Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > So, speeding kills does it?

[Ains.]

Originally Posted by andyb

ie, lack of planning which is down to lack of observation which is more difficult the faster you go which is why there are speed limits..................

Take that to its logical conclusion and we put all our motorised vehicles away and walk to the bus stop/railway station/wherever because the standard of driving has dropped so low nowadays that even drivers that are moderately competent are not safe from complete imbeciles.
E.g. Yemeni driver does U-turn on M4 and drives 8.5 miles up the wrong carriageway causing upteen collisions.
How the freakin hell did he obtain a UK driving licence?
Totally blind Iraqi driving with his mate telling him which way to go.

Trackdays on the bike only for me, and a saracen armoured car for any other road trips if it carries on, and this govt. have the bare faced audacity to say the roads are getting safer?
Grabs hat, coat and wonders off sticking close to the hedges and away from the kerbside.
Ains.

[Fordie]

Andy,if you no all this, how come Joe Public does'nt seam to have grasped any of it Planning and Observation are the key factures in any driving skills. First thing I was taught in the SF was now your enemy,that works on the road as well. Do you not think that some people are too dumb to be behind a wheel and more selection should be the thing or is it a human right to be able to drive a 1/2 tonne machine on a public road? whether or not that driver has a brain in its head that can even understand Planning and Observation 4D

[749er]

I used to do quite a bit if work for the met, and spent quite bit of time lounging around receiption at New Scotland Yard reading the police trade paper. Without fail, every article I read about RTAs blamed fatigue not speed as the biggest factor. Some cynics might suggest that its easier to raise cash from speeding than a "fatigue index"

[Loz]

Andy's point might be that observation and planning (on the part of the motorcyclist) is key to avoiding getting tangled up with an accident. Observation of hazards is crucial - planning for things ranging from gravel on the bend up ahead to the posting of a t-junction sign notifying you that there maybe traffic pulling out just around the corner. These are hazards you can plan for. Naturally, there are hazards that can defeat any strategy on the part of the biker, but you do what you can.
However, as a member of one of the more vulnerable group of road users, bikers also need to plan for poor driving by other road users. Has that car driver seen me? You should be planning for the possibility that someone hasn't seen you, or hasn't sufficiently taken into account the speed you are going.
I don't feel that it is entirely the motorcyclist's responsibility to make the roads safer for his own use. Driving awareness and standards need to be raised far above what they are currently. But, until that day comes, if ever, it is the motorcyclist's responsibility to do all he can to ensure his own safety. This is achieved through planning, observation and hazard awareness (hazards in all their forms).
I am not morally opposed to speeding (with respect to legal speed limits), but I do oppose inappropriate speeding, where you are not giving yourself a safety margin with regard to reaction times, or your ability (or your bike's capacity) to negotiate a hazard.