Fatal motorcycle crash at < 20 kph

[Homer]

Through some combination of lack of attention, misjudgement of closing speed with the car in front of him, misjudgement of that car's slowing and misjudgement of traction on the wet pavement a motorcycle rider going about 15 - 20 kph in the left lane attempted to avoid a collision by veering to his right into the space between the two lanes of traffic. He tapped the rear of the car, dumping the bike into the space between the lanes. He fell farther to the right and was crushed.

Riding a motorcycle safely in traffic starts with two words, IMHO: Ride aware.

Some people learn better with words, some with pictures. Warning page for dash cam video here:

[Ginjaninja]

Typically we as motorcyclists would like to blame car drivers 99% of the time......
99% of the time we would be in the right.
Unfortunately... this motorcyclist is the 1% and has proved that bad riding can have fatal consequences....
Poor lad and big lesson to us all!!! Pay the f*ck attention to what you're doing.
For Hua Hin riders in need of instruction, please get in touch....... P.M. me and we will happily provide lifesaving instruction.
We have some exceptionally skilled riders in the area, doesn't matter what size of bike you ride, it is of little consequence when it comes to road safety.
Stay safe please.
GN.

[Frank Hovis]

A question for motorcyclists on the forum :

Why drive between two lines of traffic when there is the choice of driving between the traffic in the nearside lane and hard shoulder, or between the traffic in the offside lane and central reservation; in both these situations you only have one moving object to concern yourself with, why go for squeezing between two moving objects ?
(Or the least popular choice, stay in line)

I see it all the time here, pull up to the lights and without fail motorcyclists will squeeze up the nearside to get past you, fair enough if needs be they can dismount on to the pavement where static objects are their greatest concern for injury but also without fail they will squeeze up between the lines of cars where, if needs be, the only place you can dismount to is into another vehicle, as the video graphically shows.

[buksida]

From personal experience of general riding (not traffic queues) ...

Riding on the far left: forget it - dogs running out at you and idiots pulling out without looking, its a deathwish.

Riding on the far right: idiots turning right without signaling and a-holes in minivans overtaking and flashing their lights warning you to get out of your own lane.

[dtaai-maai]

For Hua Hin riders in need of instruction, please get in touch....... P.M. me and we will happily provide lifesaving instruction.
We have some exceptionally skilled riders in the area, doesn't matter what size of bike you ride, it is of little consequence when it comes to road safety.

That's not a bad idea at all.

By the time I took my motorcycle test in the UK, you had to pass a 3-day course involving all aspects of safe riding before you could take your test. Although I'd been riding smaller bikes off and on over the years, this was an invaluable experience and undoubtedly made riding a bigger bike a much safer and more enjoyable experience.

You need to know what you can and can't do on a bike, and what you're comfortable with doing - I never felt inclined (pardon the pun) to have one knee scraping the ground in a corner!

So yes, if some of you guys (and girls) genuinely know what you're doing, find somewhere suitable and pass it on!

[Big Boy]

I see it all the time here, pull up to the lights and without fail motorcyclists will squeeze up the nearside to get past you

Not to mention the numerous idiots who decide to change lanes by making 2 90 degree turns directly in front of you because they perceive there is an extra half inch of space in the next lane

I think we often persecute the idiot motor cyclists because there are so many. Of course there are some good riders out there. However, we probably don't even notice them because they aren't making stupid manouvres. Unfortunately, the good riders feel every detrimental comment is aimed at them also, and they tend to go defensive.

Live and let live is what I say. I've already seen a few of the idiot fraternity laying motionless at the roadside without helmets. We aint going to stop it - just make sure you as No.1 are doing it the right way.

[Ginjaninja]

We are talking about two different motorcyclist here lets not forget..
There is the idiot moped driver who pissed everyone off with their must be at the front of the queue antics..
And there is the big-bike rider who rides for pleasure and not generally A-B transportation who takes road safety very seriously.
You can get away with a fair few errors in a car but forget about it on a bike with no safety shell. Your first error will likely be your last.
GN.

[Big Boy]

I think that's basically the distinction I was trying to make, and they definitely don't mix.

[Frank Hovis]

Live and let live is what I say.

Live and let die is probably a more appropriate idiom.

GN - I understand the difference, and it is noticeable that riders on larger motorbikes tend to wear proper gear and generally drive in a fashion that indicates that they are aware of the dangers surrounding them, sadly they are in the minority here.

I don't really mind if people throw their lives away for a couple of car lengths, makes no difference to me if an entire family and their dog gets wiped out, as long as it's not me that has to explain to the police that they fell under my truck rather than me knocking them off their bike.

Maybe investing in a dash cam is a good idea, if not for evidence but just so I can remember all the bizarre manoeuvers I see on every journey. Anyone got any recommendations for dash cams ?

[Ginjaninja]

The Go-Pro is a good size but the battery is crap and it's very expensive.
I'm not aware of alternatives.

[Frank Hovis]

I just had a look on Amazon and the range of dash cams is astonishing, you can even get sunglasses with a built in video recorder.

[STEVE G]

There is the idiot moped driver who pissed everyone off with their must be at the front of the queue antics..
And there is the big-bike rider who rides for pleasure and not generally A-B transportation who takes road safety very seriously.

Let's not also forget those sports bike riders, who ride for pleasure and not transportation, some of whom are completely reckless. I've had those things come past me on the road from Bangkok at ridiculous speeds, both Thais and Farangs.
To be honest,why would you buy something capable of going about 300 kph if you're not interested in going too fast on it?

[Ginjaninja]

To be honest,why would you buy something capable of going about 300 kph if you're not interested in going to go too fast on it?

Don't think I'll risk contradicting myself with an answer on this one Steve....
GN.

[usual suspect]

When I 'super-moto'd' my little Sonic (which involved replacing the low h/bars with off-road ones & jacking the bike up somewhat)..straight away I was aware of my new ability to see traffic situations better..so when in town keep your head up & read the road both 150metres ahead, as well as immediately around you..
Safe riding to all of you on here...