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Thread ID: 88459	2008-03-28 02:51:00	On Campbell Live tonite - "Motorcycle rules revved up"	johcar (6283)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
653510	2008-03-28 02:51:00	Motorcycle rules revved up The Government is gearing up to reduce the high rate of motorcycle accidents by proposing tougher rules plus measures to improve training. What will it mean for riders? From an email from TV3 promoting what items Campbell will be talking about tonite... Might be interesting, but from what I know about motorcycle accidents, the bulk of them are caused by "Sorry-mate,-I-didn't-see-you"-motorists. (Same for cycle accidents.) So additional training for motorcyclists will pretty much be a waste of time and money (assuming that's what is being proposed)...	johcar (6283)
653511	2008-03-28 03:05:00	Tougher rules for whom? Motorcycle riders learn very quickly just how vulnerable they are and they also develop highly defensive driving skills otherwise they will end up in the infirmary sooner rather than later . It's the motorists that need training . A lot of them simply just don't see motorcyclists . I believe that this is because there was a huge drop in the number of them on the roads after the registration price went sky high for bikes over a certain size and motorists forgot they existed . There still aren't as many around but the numbers are slowly increasing . Motorists, however, haven't adjusted their "share the road" mentality to accommodate them . Having said all that some of the boys on the big bikes do ride like maniacs on the open road . :rolleyes:	FoxyMX (5)
653512	2008-03-28 03:26:00	Agree wholeheartedly, FoxyMX . In fact a cycling buddy of mine explained the whole issue in terms that makes perfect sense to me: Motorists (four-wheeled or more) unconsciously make risk-related decisions all the time while driving . It all comes down to size on the road (so size DOES matter! I knew it!! :D ) - a motorist unconsciously perceives a (motor-)cyclist as being less of a risk to his/her safety than a bus or truck . When overtaking cyclists on a two lane road (one lane each way), with oncoming traffic, a motorist will push past a cyclist, rather than either waiting for the oncoming traffic to go by or pull slightly into the oncoming lane . All because of the size of the risk to themselves - hitting a cyclist is 'preferable', where they know the cyclist is going to come off second best, to a head-on, where perhaps damage to their own person might occur . Just be patient, people - no-one wants to be "a patient"!!	johcar (6283)
653513	2008-03-28 05:41:00	Too true, and about time they made the switch to Power : Weight Ratio for Learner / Restricted bikes vs a straight 250cc limit... And same for removing the 70KMph limit, its just dangerous riding at 70 down the motorway, you literally get pushed off the side. I got my only ticket for doing 102KMph in a 100K zone, but because I was a learner at the time I was screwed over... Got my Restricted 8 days later (Was able to after 5 more days, talk about bad timing). $400 later I was not a happy chappy :( They had a brief article on it tonight on the news, and I was quite impressed by all the proposed changes, some of them long overdue. And its true what they say, you need to ride like they're out to get you.. coz even though they're not deliberately (most of the time), they may as well be... Since learning to ride over the past 18months +, I know for certain that my car-driving skills have greatly improved. I thought I was a pretty alright driver before, but now I know I was mistaken and that I quite frankly just "wasnt aware" of what was going on around me. Its so easy now that Ive learned to ride for me to pick out 'distracted' drivers, be it eating, on a cellphone, talking to a passenger, messing with their stereo, or just plain oblivious (sunday?) drivers!	Chilling_Silence (9)
653514	2008-03-28 06:31:00	I agree I've been a cyclist all my life both here and in the UK where i'm originally from and car drivers just don't see you but neither do truck or bus drivers either, I can guarantee to get cut up at least once a day on my ride to work which incedently only takes me 12 minutes. Every vehicle driver should be made to ride some sort of 2 wheels on the road when they apply for their driving license to be renewed every 10 years then we might see an improvement in attitudes towards us.	gary67 (56)
653515	2008-03-28 08:13:00	I got hit by a cyclist yesterday - on the 2nd half of a pedestrian crossing. I accidentally stepped on his derailleur afterward, how sad.	R2x1 (4628)
653516	2008-03-28 08:56:00	Tougher rules for whom? Motorcycle riders learn very quickly just how vulnerable they are and they also develop highly defensive driving skills otherwise they will end up in the infirmary sooner rather than later . It's the motorists that need training . A lot of them simply just don't see motorcyclists . I believe that this is because there was a huge drop in the number of them on the roads after the registration price went sky high for bikes over a certain size and motorists forgot they existed . There still aren't as many around but the numbers are slowly increasing . Motorists, however, haven't adjusted their "share the road" mentality to accommodate them . Having said all that some of the boys on the big bikes do ride like maniacs on the open road . :rolleyes: One of the reasons MC registration is so expensive, is because of the high acc portion of it . Unfortunately acc count all MC accidents even the ones that happen on private property/farms .	plod (107)
653517	2008-03-28 09:31:00	From an email from TV3 promoting what items Campbell will be talking about tonite... Might be interesting, but from what I know about motorcycle accidents, the bulk of them are caused by "Sorry-mate,-I-didn't-see-you"-motorists. (Same for cycle accidents.) So additional training for motorcyclists will pretty much be a waste of time and money (assuming that's what is being proposed)... Maybe too many of the "motorcyclists" are mid life wannabes who have no idea of defensive riding.	PaulD (232)
653518	2008-03-28 21:04:00	Didn't see this on Campbell Live last night - obviously residential bee-keeping has far more national interest!! :groan: One of the reasons MC registration is so expensive, is because of the high acc portion of it . Unfortunately acc count all MC accidents even the ones that happen on private property/farms . Agree with the registration cost being overinflated by ACC levies - but the fact is ACC, since it is a 'no-fault' system, calculates its levies based on fixing the results of accidents, rather than who actually caused them in the first place . Since motorcyclists are obviously more vulnerable, they usually come of second best (or worse) in any altercation with 2 tonnes of steel and plastic . If life was fair, cars and trucks would have a fairer share of the levy . . . Maybe too many of the "motorcyclists" are mid life wannabes who have no idea of defensive riding . Some truth in this I think Paul - lots of older guys (usually, not only) have the disposable income to spare to do in their dotage what they either couldn't afford to do or weren't allowed by their parents to do when they were much younger and still had reaction time up their sleeves . Now they've go straight out of their cars (V8's?), where they didn't have to worry too much about their position on the road, and just go for it! Statistics on this wannabe age-group could be an interesting read: comparing accidents including road/traffic conditions at the time of accident, longevity of riding experience, engine size, penis size . . . . :D	johcar (6283)
653519	2008-03-28 21:15:00	I got hit by a cyclist yesterday - on the 2nd half of a pedestrian crossing . I accidentally stepped on his derailleur afterward, how sad . Can't have been too hard a hit if you were able to get off the ground before him and retaliate! :) Normally cyclist vs . pedestrian, the pedestrian comes off worse - lots of sticky-out bits on the front end of a bike!! However, it seems the cyclist got what was coming to him . :thumbs: I have no sympathy for him (and I'm a keen road cyclist - Rotorua-Taupo 100km Flyer next weekend, Hamilton-Whangamata the following one and Rotorua-Whakatane at the end of April, with the BIG rides at the end of the year: Round Melbourne (210km) and Round Taupo (160km)) . . .	johcar (6283)
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