How to dissect a motorcyclist.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

One of the very few reasons I'm glad I dont have a bike anymore---







Filed under: Etc. (http://www.autoblog.com/category/etc/), Safety (http://www.autoblog.com/category/safety/), Motorcycles (http://www.autoblog.com/category/motorcycles/), UK (http://www.autoblog.com/category/uk/)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ (http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/mcn/2007/December/december-24-30/dec2807instituteofadvancedmotoristsuturnonwirebarr iers/)

We aren't conspiracy theorists, and we believe that government usually wants to do the right thing. Nevertheless, we do wonder sometimes how large groups of smart people come up with such dumb ideas. In this case, it's wire rope barriers used to act as a median on rural roads.

The barriers, already in use in Sweden, the Netherlands and New Zealand, are used to prevent head-on collisions between automobiles on narrower roads that don't allow for thick concrete barriers. The UK was in favor of installing them, until a study by a motorcycle group showed that they would be fatal for motorcyclists. In New Zealand, the barriers were nicknamed "cheese cutters" after a 22-year-old motorcyclist encountered them at speed and was sliced in two like a brick of fromage.

Now the Institute of Advanced Motorists, the group that had been lobbying for them in the UK, has withdrawn its endorsement. It now wants to "ensure that any barrier system proposed anywhere on our roads places the safety needs of motorcyclists at the top of the list."

Thanks for the tip, Adam!

[Bigbjorn]

Plenty of them in Oz also.

[Utemad]

They have them in Oz too. Slightly different in that the ropes cross over but they would still make a big mess of you.

[Xavie]

Yes, recently I was reading a motorcycle magazine and it had an article on this sort of barrier and also ones which grab cars.

Without a pic it is hard to explain but I don't have the picture but it is amazing how the people who take care of our roads don't put motorcyclists even on the list of safety really.

Everything is geared towards cars which is fine if you drive a car but not if your a motorcyclist. And it is a real concern considering motorcycles have no protection to begin with.

Xavier

[easo]

I've always known them as cheez graters too. There common on the Hume Hwy around Bo ho and Tenerife, Vic.

As I understand the idea is that the posts snap off too obsorb the impact and the cable slows the car down, streches and stops the car bouncing back off.

However I doubt it would budge an inch with an impact from a bike rider.

My opinion, Easo

[djhampson]

Just playing devils advocate here but wouldn't the concrete barriers or the metal ones (Are they called amcor or something?) be just as bad for a biker to hit.

With the concrete barriers you're likely to be splattered and with the wire barriers sliced - you still don't have a good chance of surviving an accident where you go into a barrier.

[100I]

You could hit a concrete barrier at a shy angle and even if you break bones there's a good chance you'll survive, the impact is spread over a larger surface area.
Same scenario with a wire rope and you're mozzarella.

[tombraider]

Just playing devils advocate here but wouldn't the concrete barriers or the metal ones (Are they called amcor or something?) be just as bad for a biker to hit.

With the concrete barriers you're likely to be splattered and with the wire barriers sliced - you still don't have a good chance of surviving an accident where you go into a barrier.

Put bluntly...

NO....

I've had a few friends hurt by wire barriers & 2 friends killed (1 rider, the other a separate incident was a pillion)

Riders hitting the solid pressed steel ones never came off as bad as the riders that hit the wire ones they replaced them with.

[HangOver]

just for info, these barriers have been used in the UK for years, mostly on freeways/motorways/highways. I have never seen them on country roads in the UK.

[cartm58]

its a cost thing, blame the accountants saying that Government should do everything on the cheap,

Govt got safety as public hurt noise on their radar about separating vehicles at high speed from crossing over lanes or going over cliffs, so got to put ins safety barrier of some sort and they got nosie of govt needing to be in surplus so dont spend a lot

Motor bike riders small percentage of road user so can be ignored

Interesting fact is motor bike riders knowing cheese cutter on road and impact likely don't seem to slow down so risk assessment skills must be low or they dont expect to survive a spill from bike at speed regardless of surface travelled on or barriers likely to be encoutnered

[shorty943]

Put bluntly...

NO....

I've had a few friends hurt by wire barriers & 2 friends killed (1 rider, the other a separate incident was a pillion)

Riders hitting the solid pressed steel ones never came off as bad as the riders that hit the wire ones they replaced them with.

Only once in nearly forty years have I sen anyone "not" hurt by Armco fencing, or barriers. The bike sprung the bottom edge of the barrier, as it dragged him under it, by one leg. No broken bones or such, but he was very badly cut up.

As for wires? I would love to garrote the mongrel that introduced them.

And, finally. The insurance companies want us riders, off the road, period.
Too many others crash into us and cost them money. Granted, there are idiots who just should not be allowed to ride. Or drive.

In general, a rider will cost more per crash, than a more protected driver.
The corporate insurance boys don't like that. The answer?
A world wide, back door campaign to ban motorcycles completely.
After all, they are very dangerous scary things, with high medical bills.

You start by "forgetting" to "officially" include one sub set of road users.
Just once is enough
Before long, that sub set "officially" does not exist. Not in the departments letterhead, it is not official, and I quote "we do not know this to be true", starts to roll out of the department mouths.
Next, because it does not "officially" exist. You can't get a license for or register to operate a vehicle that does not exist.

Jobs done.:angel::D

[loanrangie]

The thing i dont understand about the cable barriers is that if you hit them in a car or truck, not only do you damage the pole you hit but the cable tends to stuff another half dozen or so in the process ? - and they are concreted in.

[gumby190]

It's really a compromise.

There are more Trucks & Cars on the roads than bikes, how many more high speed car & truck crashes are there compared to motorbike accidents, so the thinking is that they protect the majority & the minority will sort themselves out.
The poles are inserted into sleeves which are in turn concreted into the ground, the poles are easily replaced in a matter of minutes & cost about $25-30 a pop, the cable has the strength to stop a laden Semi Trailer from crossing the road into oncoming traffic & also acts as a brake by tangling itself around the wheels & axles. The Wire rope fencing system has been used in Australia since late '92 & alot of the newer high speed roads around NSW have it installed - M2, M7, M5, M4, B2C, Y2C

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

It is definately not Motorcycle friendly but most riders know most drivers aren't either.


http://www.brifen.com/images/art1d.jpg

Even after being impacted by a fully-laden Scania semi-trailer 'Pan Tech', this section of the Brifen Wire Rope Safety Fence on the Hume Highway, some 10km north of Goulburn, prevented the semi-trailer from crossing into the path of oncoming traffic thus avoiding a potential multiple vehicular impact disaster. There was no serious injury to the driver and only minimal damage to the semi-trailer. Travelling at an estimated 100kph at the time of impact. Even after being exposed to the massive forces involved with a loaded semi-trailer impacting the fence at 100 kph, the Brifen fence only allowed a maximum deflection of approx 3m , and importantly, despite the vehicles high centre of gravity, prevented the semi-trailer from rolling or tipping.

Since the installation of the Brifen fences along this section of the Hume Highway, they have been impacted on numerous occasions. On each occasion, the fence performed perfectly, preventing the vehicles from crossing into the opposing traffic lanes and bringing them safely to a stop. As with impacts in all fence locations throughout Australia, and indeed around the world, none of the impacts along the Hume Highway fences have resulted in any serious injury or death.


http://www.brifen.com/images/art1a.jpg

[amtravic1]

The wire barriers are widespread in Victoria. Motorcyclists have complained about them from day one however the goverment has decided that car drivers are far more important than bike riders and continues to install them.
You would think that with all the congestion on the roads that governments would actually be encouraging the use of bikes and scooters, not making it more dangerous for them to be on the roads.

Ian

[RonMcGr]

One of the very few reasons I'm glad I dont have a bike anymore---







Filed under: Etc. (http://www.autoblog.com/category/etc/), Safety (http://www.autoblog.com/category/safety/), Motorcycles (http://www.autoblog.com/category/motorcycles/), UK (http://www.autoblog.com/category/uk/)
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/12/wire_rope_dividers.jpg (http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/mcn/2007/December/december-24-30/dec2807instituteofadvancedmotoristsuturnonwirebarr iers/)

We aren't conspiracy theorists, and we believe that government usually wants to do the right thing. Nevertheless, we do wonder sometimes how large groups of smart people come up with such dumb ideas. In this case, it's wire rope barriers used to act as a median on rural roads.

The barriers, already in use in Sweden, the Netherlands and New Zealand, are used to prevent head-on collisions between automobiles on narrower roads that don't allow for thick concrete barriers. The UK was in favor of installing them, until a study by a motorcycle group showed that they would be fatal for motorcyclists. In New Zealand, the barriers were nicknamed "cheese cutters" after a 22-year-old motorcyclist encountered them at speed and was sliced in two like a brick of fromage.

Now the Institute of Advanced Motorists, the group that had been lobbying for them in the UK, has withdrawn its endorsement. It now wants to "ensure that any barrier system proposed anywhere on our roads places the safety needs of motorcyclists at the top of the list."

Thanks for the tip, Adam!

IF a motorcyclist is NOT speeding, he or she will be fine, simple as that :D

However most of the idiots that I saw over the last few days on the highway, would come to grief!

Why is it that a lot of bike riders believe they should be able to ride at 40kph+ over the speed limit?, have their own lane inbetween cars?, wear thongs?????, wear singlets?? and do wheelies when they take off?

[amtravic1]

IF a motorcyclist is NOT speeding, he or she will be fine, simple as that :D

However most of the idiots that I saw over the last few days on the highway, would come to grief!

Why is it that a lot of bike riders believe they should be able to ride at 40kph+ over the speed limit?, have their own lane inbetween cars?, wear thongs?????, wear singlets?? and do wheelies when they take off?

A motorcyclist will not be fine even hitting the wire barriers at 100 kmh.
As for the lack of safety gear when riding then stupid people deserve the injuries they get if they fall off with no safety gear.
As far as speed limits go well it is extremely difficult to stick to the speed limit on a bike and my own 35 years of experience has shown that the safest place to be in traffic is in front of the stupid car drivers. I have had only one collision on the road when on my L plates which taught me a good lesson that sometimes car drivers just dont see bikes. Most road bikes I have owned are not happy at low speed and dont start to work properly until going well over the speed limit.
Unfortunately I dont own a bike at present as it is a great way to travel and I really enjoy both road and dirt bikes. Some of my favorite road rides were up to 1500 kms in a day, Melbourne, Albury, Corryong, Omeo, Bairnsdale and back to Melbourne for a days ride.

Ian

[gumby190]

The wire barriers are widespread in Victoria. Motorcyclists have complained about them from day one however the goverment has decided that car drivers are far more important than bike riders and continues to install them.


It is not the importance of people driving cars it is the fact that there are more cars & trucks on the road.
A car needs to have a barrier to stop it with the way alot of people drive. A runaway bike will do minimal damage where as a truck or car has the potential to kill many people.
I ride a bike & I am aware of the risks that I take on everytime I get on the road, I choose to ride therefore I live with the risks & associated dangers.
These fences have been introduced for the masses & they save more lives than they take, if you are not happy maybe it is time you hung up your helmet.

[29dinosaur]

Whilst we all can symapthise with bikes riding besides these things, an once of common sense would mean that you would ride with caution... 'der' statement...

But seeing the evidence of their effectiveness makes one thankful for there presence.

PERFORMANCE HISTORY The performance of the BRIFEN Wire Rope Safety Fence ( WRSF ) has been fully tested by controlled crash testing of vehicles and also by the assessment of its behaviour under uncontrolled impact conditions in the field , as a result of an accident.


Brifen WRSF performance history dates back to 1970 when controlled crash (impact) testing was commenced. Crash testing to improve the Brifen WRSF has and is still continuing. All tests indicated rope deflections to be within the required design parameters.

Performance to date of Brifen WRSF can be gauged by:
One study of over 200 recorded impacts showed that there were no cross-overs of medians or fatal injuries as a result of vehicles colliding with the Brifen WRSF.
On two of Sydney's motorways, the M4 and M5 there is a total of 24km of Brifen WRSF in the median. In over 80 impacts there have been no crossovers and the only known injury to a vehicle occupant was a bleeding nose.
Brifen WRSF has been used as a barrier on bridges and culverts, both in a rural and urban environment. Its suitability as a bridge barrier was indicated by the 'verge' test and has been verified by field performance in a low speed environment or on a low volume rural road.
While Brifen WRSF has been designed to restrain sedan vehicles it has been impacted by many trucks of all shapes and sizes. While in a number of instances measured deflections have been up to four metres, the ropes did not break but held the vehicle and did not permit a median crossover. There are in excess of 3000km of Brifen WRSF installed in over 25 countries. In Australia Brifen WRSF has been installed in every State and Territory . Total length of fence installed in Australia since 1992 is over 180km.


http://www.brifen.com/images/perfhis1.jpghttps://www.aulro.com/afvb/http://www.brifen.com/images/perfhis2.jpghttps://www.aulro.com/afvb/http://www.brifen.com/images/perfhis3.jpghttps://www.aulro.com/afvb/http://www.brifen.com/images/perfhis4.jpg
While stopping and recovering a one-and-a-half tonne projectile from mid-air after impacting at 113kph, the four wire ropes in BRIFEN WRSF VERGE TEST showed these remarkable performance characteristics. Requested by the RTA parkes (NSW) Division to simulate a culvert or bridge crossing, the test was conducted by M.I.R.A. in the UK during October 1994. The 1.5 tonne projectile, a driverless Rover, was propelled by winch to a point 6m from impact with the fence. The angle of impact was 20 degrees. RESULT: Vehicle minor body damage. No broken glass. BRIFEN WRSF returned to normal alignment with 8 posts missing. COMMENT: The VERGE TEST confirmed BRIFEN WRSF regular in-service performance.



Another interesting site (http://www.fema.ridersrights.org/crashbarrier/index.html#6)

[rangieman]

Ive been riding motor bikes long enough to know if you crash , your fault or a car drivers fault Its going to hurt so it doest,nt worry me where they put them fences as long as they dont put them across the road at right angles :cool::D

If you worried about what might happen to you in todays day and life stay inside in bed:p

[dobbo]

If you worried about what might happen to you in todays day and life stay inside in bed:p



Tried that one,



Three kids later

[RonMcGr]

Hmmmm....100k on a freeway is not speeding but I wouldn't like to hit anything at any speed on a bike. Even low speed accidents on bikes hurt!! :( And not necessarily the riders fault either :mad:

So...that's a pretty useless comment really

Not really!
I have riden a M/C quite often over the past 43 years.
Yes I have come off a few times, but never due to speed.

Stick to the speed limit and you have nothing to worry about!
That includes ALL vehicles.

[100I]

My wife hit the side of a van at barely 15kmh.. she tells me it HURT;)

[RonMcGr]

My wife hit the side of a van at barely 15kmh.. she tells me it HURT;)

My infamous Dutch Brother in Law, ran up the bum of a Mercedes Benz and broke two fingers :D Both he and the MB were stationary. A car went past, then the DBIL "assumed" the woman in the MB had taken off at the offending intersection, however, she adopted the "womans prerogative", changed her mind and stopped. He bent his Korean yellow M/C thingy, busted her tail light, his fingers and pride. :D

I thought it was :Rolling::Rolling::Rolling::Rolling::Rolling:

Poor chap, and so good at everything!! :lol2::lol2::lol2:

[graceysdad]

These are along the highway at Lake George on way to Golburn, reckon they would open up any vehicle that hit it, let alone a bike rider with out the added protection of a car body, very silly, surely more expensive then armco

[100I]

These are along the highway at Lake George on way to Golburn, reckon they would open up any vehicle that hit it, let alone a bike rider with out the added protection of a car body, very silly, surely more expensive then armco
No it's cheaper, that's the clincher

[Rad97]

The Government see motorcyclist as temporary Australians and probably dont care what they think becuase they arnt going to be around long enough to argue about it or do anything about it .

By the way I used to ride a motor bike and all my friends called me a temporary Australian citizen.

[gumby190]

Cheaper than Armco, Yes.
More durable than Armco, Yes.
Narrower Footprint than Armco, a single span can cover both directions of a carriageway. Whereas a median would have to be 3 x the width to allow Armco or jersey kerbs.

Armco is a PIA to maintain & repair, replacing an upright & section of Armco can take up to 6hrs & requires a fair bit of equipment & personel. Hammer/Extractor rig - 2 x operators.
Traffic Control - Truck & personel.

Brifen on the other hand requires - 2 x people, a winch & a ute. I have replaced 12 poles in under 2hrs.

Very cost effective.

[pohm66]

I've been a bike rider for years...had a bike licence and a 250 for 2 years before I gotta car and yes gravity sucks.

I cringe when I see these cheese slicers but then again most accidents I've seen, heard of or seen the results of (working at the PA hospital) these things were no where to be seen.....its a number game.

What makes me whince are riders who don't wear closed in footwear and gloves..... screw up your feet or hands and that really plays havoc with daily life....

[graceysdad]

I see plenty of idiots here who continue to ride big in shorts and singlets and bloody thongs, least they wear a crash helmet so obviously they arent totally stupid!

[PeterM]

Not really!
I have riden a M/C quite often over the past 43 years.
Yes I have come off a few times, but never due to speed.

Stick to the speed limit and you have nothing to worry about!
That includes ALL vehicles.

And that is an enormous load of rubbish!!!

It is exactly that type of mentality that contributes to the 'thumb in bum, mind in neutral' state of many people on the road. Have a simple look at the number of collisions that happen during peak hr in any city you care to mention. How many of these happened at or above the prescribed speed limit, virtually nil. The brainwashing from various governments that speed is the big bad wolf of the road toll is rubbish and not supported by any facts. Truth is they are too gutless to institute competency based licencing and actually train people how to drive.

To the WRB, no one has mentioned yet that there are plastic covers available for these to reduce the chance of injury to motorcyclists. Have any been purchased, nope, that costs the blighters money. That amounts to negligence in my mind if they do not do all they can to provide the safest, most effective protection for ALL road users.

FYI WRB have never been tested with motorbikes hitting them.

[Jeff]

And that is an enormous load of rubbish!!!

It is exactly that type of mentality that contributes to the 'thumb in bum, mind in neutral' state of many people on the road. Have a simple look at the number of collisions that happen during peak hr in any city you care to mention. How many of these happened at or above the prescribed speed limit, virtually nil. The brainwashing from various governments that speed is the big bad wolf of the road toll is rubbish and not supported by any facts. Truth is they are too gutless to institute competency based licencing and actually train people how to drive.

To the WRB, no one has mentioned yet that there are plastic covers available for these to reduce the chance of injury to motorcyclists. Have any been purchased, nope, that costs the blighters money. That amounts to negligence in my mind if they do not do all they can to provide the safest, most effective protection for ALL road users.

FYI WRB have never been tested with motorbikes hitting them.


I couldn't agree more and I can't believe the rubbish spouted about travelling at the speed limit makes you safe. There is always an element of danger on the road whether you are on a bike, in a LR or in a semi, be it other road users, weather or road conditions or fatigue.

Jeff

:rocket::rocket:

[RonMcGr]

And that is an enormous load of rubbish!!!

It is exactly that type of mentality that contributes to the 'thumb in bum, mind in neutral' state of many people on the road. Have a simple look at the number of collisions that happen during peak hr in any city you care to mention. How many of these happened at or above the prescribed speed limit, virtually nil. The brainwashing from various governments that speed is the big bad wolf of the road toll is rubbish and not supported by any facts. Truth is they are too gutless to institute competency based licencing and actually train people how to drive.

To the WRB, no one has mentioned yet that there are plastic covers available for these to reduce the chance of injury to motorcyclists. Have any been purchased, nope, that costs the blighters money. That amounts to negligence in my mind if they do not do all they can to provide the safest, most effective protection for ALL road users.

FYI WRB have never been tested with motorbikes hitting them.

It is not a lot of rubbish at all.
However I will modify the statement. Ignorant motorists in some areas contribute to a lot of motorcycle accidents, other than speed.
The last M/C I owned was in Sydney, north shore, 1990. I rode it to work twice and in that time had so many near misses, I sold it. In Townsville it was great!

Brisbane, no, I wouldn't.

[Stepho_62]

:twisted:

Hmmmm I see the ol "MC V the rest of the cage driving bastards" arguments has raised its ugly head yet again.

Pete my man, understand your frustration and you are correct, the "ride slow and you'll be right" arguments are a load of ol bollocks.

I've got to the stage where I'm almost too scared to take the SV outta the shed these days as the traffic on the Bruce highway heading south east @ 0740 is absolutley mental.

I laughingly refer to the transit to work as the Bushland Beach 500 for about the first 3k then it turns into the Northern Beaches 1000.

Only problem is there are no rules, no stuards, no ruling body and no Fuk3n protection.

Now, back to the cheese graters. These things do precisely what they r designed to do. That is, catch out of control F wits cars.

But i hear your cry "there are other ppl who use the road too" Well the answer from the "DOT's" is "to bad, so sad, get over it". :mad::mad::mad::angrylock:

I'm just waiting for a seriously clever legal person to crash his/her bike into one of these and then sue the ass off the "DOT" or who ever for "failing to provide a safe conveyance environment".

It will happen eventually.

Until then, ride safely, remember your safety space, do your scans every 30 seconds, avoid the cage driving fwits like the plague and MOST IMPORTANTLY. HAVE FUN. :D:D:D:D:wasntme:

[RobHay]

They have them in Oz too. Slightly different in that the ropes cross over but they would still make a big mess of you.

I agree but then so do Ironbark gum trees, brick retaining walls and radiators on really big trucks with the last you tend to look like a spud that has been through a chip making machine:o

[Stepho_62]

Sad but timley.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/07/2132834.htm

Irrespective of the speed if this bloke hadn't gone through one of these appaling pieces of road hardware he might still be alive to tell the tale.

Rumor on the ground says that the emergency services ppl are recieving counciling because the head and the torso were somewhat detached. :eek: No doubt caused by the median restraining device.:angrylock:

[Jeff]

I find it annoying that the media often say speed may have been a factor. If things don't move they don't hit other things so speed must be a factor in 99.9% of accidents. The 0.1% is trees falling on cars or something similar.

Jeff

:rocket:

[29dinosaur]

Sad but timley.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/07/2132834.htm

Irrespective of the speed if this bloke hadn't gone through one of these appaling pieces of road hardware he might still be alive to tell the tale.

Rumor on the ground says that the emergency services ppl are recieving counciling because the head and the torso were somewhat detached. :eek: No doubt caused by the median restraining device.:angrylock:

Seems to me that the people responsible for trying to reduce horrific road carnage are damned if they do - damned if they don't. Head on accidents which were once common on some roads have been reduced with various barriers. I wonder why there was a barrier on this particular road - had it seen families lost under head on with semi trailer or the like....?? I'm sure the potential also exists for the head and torso becoming detached when a semi runs over the top of a motorcyclist or roofless sports car as well. (I remember years ago a head on between a car and motorcyclist where the rider ended up through the windscreen... not a pretty sight either). There would be need for counseling under those circumstances also...

None of us can offer an explanation in this particular case unless we were there or have all the facts drawn out as in a coronial inquest.


I drove between Wollongong and top of mt Ousley the other day. I note that the road is separated all the way with a concrete barrier... many kms in all, (some will remember the horrific loss of a family at the bottom of Mt Ousley when a semi crossed the median strip to clean up the families car many yrs ago). and reflecting on Pacific highway north of Sydney - it has likewise concrete barrier all the way..... It would be interesting to compare the results of motorcycle crashes into these vs crashes into the wire barriers.... (I'm moving in my thinking now that governments probably are building these wire structures for economic rationalism or simplistic reasons rather than putting in hard money on more motor cycle friendly structures.... Again we as citizens should be holding our pollies accountable for how they spend our money..... but how... ??)


Wire pulled tight makes a nice cheese cutter as has been said. Two local blokes were riding as rider-pillion years ago... one dared the other as to who would be scared to travel a certain road at a fast speed ... Off they took, sped down this road for several kms (maybe well over 160kph in 60kph zone - the high speed bike could be heard many blocks away...), came to end where there was a dog-leg in the road and a T intersection. west straight through the intersection and were caught by a wire stay on a telegraph pole. Each lad (one was a friends son) lost an arm and leg to the wire. (One also an eye). Yes wire makes nice cuts - but there again if they'd hit a tree they'd be dead... Whatever..high speed accidents have a great potential to kill no matter what you hit

[dhard]

Yes these barriers will probably slice and dice you on a bike, but if you ride a bike you have to accept the fact that survival chances are slim no matter what barrier is in place. These types of barriers have been proven to be very effective at stopping cars,trucks and buses from crossing over the median strip which in turn has saved many lives. Next time that life might be yours when the tired over worked semi driver drifts over and runs into that wire barrier without it you're dead wether or not you're in a car or on a bike. The most important thing to remember is that if you ride or drive in a sensible,vigillant and appropriate manner you decrease the likelyhood of having an accident. Speed doesn't kill it is the reckless use of it and inappropriate use of it that does and unfortunately it has long been an unfortunate side effect of owning a motorbike, the temptation and thrill is just too great we all succumb to it every now and then.

[rick130]

I find it annoying that the media often say speed may have been a factor. If things don't move they don't hit other things so speed must be a factor in 99.9% of accidents. The 0.1% is trees falling on cars or something similar.

Jeff

:rocket:

interesting that the only real accident data I've seen was done in the UK and exceeding the speed limit was involved (not the cause ;) ) in less than 10% of crashes, nothing like the %'s sprouted here by the various state transport departments and Police.
When asked for a comprehensive breakdown of statistics, there were only estimates in Oz, IIRC.

[PeterM]

BINGO!

Its in the 'too hard basket' for the pollies to grow some balls and tackle the real issues, much easier to just send someone a ticket in the mail and make some $$.

I do not care if WRB are used where appropriate, they do a job as they are designed to do. My issue is the dummies who are so tight they crap diamonds who won't spend the additional $$ to add the plastic covers to the WRB wich then give a motorcyclist some chance at survival, whether the collision is their fault or not. They say each death cost what, about $1m when all's said and done. How many bloody plastic covers would that buy?

[Stepho_62]

Yes these barriers will probably slice and dice you on a bike, but if you ride a bike you have to accept the fact that survival chances are slim no matter what barrier is in place. These types of barriers have been proven to be very effective at stopping cars,trucks and buses from crossing over the median strip which in turn has saved many lives. Next time that life might be yours when the tired over worked semi driver drifts over and runs into that wire barrier without it you're dead wether or not you're in a car or on a bike. The most important thing to remember is that if you ride or drive in a sensible,vigillant and appropriate manner you decrease the likelyhood of having an accident. Speed doesn't kill it is the reckless use of it and inappropriate use of it that does and unfortunately it has long been an unfortunate side effect of owning a motorbike, the temptation and thrill is just too great we all succumb to it every now and then.

An eloquent and sensible assesment of the status quo.

The most important part of owning a MotorCycle and riding it safely is that you must understand it is you own responsibility to mitigate risk presented by any other road user or environment as much as is humanely possible. I guess we have to accept that a piece of road hardware concieved to support and protect the majority presents to a particular class of road user a major danger.

SIGH, yet another burden we have to carry on behalf of the majority road users. :angel:

[29dinosaur]

I drove past some of these things today and thought wouldn't it very easy to cover alongside the whole lot both sides with something like old rubber mining belts - you know the sort that people with horse and cattle yards put up around them, That way any straying motor biker would stand some chance and still the structure would flex enough to absorb energy.

http://www.eques.com.au/discus/messages/14037/82672.jpg


I went through Bombala recently and it seems the local council is going ballistic putting them up between Cooma turn off and Bombala.

[Andy-M]

Originally Posted by Stevo_62 https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/768.jpg (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/parking-lot/48674-how-disect-motorcyclist-4.html#post665820)
Sad but timley.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...07/2132834.htm (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/07/2132834.htm)

Irrespective of the speed if this bloke hadn't gone through one of these appaling pieces of road hardware he might still be alive to tell the tale.

Rumor on the ground says that the emergency services ppl are recieving counciling because the head and the torso were somewhat detached. :eek: No doubt caused by the median restraining device.:angrylock:


I went to the scene on the night. Accident investigation had the speed at well over 200Kph, the poor bugger was gone no matter what he hit.

It took 3 hours to locate the last missing body part. At least the bike didn't cross the highway into the busy oncoming traffic, some parts of it did but caused no major damage to other vehicles or bikes.

In this case it was better having the new barriers, than the old scenario of none at all.


Andy

(neither for or against them but they are claimed to have saved at least 3 head on collisions in the last few months down here)

[Bushie]

IF a motorcyclist is NOT speeding, he or she will be fine, simple as that :D



Never ridden a motorbike in my life, but I know that ain't true.


Martyn

[Xavie]

Not really!
I have riden a M/C quite often over the past 43 years.
Yes I have come off a few times, but never due to speed.

Stick to the speed limit and you have nothing to worry about!
That includes ALL vehicles.

That's not true at all. That's like saying if you drive a car at the speed limit you will never crash but there will always be someone who does the wrong thing and crashes in to you.

I ride also but if I thought as long as I ride at the speed limit I'll be fine I'd be being rather air-headed.

Xavier