Booze Bus Motorcyclist Death - Opinions

[Kazza]

In Perth, we regularly have Booze Buses - they stop and check all traffic to see if anyone is over the limit.

On Sunday, there was a Booze Bus in Perth - busy 3 lane highway, just over a crest.

A motorcyclist didn't/couldn't stop and ran into the back of a car. Died instantly.

Now, I want your opinions as there are a few factors to consider:

1 Booze Bus was in a position where, when you saw it, you couldn't avoid it (makes sure no drunks avoid it).
2 The motorcyclist has since been found to only have an Learners permit for a maximum 250cc motorbike, therefore he had no licence.
3 He was riding his dads "borrowed" CBR1000RR.
4 He was found to be speeding excessively - rumoured to be 90-100km (area is a 70 km p/h zone) - several cars saw he speeding through traffic before the accident
5 While the Booze Bus was not clearly visible until over the crest, ALL CARS STOPPED AND NONE OF THEM HAD ACCIDENTS

Who is at fault? Well the Perth motorcycle community is blaming the Police. I'm afraid I can't. Why? He was unlicenced, on a powerful bike he wasn't permitted to ride and he was speeding. Also, Booze Buses keep drunks off the road, generally car/truck drivers not bikers.

As said previously, busy road, lots of traffic and ALL cars managed to slow down/stop without having accidents.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-07/fatal-motorbike-crash-palmyra/3639392?section=wa

Your views please?

 

[mnuttall87]

Crest or no crest, one of the most important aspects I've always found of motorcycling is to constantly be aware of your surroundings. Even if you're on the same nice corner you always like to ride -- you never know when a deer or something is stepping across in front of you.

Ride within your limit and ride your own ride, I don't think I can blame the police for operator error.

 

[LVNeptune]

It's 50/50, he shouldn't have been speeding therefor he could have slowed down. Bus should have been further out of a corner/hump so it was more visible.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

You can come with a bunch of different reasons who's to blame, but it ultimatley comes down to the riders responsibility. Major mental mistake on his part. His failure on How, Where and What to look for cost him his life.

 

[Humperdinkel]

No fault at all to the booze bus , the kid was obviously a goose & you know , well yeah :thumbup:

 

[Red Wazp]

Most likely the major fault is with the motorcyclist but also where they stop traffic must be in a safe location. Over a crest sounds like a potential problem as traffic backs up , the guy IS dead. It should be the first concern for traffic officials to plan these stops in a safe location as bad things happen fast on a roadway.

 

[agf]

The booze buses are placed to maximise the capture rate and minimise the runners.
They are not placed without plenty of forethought.
I think the police are only to blame for being there not for the accident!, which sits squarely on the shoulders of the speeding, inexperienced, rider.
Everyone on this forum says you should ride up to the point where you can stop before you get to the point when you can't see whats ahead, I am not explaining that very well but I think you get my drift.
I think he was just out of his league
sad to hear of a death of bikerider from any cause

 

[Wolfman]

I think he was just out of his league
sad to hear of a death of bikerider from any cause

Yep a learner on a CBR1000 is a recipe for disaster....his family must be devo...

RIP rider..

Now as for the Breatho...i reckon they need to plan for any eventuality...not just people travelling at legal speeds, and in control.

It's an interesting one for sure...lots of emotion attached i bet, young kids getting taken before their time, always make's it that way...

 

[Kazza]

BTW he was 24


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wolfman]

BTW he was 24


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's pretty young!

 

[wolfe1down]

The motorcyclist was, for multiple reasons (mentioned above), in the wrong. Any time a user operates a piece of equipment they are unqualified for/inexperienced with in a manner that 'pushes the envelope', something bad is bound to happen. It's unfortunate that a young driver died to learn this, but maybe this will act as a wake up call to other inexperienced riders... I can't find fault with the police doing what they are paid to do, with a project that helps to remove impaired drivers.

Thoughts and prayer to the family affected. Thankfully nobody else was injured.

 

[ChevyFazer]

I think its 50/50 yes he was unlicensed but that doesnt mean unexperienced necessarily, yes he was going fast but the way yall.describing this booze bus is almost like they try to put it in a situation where it could be hit by a drunk in a car with out taking into consideration the extra stoping distance of motorcycles. To me it seems like both parties are equally guilty. Yes he might have been a hoon still no.reason to die. Look at it like this say your on your bike on your favorite stretch of road of wich you know.every bend, hill, and blid spot, you going over the speed limit just as 75% of bikes do on these "roads" during spirited rides, and the police decided to setup a roadblock to catch speeders by parking their cruiser slap in the middle of the road over a blind hill, you hit it square on and dont make it home for dinner who would your family blame? I know as bikers we have to be prepared for anything to happen but to me theres a difference in something that could be avoided and something intentionally set in the way!

Sent from my Pocket Rocket with Tapatalk

 

[boars]

If the stopped traffic was caused by a car accident or just general congestion for some miscellaneous reason would there be this discussion?

On the flip side, on a 3 lane highway, surely there's ample areas with no nearby exit that can trap people and not be over a rise :| Rises are usually used for speed traps... but doing so to actually stop traffic seems to lack a little, nay a lot of foresight... who doesn't see people speeding on the road... especially a highway.

Heck you could put up some council warning lights for road works before the rise... warn traffic that there is a hazzard ahead... and setup on the other side if you absolutely must. There, there's an idea that warns people without warning people... took me 20 seconds to think of... has to be other options

 

[YZF73]

From the info you've given I would place the responsibility for the accident solely on the rider.

He was riding a motorcycle he was not licensed to ride, in excess of the speed limit, with very little experience, a recipe for disaster in my book.


Not saying that anyone has in this particular instance, but I feel I need to appose the 'young riders and fast (I put the FZ6 in the fast category) bikes don't mix' stereotype as I feel that as a young rider (only 20) I do not fall into this stereotype, and that everyone should be careful when assuming that a young rider is not necessarily capable of riding these types of machines, however in this particular case I must say the stereotype was spot on.

I have 6 1/2 years riding experience (off road, mainly racing) under my belt, this I feel has given me a good level of bike control and mental awareness, hence the ability to ride a fast motorcycle on the road safely, if I didn't feel I was capable, I definitely wouldn't be doing it.


It seems to me this guy wasn't aware that his experience level didn't match up with the situation he was putting himself in.

Very sorry to hear of anyone dying regardless of circumstances, however I feel he somewhat contributed to his own undoing, sadly in this case with very serious consequences.


Yamahaboyz

 

[Erci]

Rider's fault. No debate about it. Hills should be treated like curves. If you can't see well ahead you need to slow down enough so you can safely stop or swerve should there be something in the way on the other side of the hill.
Sad to see a rider die, but you can't blame the bus.

 

[FIZZER6]

Without being on the scene it's hard to point fingers really.

We do know that the motorcyclist was speeding and didn't have a license, that's not in his favor at all.

In the US we almost never have Sobriety Check Points (AU = booze buses) on major highways due to the danger to high speed traffic at night. As for preventing people from running, you need to take note of how the US does it right. You set up 2 or 3 cop cars about 1/4 mile before the booze bus, the offender goes past them and then encounters the stop point, if he decides to run the cops sitting behind will see it and there is a good chance that person is over the limit and they get to also charge him for evading police. :BLAA:

You do not run when you see a booze check point here for this reason...they WILL get you.

 

[ChevyFazer]

I want to repeat this i think alot of us are making assumptions about someone none of us know. Just because he had a lerners license doesn't mean he was inexperienced, i myself had a lerners for roughly my first 50,000 miles of riding simply because i had a very hectic schedule and couldnt find time to take the test. Although where i live a motorcycle learners license only restricts the rider from highways, night rideing, and passengers not bigger bikes. And he was on a very powerful bike wich requires lots of respect, i know my dad wouldnt let me borrow a bike like that if he didnt feel i was experienced enough. Then again maybe he was new to riding, my point is none of us know wether he was or wasnt.

Sent from my Pocket Rocket with Tapatalk

 

[FIZZER6]

I want to repeat this i think alot of us are making assumptions about someone none of us know. Just because he had a lerners license doesn't mean he was inexperienced, i myself had a lerners for roughly my first 50,000 miles of riding simply because i had a very hectic schedule and couldnt find time to take the test. Although where i live a motorcycle learners license only restricts the rider from highways, night rideing, and passengers not bigger bikes. And he was on a very powerful bike wich requires lots of respect, i know my dad wouldnt let me borrow a bike like that if he didnt feel i was experienced enough. Then again maybe he was new to riding, my point is none of us know wether he was or wasnt.

Sent from my Pocket Rocket with Tapatalk

I came upon an accident scene once... the cop and tow truck had obviously just arrived, it was around a blind curve and they had not yet put out flares...if I was a less experienced rider I would have slammed into that ambulance stopped in the middle of the road! Looking through the curve as far as possible saved me (and not speeding).

 

[ChevyFazer]

Ya chances are he was inexperienced but we will never know for certain, but i know where i live (1000s of miles away) on roads like that one where the limit is 45mph about 80% of the people go between 55-65 mph so the speeds he was going wouldnt be anything to bat a eye at here, a cop probably wouldnt even pull him over. And if they were to set up a road block there would be some sort of warning at least a mile before hand, if that were the case we might not be having this conversation at all. But you can always say what if?

Sent from my Pocket Rocket with Tapatalk

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Rider's fault. No debate about it. Hills should be treated like curves. If you can't see well ahead you need to slow down enough so you can safely stop or swerve should there be something in the way on the other side of the hill.
Sad to see a rider die, but you can't blame the bus.

+1 Gee what could be over this crest? Any rider who does not have the mental capability to know How, Where and What to look for is an inexperienced rider in my book.