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Accident stats, is it
really Volvo drivers?
----Original Message-----
From: Peter Smithson [mailto:PSmithson@transoft.com]
Sent: 21 October 2003 10:47
To: ThV MAG Regional Committee
Subject: RE: [tvmag-reps] MAG meeting with Bucks CC Accident anaylsis &
Safety officer
Sorry,
I think the bloke is right - loads of people lose it on bends and make up for
the 60 odd
percent of accidents involving two vehicles that are the fault of the car
driver. Most motorcyclists always say this about car drivers and I
believed it until I looked at the figures a few years ago.
I
did my own bit of research based on a mailing list called Ixion where everyone
would report their accidents using a certain word (that I can't remember now -
something like "Ixion compulsory accident report"). So I
searched the archives and found that most of those accidents didn't involve
anyone either - and these were reported by bikers. There was even one bike on
bike accident - I've heard of these occasionally myself we often ride in groups
and go into the back of another bike.
Another
myth is that the increase in accidents is due to born against buying powerful
bikes and falling off. There's no evidence for this. It was all
based on a unfounded comment by a police chief in Yorkshire who later withdrew
it.
This
is the only website I could find that gives the figures you are interested in -
http://www.survivalskills.clara.net/riding_skills_6.htm
Here's the bit of interest but there was loads more details in the URL above -
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Riders have long taken (cold) comfort in the findings of the Booth Report (1987) which, looking at accidents in urban areas, concluded that car drivers were at fault in two thirds of accidents involving motorcycles. Equally, high casualty rates amongst the under 25's were often put down to youth and lack of experience.
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The DETR figures show that accidents involving a motorcycle and another vehicle still account for 2/3rds of all motorcycle accidents. However, they also show that single vehicle accidents with no pedestrians or other road users involved accounted for 18% of all motorcycle accidents resulting in injury. This compares with 14% for cars and 7% for goods vehicles.
However, an in-depth analysis of accidents in Cheshire between 1 April 1998 and 31 October 1998 reported in Street Biker (Feb-Mar 2000), the MAG newspaper. John Moss MBE, Chief Road Safety Officer for Cheshire (and MAG member) revealed that fully 67% of all the crashes studied were due to rider error and that the traditional view that most motorcycle accidents are down to blind Volvo drivers is badly flawed.
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Some interesting stuff here but not really relevant -
http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/motorcycles/safety.htm
Your letter! -
http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/views/letters/display.var.412767.0.the_causes_of_bike_accidents.php
Some carefully chosen stats to make bike sound good -
http://www.eta.co.uk/tr/pj/mtrcycle/mtrcycle.htm
(note that in the 62% bit, it doesn't say if that's only where two vehicles are involved or not)
Something funny I found in a google groups search talking about Barry Sheene -
"As promised, a description of the now infamous "Nationwide" appearance
...
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For those souls of tender years, there used to be a post 6 o'clock news program called "Nationwide"; they did the news, then they descended into
such things as skateboarding ducks and (on one outstanding occasion) a man landing a parachute while playing the bagpipes ... that sound of
bagpipe impact will live with me, when I am sans eyes, sans teeth, sans everything, to my dying day ...
... anyway, I digress. Basically it started as the 6 o'clock news and headed into what is now called "Richard & Judy" territory ... they used
to have these little studio discussions about various issues; police brutality, fishing quotas, what Mrs Miggins sent in, etc, etc ...
So; the topic was "Motorcycle Safety", and the interviewees were:
a) A Chief Superintendent
b) A JP ... not our very own Uber Janitor, but a mere Justice of the Peace
c) A member of some taxi driver's organisation
d) Mr Barry Sheene (for it is he)
The end of the conversation went *something* like this (and I concede memory may have failed me on certain parts of the other's text, but
Baz's replies are etched firmly into my subconscious ...)
Oh, BTW, the interviewer was one Sue "F*ck Me Til I Fart" Lawley, who was was juicing *severely* in Baz's presence ... this was all BS.
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-----Original Message-----
From: NORBSA02@aol.com [mailto:NORBSA02@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2003 7:23 PM
To: tvmag-reps@anvil.org
Subject: [tvmag-reps] MAG meeting with Bucks CC Accident analysis & Safety officer
TV MAG reps
There was a very one sided article in the Bucks Free Press a few weeks back where a Mr. James from Bucks. CC (Accident Analysis and Safety Officer) was quoted as saying that contrary to popular opinion most bike accidents are cause by bikers and not car drivers.
Apparently he's been given money by the Govt. to head a research program involving several of the home counties to investigate the causes of bike casualties.
He has figures from the TV Police which are as follows:
Of the 226 PTW collisions involving death or serious injury 01-07-00 to 30-06-03
"63 were single vehicle loss of control
27 were bikers overtaking other traffic
14 head on
13 shunts into the rear of other vehicles (including other bikes!)"
This represents 51% of the figures.
He talks about intervention strategy, whatever the hell that means
I've written and spoken to him and he's happy to bring himself and 3 or 4 of his colleagues to our local MAG meet to discuss his opinions and ideas on how to reduce the accident rate. I took an instant dislike to him as he said that they'd only come "...if it didn't turn into a slanging match". I suggested that if they promised not to shout so would we.
I would like a few of you to come to this meeting if possible. It will be at The Stag in Flackwell Heath at some point in the next 4 weeks or so.
Can we get hold of these figures ourselves or any other figures that would contradict the
theory that most bike accidents are our fault?
Let me know if you're interested.
Goffy
Wycombe MAG
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