A sad day in Derbyshire

[ChrisL]

Just read this, this morning, all middle aged riders apparently.

Five motorcyclists die in two horrific crashes near the same town

Three motorcyclists were killed in a collision involving three vehicles on a major road on the A53 between Buxton and Leek at 9.45am yesterday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Pausim]

Very sad.

 

[Dall]

Just read this, this morning, all middle aged riders apparently.

Five motorcyclists die in two horrific crashes near the same town

Three motorcyclists were killed in a collision involving three vehicles on a major road on the A53 between Buxton and Leek at 9.45am yesterday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Awful........

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Unfortunately a common occurrence, normally middle aged blokes had a moped at 16 then many years later bit of disposable cash going out and buying a modern rocket ship and then all ends badly
Have seen some terrible riding on the roads while out and about.

 

[David and Sally]

Unfortunately a common occurrence, normally middle aged blokes had a moped at 16 then many years later bit of disposable cash going out and buying a modern rocket ship and then all ends badly
Have seen some terrible riding on the roads while out and about.

Agree. As a one time motorcycle instructor I despair at some of the riding I see.
Biker killed near us last week. Two bikes and a car involved. Again the casualty was in his 50s.

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[ChrisL]

Personally I wouldn't like to speculate about the cause of the accidents yet, it could just as easily be a car or van overtaking on a blind bend, as bikers going into a bend to fast and exiting it wide or another cause completely, but whatever the reason their will be some very sad families today.

 

[Richard n Ann]

The A53 is a great road, and for once there are no speed cameras on that stretch so I suppose they could have been enjoying the freedom a little too enthusiastically.
With all the other roads camered up the accidents will naturally move to the free ones there will be cameras on it soon no doubt.

 

[Carpmart]

Very sad…. I’m relatively new (3 yrs) to riding @56yrs old but I’ve only got a 300cc scooter and 4500 miles of experience… I have to say, the odd occasion I ride in the UK, it’s not the best experience, compared to continental riding.

An old racing mate of mine posted this on his Facebook he’s from north Derbyshire/South Yorkshire area… my guess is his business partner is one of these riders!

 

[chaser]

The A53 is a great road, and for once there are no speed cameras on that stretch so I suppose they could have been enjoying the freedom a little too enthusiastically.
With all the other roads camered up the accidents will naturally move to the free ones there will be cameras on it soon no doubt.

Motorcyclists have been dying on that road regularly for as long as I can remember.

 

[scotzsue]

Of all those we knew and have lost to motorcycle accidents, all were caused by bad driving not riding. Have to say there are some idiots about, both car drivers and bikers.
So sad for the families involved.

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[TheTwoOfUs]

There was a very bad accident near Wakefield/Barnsley a couple of weeks back which resulted in the loss of 4 innocent lives and leaving a young girl orphaned. A man and his wife on a m/bike in their 50s collided head on with a car killing both on the bike and the driver of the car instantly. His wife and two of his daughters died as the car became a fireball. A third daughter wasn't travelling with them. It is thought possible that a Porsche was also involved.

 

[PaulW2]

Just read this, this morning, all middle aged riders apparently.

Five motorcyclists die in two horrific crashes near the same town

Three motorcyclists were killed in a collision involving three vehicles on a major road on the A53 between Buxton and Leek at 9.45am yesterday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Horrible.

Middle aged riders are indeed at risk. Then again, so are young riders.

All told, it is unfortunately a dangerous pursuit. On a fatalities per mile basis, my recollection is that riding a motorcycle is about 30 times as dangerous as driving a car.

 

[chaser]

Motorcyclists have been dying on that road regularly for as long as I can remember.

I know this is very sad, and not the time to bring it up. But on that road motorcycleists seem to use it as a challenge to see if they can do it without getting killed.
About 30 years ago a friends son about twenty got killed along there ,his parents were devastated and never really got over it but he was treated as some sort of hero by other bikers and everyone said he died as he would have wanted.
But I'm afraid I never thought it.

 

[bigwood]

When I was doing breakdown work near Caldwell Park on track days you had to be wary of bikers riding on the public roads like they were still on the track.
I met a bike the wrong side of the white line on a bend. The only way to miss hitting the bike was to put two wheels on the grass verge. The bike didn’t stop and it took me a while to compose myself.
Not all bikers are at fault but they are a small fast moving object with riders on them that are vulnerable in an accident. I have never been a biker having only ridden the army BSA as a road test after working on them. Compared to the modern bikes they were very tame but it still hurt when I dropped it on a combination of wet cobbles and tram tracks.

 

[Pausim]

I know this is very sad, and not the time to bring it up. But on that road motorcycleists seem to use it as a challenge to see if they can do it without getting killed.
About 30 years ago a friends son about twenty got killed along there ,his parents were devastated and never really got over it but he was treated as some sort of hero by other bikers and everyone said he died as he would have wanted.
But I'm afraid I never thought it.

Similar response when I witnessed a biker die on the road in front of me. At the time his biker friends said he died doing what he loved. By the time of the inquest the friends and the family had all decided that someone else must be to blame but the simple answer is he was going too fast and was out of position when he got to the bend. Sad, there are always devastated families.

I now worry about the bikers on Bury Hill (A29 Sussex). They come down the hill, turn round and pull up. You can see some of them set their watches before taking off. There have been 2 biker deaths on the hill. Now there are expensive road proposals to make the hill safer and quieter all because some bikers are irresponsible. Bit like some motorhome users get us all a bad name resulting in parking bans and height barriers.

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[dazandandrea]

Its sad when anyone dies. Especially 3 bikers at the same time.
Awful for the families.
Been riding 30+ years and im seriously thinking about hanging up my jacket for the last time.
My main concern is down to the ever decreasing competence of car drivers.
I commute daily on the M1 and to be honest some of the morons i see on there scare me.
Cant see my self riding for much longer.

 

[Gina M]

Its sad when anyone dies. Especially 3 bikers at the same time.
Awful for the families.
Been riding 30+ years and im seriously thinking about hanging up my jacket for the last time.
My main concern is down to the ever decreasing competence of car drivers.
I commute daily on the M1 and to be honest some of the morons i see on there scare me.
Cant see my self riding for much longer.

Mr Gina M is the same as you. He sold his bike a few years ago. He is shocked when he sees the chances some bikers take as we regularly drive on the same road these guys were killed on

 

[Two on Tour]

We live within a couple of hundred yards of a long 2.5 mile straight on the A14 and most weekend in the summer we comment that the organ donors are out in force today when we hear bike after bike screaming down that section of road.

 

[Vanman]

There was a very bad accident near Wakefield/Barnsley a couple of weeks back which resulted in the loss of 4 innocent lives and leaving a young girl orphaned. A man and his wife on a m/bike in their 50s collided head on with a car killing both on the bike and the driver of the car instantly. His wife and two of his daughters died as the car became a fireball. A third daughter wasn't travelling with them. It is thought possible that a Porsche was also involved.

It has been suggested that the Porsche was the cause of the accident.

 

[The Wino]

I do see groups of bikers thinking they are immune to the normal rules of the road a group yesterday in Peebles with one bike blocking the road while their mates exited from a car park together and a similar event at a set of traffic lights in Whitby with them all coming through on red with the traffic on green blocked. Not particularly dangerous but if they behave like that in towns do they ride sensibly on open stretches of road?

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[Tonks]

Its sad when anyone dies. Especially 3 bikers at the same time.
Awful for the families.
Been riding 30+ years and im seriously thinking about hanging up my jacket for the last time.
My main concern is down to the ever decreasing competence of car drivers.
I commute daily on the M1 and to be honest some of the morons i see on there scare me.
Cant see my self riding for much longer.

I am convinced that there are a vast and increasing number of unlicensed drivers/riders on the roads, either because they don't bother to have any proper lessons and drive either with no licence or drive illegally on Provisional licences, ie with no L plates or supervising driver, or because they got their licence abroad and then illegally drive on it in the UK without taking a test here which they must do if they've been here more than 12 months.

Then there's the problem of drug driving which is increasing in massive leaps and bounds. Drugged drivers with impaired reflexes are a big issue with so many using so-called recreational drugs on a very regular basis and apparently having no idea that drugs like cannabis can stay in your system for up to seven days. Then there are disqualified drivers who keep driving despite their bans. And drunk drivers keep on driving.
There are plenty of idiots who think they're clever but are a danger to themselves and others. Those who film themselves racing on the roads or driving with cider cans in their hands for example!

Then there are those who make you wonder how they ever passed a test at all. Just a couple of personal examples:

• Watching someone trying to back a VERY small car into a substantial space and making a total balls up of it. The number of people who cannot manoeuvre in reverse is frankly alarming.
• Watching various workpeople trying to back their vans up onto my drive - to the point where I've several times thought it would be easier just to let me do it for them! (Presumably similarly skilled drivers are responsible for scratching my car twice, and hitting the front of it once, all while it was PARKED on my own drive but which delivery trucks etc seem to think it's necessary to rush past at stupid speed to get to the one house which is about twenty feet behind.)
• The driver I was behind in Milton Keynes recently, who I worried was having a medical episode as he was wandering about and drifting across lanes and almost stopping in inappropriate places. When I was alongside him (for the briefest time I could possible manage) he was looking down rather than at the road and I think trying to update/work his phone satnav. He was putting lots of people at risk including the three others in the car with him.

Could go on and on, but I'll finish with the state of the roads, which are a liability for all of us but are incredibly dangerous for motorbike riders with far too many deep holes which are often difficult to see until it's too late, particularly in bad weather when they fill up with water.

 

[dazandandrea]

Drugs, smell it every day on the motorways

 

[Vanman]

I am convinced that there are a vast and increasing number of unlicensed drivers/riders on the roads, either because they don't bother to have any proper lessons and drive either with no licence or drive illegally on Provisional licences, ie with no L plates or supervising driver, or because they got their licence abroad and then illegally drive on it in the UK without taking a test here which they must do if they've been here more than 12 months.

Then there's the problem of drug driving which is increasing in massive leaps and bounds. Drugged drivers with impaired reflexes are a big issue with so many using so-called recreational drugs on a very regular basis and apparently having no idea that drugs like cannabis can stay in your system for up to seven days. Then there are disqualified drivers who keep driving despite their bans. And drunk drivers keep on driving.
There are plenty of idiots who think they're clever but are a danger to themselves and others. Those who film themselves racing on the roads or driving with cider cans in their hands for example!

Then there are those who make you wonder how they ever passed a test at all. Just a couple of personal examples:

• Watching someone trying to back a VERY small car into a substantial space and making a total balls up of it. The number of people who cannot manoeuvre in reverse is frankly alarming.
• Watching various workpeople trying to back their vans up onto my drive - to the point where I've several times thought it would be easier just to let me do it for them! (Presumably similarly skilled drivers are responsible for scratching my car twice, and hitting the front of it once, all while it was PARKED on my own drive but which delivery trucks etc seem to think it's necessary to rush past at stupid speed to get to the one house which is about twenty feet behind.)
• The driver I was behind in Milton Keynes recently, who I worried was having a medical episode as he was wandering about and drifting across lanes and almost stopping in inappropriate places. When I was alongside him (for the briefest time I could possible manage) he was looking down rather than at the road and I think trying to update/work his phone satnav. He was putting lots of people at risk including the three others in the car with him.

Could go on and on, but I'll finish with the state of the roads, which are a liability for all of us but are incredibly dangerous for motorbike riders with far too many deep holes which are often difficult to see until it's too late, particularly in bad weather when they fill up with water.

I was following someone weaving the other day on an A road and I realized the driver was watching the footy on his hand held phone ...

 

[gus-lopez]

I was following someone weaving the other day on an A road and I realized the driver was watching the footy on his hand held phone ...

When I was alongside him (for the briefest time I could possible manage) he was looking down rather than at the road and I think trying to update/work his phone satnav.

I can always tell & never do anything but put hand on the horn to front them up.If they want to watch,text or talk pull up & do it. i have no problems battering them. Worst are those who flash past then pull in & slow .You know the phone has rung & the twat has answered it but can't do two things at once whilst I am on cruise control & am now running in to the ****wit .

 

[The Wino]

I can always tell & never do anything but put hand on the horn to front them up.If they want to watch,text or talk pull up & do it. i have no problems battering them. Worst are those who flash past then pull in & slow .You know the phone has rung & the twat has answered it but can't do two things at once whilst I am on cruise control & am now running in to the ****wit .

It's either the phone or just idiots who hate sitting behind a motorhome despite it going as fast or faster than they want to

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