mph on a single carriage way stretch of the A47 the car driver later admitted having not seen the bike, and although many people are quick to criticise the drivers in accidents like this the family wanted the release the video from David's helmet cam showing his journey that day and the moment of the collision to hopefully show drivers the importance of looking for bikes and to demonstrate to bikers the need to think about their own actions in these situations.



An experienced biker of 22 years this tragic event could have been prevented had the driver been more carful but more to the point the biker himself could have prevented the accident with his own behaviour too.

David's family are keen this footage be shown with the view to hopefully save others from experience what they have suffered

Just been told about this at work, was about to post but you've beaten me to it.

I've only seen it without audio, but apparently with audio is even more heart breaking

I know that bit of road (as I suspect you do Andy) and to many people seem to be in a rush when using it which seems to cause so many fatalities

RIP

I ride bikes too. ( I have not watched the video; (so far)).

So I am writing this blind......but here are my well established thoughts on this topic.

Whilst most drivers do notice bikes; I am still shocked at how many drivers completely fail to notice bikes. Its like we are invisible sometimes.

I have had to do many emergency stops on the bike....coming up to junctions (my right of way); with cars that have pulled out right in front of me. Some people just do not "see or notice" bikes. But for a biker it is a natural instinct whilst riding.

Some years ago I was not so lucky. A van (I later found out); tried to jump a cross roads. She did not see me. It was the middle of the day (daylight) in summer in 2003. The bright long hot summer. Fine weather.

I impacted the side of her van at 55mph (the Police and accident people all said). Yes within the 60mph speed limit for that piece of A road.
Skull, neck (yes 3 veterbrae in the neck), collar bones, legs, ankles, feet etc etc all broken and many more.

Coma (medically induced) in hospital.

At that moment (I was in a coma) I was unable to deal with my affairs.
There were no witnesses of the impact itself.

I was shocked to discover later that she was saying I was speeding and must have been doing in excess of double the speed limit.

Wrong.
The police calculated that if I was "invisible" in the time it takes someone to turn their head to look at a junction; I would have had to have been doing 138mph plus for the visibilty on that road.
.
Kawasaki (My bike manufacturer) informed the police my bike would only do 100 mph (it was an off road bike).

Scientists came back and proved I was doing less then the speed limit.
She did not look or see me; but still claimed to Police (I later found out) that I was a speeding biker.

I am a pilot, a car driver, and a heavy goods vehicle licence holder and a motorcycle rider. I like to think I fly/ride/drive with the same courtesy to all; no matter what I am 'driving'.

You really have to ride a bike to realise how some other drivers are blind to you.

I see it like this.
Most motorbike riders are car drivers too; but this does not apply the other way around.

A lot of car drivers may see a badly driven car once in a while. But because a car is "one of them" they don't notice it so much.

However the same car drivers may see just one badly driven/fast motorbike. It sticks out in their mind because it is a different form of transport to their car.; and they wrongly assume that all bikers are like that. Some then assume that ll bikers are like that.

Top Tip for safer roads to all; this will save lives.

If you see a motorcycle with an indicator on; DON'T necessarily believe it. Take extra time to evaluate if he or she is really going to do the turn/move/lane change that you expect.


Motorcycles do not have self cancelling indicators. None of mine have had. How can they when a lot of the steering is down by lean; and you have handlebars and not a steering wheel. A biker physically has to cancel them either by pressing the switch after the turn; or sliding it the other way.

However by sliding it the other way (eg from a left turn---to the right); one can over shoot the neutral/off position; and go too much to the right and end up with a right indicator on.

With all the road noise' wind noise and a crash helmet you do not have or hear a "click-chunk" noise like you do in a car to hear the indicator is flashing.

The indicator switch is thumb operated on/near the handlebar on a bike. But when you turn the corner on a bike you are using your hands and balance to turn the bike and not hover on the indicator switch.

It is known (and I have done it myself) for a bike to go around a corner.......and then forget to turn the indicator off.

So then you go past the next junction......say with your left indicator on......but you are going straight on. The person at the junction thinks you are turning left and pulls out and...........bang.
(That is not what happened in my accident for the record).

You can also accidentally knock the indicator switch on a bike too sometimes. Remember you are nearly always wearing gloves that restrict your feel.

Also unlike a car you do not have a big flashing green indicator light in your face on the dashboard. On a bike (on all of mine) the indicator light is out of visually line of sight (unlike a car) because we are wearing crash helmets- and are looking forward.

On a bike one physically has to dip and put the head down---to notice your indicator/oil pressure etc warning lights. On a car you just have to dip your eyes and not your head to see your dials.

So when one looks down you have to hope that if you have inadvertantly left your indicator on; that is is having the "on" part of the flash when you look down rather than the off part.

So my top tip and advice is don't necessarily believe what a motorbikes indicator is leading you to believe it may do. It may have accidentally been left on.

I'm not a biker myself but I seem to think although a lot of these bikes accelerate VERY fast they can't seem to stop quickly.

The "Think Bike" campaign needs to target bikers themselves as everyone has a equal responsibility for themselves and others.

ChrisUK said:

I'm not a biker myself but I seem to think although a lot of these bikes accelerate VERY fast they can't seem to stop quickly.

The "Think Bike" campaign needs to target bikers themselves as everyone has a equal responsibility for themselves and others.

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I have just watched the video on the BBC. Thankfully they cut it off just as he was about to hit the bike , but I instinctively turned my head away at the same point as David saw the car about to turn across him.
I have been driving for donkey's years and the one thing that scares me more than anything is the thought that I could somehow do what the car driver did and kill a motor cyclist or cyclist. As a result I am ultra cautious at junctions for that reason.
However, sad to say it but David was being reckless heading in to that junction at 97mph wasn't he? The same thing of course could have happened if he had being doing 60 but we'll never know.
A very sad loss.

pooroldcodger said:

I have just watched the video on the BBC. Thankfully they cut it off just as he was about to hit the bike , but I instinctively turned my head away at the same point as David saw the car about to turn across him.
I have been driving for donkey's years and the one thing that scares me more than anything is the thought that I could somehow do what the car driver did and kill a motor cyclist or cyclist. As a result I am ultra cautious at junctions for that reason.
However, sad to say it but David was being reckless heading in to that junction at 97mph wasn't he? The same thing of course could have happened if he had being doing 60 but we'll never know.
A very sad loss.

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very sad for all concerned,

having read your comments, THEN seeing the video,
it would be very difficult for the car driver to NOT see the bike.. just misjudge it's approaching speed.


as a cyclist / motorcyclist you are always going to be the victim in such a collision,
and at anything above @50mph, a bikes "manouvreability" won't save you.


I know of somebody ( in a car at a junction) who did similar , but it was a VAN doing 100 mph in a 60, coming the other way.
the car driver was killed, and the van driver ( 20's) made a full recovery ( physically) although even being spared a jail term , he was still serving a "sentence".


Charlie

Just steeled myself to watch the impact. I think the car driver did see the bike, but as you say thought he could get across in front of the bike because he mis-judged the speed. I may be wrong but the angle at which the car is turning across suggests he was turning quite early in the turning lane which suggests to me he did see the bike.
It's very hard to say this but I wouldn't have driven across that junction at that speed in an armoured car, let alone on a bike, where you will always come off second best.

So similar to my first accident: where a little old lady in a Mini pulled across in front of me on a dual carriageway. I was doing 50, though, in an Audi 100 estate; and am still paying the price, 18 years on. She was fine, by the way, as her car wasn't in gear, and rolled on. Two tonnes of Germany's finest metal was written off....

Why don't people look/see/wait...? It doesn't matter if it's a bike, small car, or a stonking 4x4... -- the number of times I brake hard to let someone turn across me is ridiculous; and I'm an extremely cautious driver. It seems that impatience rules the road -- whether it's being overtaken when you're doing the speed limit on a country road; or, even worse, tailgated... -- or people misjudging speed and distance at other types of junction (roundabouts seemingly a preferred place to dice with death...). They seem to see themselves as infallible (their cars as protective cocoons); or (misguidedly) skilful enough to get themselves out of trouble... -- but it always seems to end up hurting someone else more than them....

This needs showing to every driver of every road-going vehicle; and is why I believe everyone should have to take their driving test more than once -- and which is why I joined the IAM.

By the way, I kept my eyes open -- even though I knew what was coming (for me, it's no worse than my existing nightmares...) -- and have not seen a more powerful way of communicating that not only speed, but carelessness/thoughtlessness, kills.

Let's all be careful out there; and treat other road users as we would want to be treated, please... -- with a bit of respect, and a lot of space....

Unfortunately it's a bit of everything:
Impatience, carelessness, not taking driving seriously, texting, putting on make up, stupidity, and of course the ever-increasing number of drivers on the road who have not yet passed a driving test in the UK and have no tuition whatsoever before getting behind the wheel.
To illustrate the point, a good friend and and colleague of mine came to live here from Pakistan about 5 years ago. As it happens he did have experience of driving hire cars in Germany and here, so he is not as an extreme an example as he could be, but he was allowed to drive here on the strength og his Pakistani driving license. He had to pass his UK test within one year of arrival if he wanted to continue driving. I regularly drove with him and pointed out things that he should and shouldn't do, and he was grateful for that. About 2 weeks before his 12 month deadline he booked his test, and a couple of driving lessons. he passed his test on the day before his 12 month deadline. Now, I stress he is a good driver otherwise I wouldn't have travelled with him, but the DVLA didn't know that did they? He could have been horrendous and a liability.
That sort of thing can't help can it?

Just to add to the debate and theories raised, the driver claims to have not seen the biker or the car behind it. This junction (i know it well) and the time of day would have had the driver of the car looking uphill towards a low evening sun, so its more than likely he was telling the truth in having not seen the biker (that is to say conditions may have added to the incident)

he also pleaded guilty in court and accepted full responsibility for the accident despite the speed of the biker and was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and banned for 18months fined and as a result also lost his living as a professional driver, despite being of good character and having no previous driving endorsements or convictions. (well worth remembering)

The question here isn't who is at fault, this much is obvious. the question is would David have survived had he not been going so fast at the time of the accident? although the collision was caused by the driver of the car, the car driver was hardly moving at the time and in effect the full force of the accident was purely down to the motor cyclist, and what could have been an injury (albeit a very nasty severe injury) it was the bikers actions that resulted in a fatality.

if a child runs into the road and is knocked down we tend not to focus on why that child was in the road, more than what speed was the driver doing, doesn't make it the drivers fault though.

After the accident the Renault Clio was left facing completely the opposite direction with most of the front end missing such was the force

From the footage the sun doesn't seem so strong but it's hard to say.
Maybe the Clio driver was focussing on the car David overtook just before the junction and as a result failed to see the bike? Who knows, but credit due I suppose to the driver to admitting responsibility under the circumstances. I wonder how that played out with the Clio driver's insurance company?

AndyRKett said:

This junction (i know it well) and the time of day would have had the driver of the car looking uphill towards a low evening sun, so its more than likely he was telling the truth in having not seen the biker (that is to say conditions may have added to the incident)

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A very very very valid point I'd completely forgotten about this stretch, I've often been traveling in the same direction as the Clio with the sun right into my eyes, blinding most view of everything coming towards me, with nothing being possible to prevent this.

The state of that Clio is something else though, and in itself has shocked me, you forget what even 200kg of mass at nearly 100MPH can do

When I learned to ride many years ago it was drummed into me to think that every other road user was out to kill you.

Even when learning to ride I faced car drivers pulling out in front of me even when I saw them look in my direction!

I've had a car not look or indicate and turn across in front of me with no time for me to react and I ended up across their bonnet, fortunately at very low speed.

Unfortunately in my job I've attended several fatal RTC's involving motorcyclists and it always reinforces my attitude of riding carefully and spotting hazards early enough to do something about it.

Although the speed of the rider in this video didn't help, you don't have to be going fast on a bike to be killed or seriously injured, once you've come off a bike if you hit any roadside furniture that can be it.

So he was doing 37 miles over the limit?

I'm not surprised the collision was fatal.

Seen this video on Facebook and it is awful with the sound, because you would always hope you'd not know it was coming. The sound makes it clear he saw it coming and knew what was coming but there was nothing to do at that point.

and only a few days after the video was launched to make bikers think about their riding and cars more carful of bikes this happens a few miles away
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/crash_w...olk_motorcyclists_very_very_unusual_1_3763021

AndyRKett said:

and only a few days after the video was launched to make bikers think about their riding and cars more carful of bikes this happens a few miles away
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/crash_w...olk_motorcyclists_very_very_unusual_1_3763021

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the accident which happen in 2000s as mentioned by the police officer happen in july 2003 where two bikers hit head on after one pulled into the path of another when going to over take, both where doing in excess of the speed limit (60mph) and both killed instantly, i know this all too well as i was there and there were lots of bits of biker strewn over a large stretch of road,

AndyRKett said:

and only a few days after the video was launched to make bikers think about their riding and cars more carful of bikes this happens a few miles away
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/crash_w...olk_motorcyclists_very_very_unusual_1_3763021

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A road I know even better than the bit where the video biker was killed.

A challenging but not impossible bit of road if you know it, so either not driving to conditions or not local. I can very happily and safely do it at the permitted 60MPH limit.

Having said that there always seems to be a different Corsa in one of the fields every other month. I remember stopping at one during the day once, thinking it'd only just come off the road, but no-one about, obviously happened a while before but police hadn't got around to wrapping it in police aware tape.

I've short circuited some of this thread due to the time and I've got to be up for work in less than 5 hours. I first started riding 'bikes at about the same time I first learnt to drive a car, in other words, 40 years ago.

What? You old git!!!

So my riding fast days are largely behind me, but despite the fact that my bike, a 1992 Yamaha FJ1200, is now older than some of the members on here, and is heavy and under powered by the standards of the latest super bikes, it still has a power to weight ratio of 500 BHP per tonne. If you want to put that in perspective, think Jaguar 5.0 litre Supercharged V8 in a Panda.

When I was out on it some time ago, I overtook an articulated lorry on the A49 going down towards Whitchurch. The road had a 60 limit and the truck was travelling at its National Limit of 40 mph. I pulled out from behind it in 4th (out of 5 gears) and by the time I was passing the front of the tractor unit I looked at the speedo and it was showing 100 mph. Needless to say, I backed right off.

The point of that last paragraph was that most car drivers have absolutely no understanding of the performance potential of even a quite old 'bike. Because of that, bikers themselves need to understand that car drivers don't understand.....if you see what I mean, and adjust their speed and, if necessary their position accordingly.

If the car driver had seen the 'bike it's quite possible that the driver would have automatically assumed that it was doing the limit of 60, not 50% more and made the decision to make the turn anyway.

There was a government campaign a few years ago after "Think Bike!" that stated something like: "Look after each other." perhaps that's more to the point. Take responsibility for yourself, and others.