Crash Analysis

Please email the Road Safety Project Officer or phone +61 431 598 636 with any details of crashes, or near misses, you or your friends have had. This helps us to compile anecdotal evidence for lobbying activities.

Please provide your name, contact details, description of the accident, numbers of parties involved and the outcome of the accident (e.g. injuries/fatalities). Note that none of your private or confidential details will be published on this website or used by the MRA without your permission.

4B's - Bent and Buckled Bikers Brigade

The MRA ACT operates a 4B's program to offer moral support to those stuck in hospital, or at home, after a crash and who may need assistance.

We can help by picking up the bike, taking accessories to hospital such magazines, toiletries, clothes, etc, and other support services.

If housebound, we can offer companionship, plus help with getting to and from medical appointments, and in any other way that is practicable and reasonable.

Once again, if you or a friend is either in hospital or house bound and in need of assistance, as fellow motorcyclists we want to help. Contact the Road Safety Project Officer by email or phone +61 431 598 636

Reported crashes so far...

Crash 1
Crash 2
Crash 3
Crash 4
Crashes 5 and 6

Crash 1

Following a recent breakfast in Bungendore, a local female driver ran down a member of the BMW MCC club in Gibb St. Many members observed the accident first hand.

The car driver backed out of a drive into a parking spot then pulled into the road to do a U turn through the middle and struck the bike. No one was seriously injured, but the bike is a write-off.

Remember, if you do a U turn, the law requires you to give way to EVERYBODY. For bike riders, "car passing across in front" is the most common accident cause.

Interestingly, the women driver's husband is a police driving trainer - and is fighting the case. Lets see what happens - but there are many witnesses.

Crash 2

For those of us who went last sunday, or heard about the Harley rider crashing here's some more news:

The crash resulted from a sportsbike rider passing the Harley at extremely high speed through a curve - in the same lane!! The Harley rider - unsettled - found himself offline and in the wrong attitude to recover and binned it off the side. The guy broke his lower leg and has apparently done some ugly damage to the musculature as well (Anyone seen Rusty's leg lately?). Luckily, his wife - pillion - escaped relatively unhurt.

Feel free to pass this info around, who knows maybe the inconsiderate twit who caused this, who by the way apparently didn't stop - giving him the benefit of the doubt perhaps he was so far gone he never saw it happen; then again maybe he's just an arrogant, ignorant, discourteous and HIGHLY DANGEROUS clown - will eventually be made aware of his actions as this outcome spreads through the email chains amongst 'cyclists in Canberra.

If this person's details ever come to light I for one would like to see him held responsible for his actions! There is now a husband/father/son/friend out there who will carry scars and probably disability for the rest of his life, who also will lose financially because of the actions of this so-called rider!

Crash 3

Sept 2002, dry road

Just took off from traffic lights and road merges from 2 lanes into 1. Attention was distracted by motorcycle on other side of road. Looked back and saw the cars in front had stopped owing to one driver baulking when trying to merge.

Hit the brakes too hard and went down. Knocked unconscious for a short time. Went to hospital for checkup but no ill effect from fall.

About $3k damage to fairing etc.

Learnt to look further ahead and not "assume" what was happening as much. Still need plenty of practise with emergency braking ...

Crash 4

My very first collision was back in 1981 while I was attending Sydney Uni. I had only been riding for a bit over a year and I did have my headlight on (bikes had on/off switches in those days).

I was leaving the Uni at about 4 pm on the road near Vet Science that crosses Parramatta Road and becomes (from memory) St John's Ave.

As I recall, the lights were already green as I approached the intersection at Parramatta Rd. The car ahead of me was clearing the other side of the intersection as I entered it at about 30 mph (50 kph). I then realised that a car had pulled out in front of me from the opposite direction (they were turning right to go west down Parramatta Rd).

My options flashed through my mind in that next split second. Do I veer left and have them smash my right leg, veer right and hit the car with my left leg and also end up in the path of other oncoming cars, or "go with the flow" and hope not to get hurt going over the front of the bike and onto the car bonnet.

Well I ended up with the last option (I have convinced myself that it was my choice). I ran into the car at the back of the front left wheel arch. I did end up on the bonnet of the car and was unconscious for only a few seconds. My first thought on coming to was to clear the intersection so as not to cause a traffic jam!

I didn't feel particularly sore at the time (shock?) and my only real injury turned out to be a fracture in a small bone in my wrist - very lucky. Bike was a write-off; steering head had separated from the rest of the frame.

Ever since I have been extra cautious going through traffic lights. I also tend to weave a bit within my lane as I approach the traffic lights to increase the chance of being seen (a headlight moving side-to-side is easier to notice than one that is in a constant position).

No other traffic light collisions since then.

Crash 5 and 6

Learner rider since Feb 2005

Accident 1 April 28 in the evening - was turning left from Flemington Road Mitchell onto Northbourne Ave/Federal Highway. Stalled, women ran into back of bike - no damage but she did try to blame me for starting and then stopping.

Accident 2- 3rd June dusk
Going through roundabout in Yarralumla to go round the lake from Commonwealth Ave. Car driver entered roundabout from left and ran into the side of the bike - he said he didn't see me. He was very shaken (more than
I) and I couldn't see any damage to my bike, his right blinker cover was broken. I did not fall off. he said he would 'rather not' give me his details and I let him go. (I'm a new vehicle owner so didn't know I could insist)
Next day saw the radiator was squashed. Will be a little pricey to fix.