Driving standards these days..

[InThe Sticks]

This isn’t a rant, but more an observation brought on by my experience over the last 3 years.
I’ve been riding motorcycles for 30 years now and whilst it’s safe to say that obviously the roads are now overloaded to breaking point, it seems that driving standards are at an all time low with people who are tired, frustrated and have less patients than a bad doctor (bad joke, i know). Which considering how hard it is now to obtain a full license now is surprising.
Everyone seems to be in a rush all the time, with little regard to other road users.
So, in the last 3 years i’ve had a delightful women reverse over my bike whilst i was filling up with petrol, who then proceeded to blame me for “just” appearing out of no where.
After viewing the CCTV she soon changed her story.
Bike number 1 written off.
Not so long after that a white van man pulled out of junction in front of me and i went into the side of it.
As i was laying on my back in the road he came over laughing and joking, that was until i grabbed his throat with both hands and watched him turn every colour of the rainbow before a witness intervened.
Bike number 2 written off.
And last night after leaving work i was in the front of a queue waiting to cross a roundabout when a lady clipped the side of my bike and when i turned round to say WTF she proceeded to accelerate full on into the back of my bike and guess what…
Bike number 3 written off.
Not only that, but it was all my fault for being there, in fact she went so mental at me that the policeman had to lock her in his car until she cooled off.
I was glad to be in the ambulance just to get away from the nutter. Luckily there were witnesses who backed me up, so at least i’ll get a payout for my bike, broken shoulder and crushed leg and the police said they will look to prosecute.

Pic of my bike (doesn’t look that bad, but the swing arm/frame is bent as well as the obvious damage to exhaust, mud guard, rear lamp etc).



I would say that it’s time to give up riding, but why should i forfeit something i love because of other idiot drivers.
Also i’m hopped up to eyeballs on pain killers and Adnams Copper house gin to combat the pain, so probably ignore this rambling post

[hifinutt]

sorry to hear of your experiences Gary , when i see motorbikers accelearing to lunatic speeds , driving on the wrong side of the road and many other crazy things , i wonder how any survive at all !!! My best man and his wife were both amputees from bike accidents before they were 20 , they met at a limb fitting hospital !! I used a drive a motorbike in London but would not have the bottle now i am much older

[antonio]

Big bikes kinda frighten me nowadays, especially since I've got older.

[struth]

Driving standards have definitely fallen over years , as have road manners.
Vehicles have also steadily got easier to drive which may be partly to blame.
It used to be a sort of club with rules, but now it's a careless free for all.

[Pigmy Pony]

Bloody hell Gary, that's a run of misfortune!

I notice you live in the south. I have noted a decline in driving standards up here, though probably not nearly as bad as That London Don't know where you live. However, mental women who will lose it at the drop of a hat (or bike) is nothing new and is a nationwide problem.

[Macca]

Sorry about your accident Gary, at least you should cop for a load of compo. I bet the daft bint gets off with a caution though.

More people than ever seem to be fuckwitted nowadays. Not just the women. I blame the schools and the nanny state.

[Bigman80]

Gravel in the road dislodged me from the seat of my Honda 900 in January.

Broken shoulder, dislodged clavicle, Bennett break to left thumb, broken wrist and multiple shattered bones in my hand.

Been in constant pain since the wipe out but finally got my shoulder done yesterday. That's another 6-8 weeks off work and months of weekly physio

They still need to operate on my thumb too so I have to go through all that again. One tallied up I reckon one crash will cost over a year putting it right.

Keep the crash money and spend on HiFi it's far safer.

I wish you a speedy recovery

Oliver

[dave2010]

Sorry to hear about your problems Gary. I agree in general, particularly with drivers in the south. I'm not a bike rider, but I know two people who have lost legs (a long while back) riding motor bikes. I think one of them actually still rides a bike for fun. Having damage to your bike isn't fun, but better than losing a limb I think. I hope your leg and shoulder don't get worse, and you make a full and quick recovery.

It's not only bike drivers who have problems. Around London and into Surrey there are some appalling drivers. Also, cars which have been sold in the last few years are definitely faster and have more acceleration than most cars a decade ago. Some drivers are hell bent on exploiting this, and whereas it would have been fairly straightforward to pull into a stream of moving traffic then, now it's all too often that the gaps are closed up by these maniacs, making it all but impossible to pull out. Other drivers use "techniques", such as overtaking on the inside and generaly cutting others up on motorways and fast roads, while too many others are "happy" to tailgate in fast moving traffic when most of the traffic is already moving at or above the speed limit. At times I wish I had a tank to flatten them or crash into!

Too many roads in the south are now appalling and also too congested. Try getting on to the A3 near Wisley even at 7am in the morning! Alternatively driving round the M25 almost any time now - even as late as 10pm.

Regarding motor bike riders, some really do take risks. For example, driving along the A3 into London/Kingston in the morning many bike drivers squeeze between cars and lorries, and it's not always easy to see whether they are coming along the outside or the inside. Fortunately I've never had a problem with this, but it would be very easy to make a mistake. If I see a bike trying to squeeze through I will normally take action - such as trying to create more space, though perhaps sometimes reducing the gap to deter a potentially dangerous move might be more appropriate.

Last year I saw a bike driver come off in Scotland, and I think it was just bad luck, though his bike was damaged somewhat. Most of the cars following stopped, and tried to help, and blocked the road to prevent further accidents. I think he just tried to take a bend too fast, and no other vehicle was involved. Car drivers aren't always bad.

[thingfish]

I know Gary me heart bleeds truly it does.......bring back the 60s 70s when a bike was a bike and all other road users used to fukin salute or run.

Alas no more......roads choc o blok full of volvos in England.....not so bad here in Jockland.

Stick on a bit of Jethro Tull - Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll; Too Young to Die
Stick on a bit of Richard Thompson - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning

And smile.

[Beobloke]

One of our engineering apprentices, a smashing lad of 22, was killed in a motorcycle accident last weekend - not his fault as far as we can tell. I'd stick to four wheels if I were you, Gary.