David's story

[Ducatista]

As long as people are talking about it - that's the main thing and what his parents want.

My view is that the car driver is to blame for the accident, but the biker has severely reduced his chances of avoiding the accident or reducing the severity of the crash due to excessive speed.
As others have mentioned there can be unavoidable things that happen - like a deer jumping out at the last minute. That's an inherent risk that up you have to accept if you ride a bike.
In this case there is time to react (and he does verbally react), so at slower speed the severity could have been reduced if not avoided altogether. That does not mean that what the car driver did was ok, simply that he reduced his options severely by doing 97mph.

None of us are perfect and I'm sure lots of us get away with many things.
I make mistakes all the time, but I try to allow enough contingency to allow for both my mistakes and those of others.

Btw - I think I'd consider 60 too fast for passing that junction for my own eyesight/reactions/skill level considering the layout.

I welcome all the discussion.
Whether we agree with all the points or not, the parents made the difficult decision of publishing it so we'd all talk/think about it.

Boris bike next week (@/#% - did I just admit to being a cyclist !!)

[Rabb]

I always keep in mind two words "What if"
RIP David
What wonderful brave parents.
All power to you.

[Republic]

A Remarkable Mother telling the story of her dear son tragic loss, very moving
RIP David,

[Throttle_junkie]

Here's one to ponder. How many of us drive cars/vans/trucks etc? When you are waiting to pull across traffic, what do you do if you see a biker coming your way. Would you wait and allow him/her to pass, or would you make the turn? Bearing in mind not everyone adheres to the speed limit. I for one would play it safe and wait for him/her to pass, then make the turn. Iv been commuting from Swindon to Southampton for about 4 weeks on my bike, and i have learned some valuable riding skills, and have reeled in my speed at junctions, as iv had at least 5 instances of cars chancing there luck at junctions, and even sweeping off the slip road on the dual carriageway straight into the outside lane in front of me, and nearly on me. I even ride with a bright yellow Spidi Hi-Viz jacket. I am a strong believer that everyone should have a stint on a bike before climbing into a car, i hate to say it but we are all sitting ducks. As for David, we all have different views about this and that, but honestly, the car should have just waited for him to pass if he wasn't 100% sure of David's speed.

[Mal103]

When I'm on 4 wheels I NEVER pull out on a Biker however close they are, but I think you will find that the car driver admitted he never "saw" the bike or car behind it, in other words he didn't look or it didn't register.

I commute 10 hours a week either around or through Bath, as for your comment on being a sitting duck then you are right, you have to ride defensively or you won't last long. Think of it as a big game of Russian Roulette, one or more of the drivers is going to do something stupid - you just have to guess which one it is and when....
You can do your best by taking every precaution and riding safe - doesn't have to be slow - just safe.

[QB1]

When I'm on 4 wheels I NEVER pull out on a Biker however close they are.....

If you see them.

I feel really sorry for this mans family and have the utmost respect for them especially his Mum, what a truly amazing lady.

I also feel sorry for the car driver. It's not fair to expect him to have any one coming along a public road at nearly 100mph. I think despite what a lot of us say it would be easy to misjudge crossing the road when someone is tanking along at that speed.

I'm sure as bikers not a single one of us can hand on heart say their wasnt one time when we went way too fast. Fact is he was going way too fast and was unlucky.

It's made me think......

[Vulcanboy]

An interesting discussion. For my Euros worth, the car driver was wrong not to have seen the bike and other vehicle, or, at least, not to have reacted in a proper way. The motorcyclist did not cause the accident, but severely reduced his chances of avoiding the accident, let alone surviving it .... there are plenty of bits of road where you can open up the throttle and do 160+ mph if you have a mind to, which are quite safe from all but leaping deer and pheasants etc ..... this road junction was not one of them .... 97 mph gave this poor young man no chance .... and even if the car driver did see him, he may well have pulled out, anyway.. RIP . Richard