SCOOT ACCIDENT COST CLUB MEMBER HIS LIFE
Death doesn't slow bikers
Sarah Vogler
10Dec07
SPEEDING bikers were recklessly overtaking cars on dangerously sharp bends the day after the Gold Coast recorded its 24th motorcyclist death for the year.
Dozens of motorcyclists were caught speeding through Numinbah Valley yesterday, only one day after a horrific crash claimed the life of a motorcycle rider off the M1 on Saturday.
The latest victim, a 39-year-old member of outlaw motorcycle gang Highway 61, was killed when his bike hit the edge of an exit ramp at Pimpama about 4.50am on Saturday.
Witnesses told police the rider was speeding before he crashed.
The Logan man, believed to be a member of the bikie gang's Brisbane chapter, was thrown from his Harley-Davidson which landed on top of him before stopping about 60m away.
He died at the scene.
Yesterday, police from Queensland and NSW set up speed traps along Nerang-Murwillumbah Road as part of Operation High Side.
Within a few hours, 27 motorcyclists had been caught speeding.
One rider was clocked travelling at 153km/h in a 100km/h zone.
Other bikers were caught doing 128km/h, 122km/h, 121km/h and 114km/h in an 80km/h zone.
While police said most of the bikers they pulled over were well-behaved and wearing the right gear, The Gold Coast Bulletin watched as a group of speeding bikers overtook three cars in a row, crossing double lines and narrowly missing a car coming in the opposite direction.
Their actions have angered police who say speed, stupidity and a bad attitude have proven to be deadly traits.
"Attitude is probably the worst thing that causes people to have road crashes," said traffic officer Senior Sergeant Errol Dellit.
"You can't legislate against stupidity."
He said people who ignored the road rules again and again were endangering their own lives and the lives of other road users.
"We can educate people as much as we like, but in the final analysis it comes down to the individual," he said.
Sen-Sgt Dellit said police always looked at the road's condition, engineering and other factors when investigating road crashes.
"In the final run-down it's really just an attitude thing," said Sen-Sgt Dellit.
"They are riding outside their limits and that includes people who have taken advanced riding courses.
"Often, they are travelling too fast to be able to react to situations."
Yesterday, police also caught one biker riding while his licence was suspended for a high speed offence, and three others were caught riding unregistered bikes.
They also charged a motorist who caught using his mobile phone while driving.
The driver continued chatting as he pulled up in the police enforcement bay.
NSW police charged a biker with negligent driving after he left the police enforcement bay and travelled five minutes down the road where he pulled a 'wheelie' while travelling at 129km/h in a 100km/h zone.
Three other drivers were caught riding while unlicensed, four did not display their registration plates, one had obscured his registration plates, three were unregistered and two bikes were uninsured.
Sen-Sgt Dellit said it was disappointing that some bikers were riding at deadly speeds.
"It's extremely frustrating for both police and emergency services," he said.
Sen-Sgt Dellit said as well as the 24 fatal motorcycle accidents this year, we also had the 'hidden road toll', the riders who became paraplegics and had to be looked after by their families for the rest of their lives.
He said the joint operation with Queensland and NSW police was needed because motorcyclists were over-represented in fatal accidents in the Tweed region as well.
Tweed district spokesman, Senior Constable Troy Hamilton, said bikers made up 35 per cent of the district's road deaths and, combined with the Gold Coast region, they represented 40 per cent of all fatalities.
"That's a fairly high number of motorcyclists getting killed," he said.
He said bikers were not only killing themselves, they were killing other people as well.
"When we look at the figures, Sundays is the day they are going out and breaking the road rules and putting the safety of other road users at risk," he said.
"They are speeding, not keeping left of dividing lines, travelling on or over edge lines.
"We've also had a few pursuits where motorcyclists have deliberately obstructed their number plates.
"They come down here to use the country roads as a racetrack, so we are trying to deter that and provide a safer environment for them and other road users."
Cops harass a group of bikers in the Numinbah Valley
STORY SOURCE(click here)
Sarah Vogler
10Dec07
SPEEDING bikers were recklessly overtaking cars on dangerously sharp bends the day after the Gold Coast recorded its 24th motorcyclist death for the year.
Dozens of motorcyclists were caught speeding through Numinbah Valley yesterday, only one day after a horrific crash claimed the life of a motorcycle rider off the M1 on Saturday.
The latest victim, a 39-year-old member of outlaw motorcycle gang Highway 61, was killed when his bike hit the edge of an exit ramp at Pimpama about 4.50am on Saturday.
Witnesses told police the rider was speeding before he crashed.
The Logan man, believed to be a member of the bikie gang's Brisbane chapter, was thrown from his Harley-Davidson which landed on top of him before stopping about 60m away.
He died at the scene.
Yesterday, police from Queensland and NSW set up speed traps along Nerang-Murwillumbah Road as part of Operation High Side.
Within a few hours, 27 motorcyclists had been caught speeding.
One rider was clocked travelling at 153km/h in a 100km/h zone.
Other bikers were caught doing 128km/h, 122km/h, 121km/h and 114km/h in an 80km/h zone.
While police said most of the bikers they pulled over were well-behaved and wearing the right gear, The Gold Coast Bulletin watched as a group of speeding bikers overtook three cars in a row, crossing double lines and narrowly missing a car coming in the opposite direction.
Their actions have angered police who say speed, stupidity and a bad attitude have proven to be deadly traits.
"Attitude is probably the worst thing that causes people to have road crashes," said traffic officer Senior Sergeant Errol Dellit.
"You can't legislate against stupidity."
He said people who ignored the road rules again and again were endangering their own lives and the lives of other road users.
"We can educate people as much as we like, but in the final analysis it comes down to the individual," he said.
Sen-Sgt Dellit said police always looked at the road's condition, engineering and other factors when investigating road crashes.
"In the final run-down it's really just an attitude thing," said Sen-Sgt Dellit.
"They are riding outside their limits and that includes people who have taken advanced riding courses.
"Often, they are travelling too fast to be able to react to situations."
Yesterday, police also caught one biker riding while his licence was suspended for a high speed offence, and three others were caught riding unregistered bikes.
They also charged a motorist who caught using his mobile phone while driving.
The driver continued chatting as he pulled up in the police enforcement bay.
NSW police charged a biker with negligent driving after he left the police enforcement bay and travelled five minutes down the road where he pulled a 'wheelie' while travelling at 129km/h in a 100km/h zone.
Three other drivers were caught riding while unlicensed, four did not display their registration plates, one had obscured his registration plates, three were unregistered and two bikes were uninsured.
Sen-Sgt Dellit said it was disappointing that some bikers were riding at deadly speeds.
"It's extremely frustrating for both police and emergency services," he said.
Sen-Sgt Dellit said as well as the 24 fatal motorcycle accidents this year, we also had the 'hidden road toll', the riders who became paraplegics and had to be looked after by their families for the rest of their lives.
He said the joint operation with Queensland and NSW police was needed because motorcyclists were over-represented in fatal accidents in the Tweed region as well.
Tweed district spokesman, Senior Constable Troy Hamilton, said bikers made up 35 per cent of the district's road deaths and, combined with the Gold Coast region, they represented 40 per cent of all fatalities.
"That's a fairly high number of motorcyclists getting killed," he said.
He said bikers were not only killing themselves, they were killing other people as well.
"When we look at the figures, Sundays is the day they are going out and breaking the road rules and putting the safety of other road users at risk," he said.
"They are speeding, not keeping left of dividing lines, travelling on or over edge lines.
"We've also had a few pursuits where motorcyclists have deliberately obstructed their number plates.
"They come down here to use the country roads as a racetrack, so we are trying to deter that and provide a safer environment for them and other road users."
Cops harass a group of bikers in the Numinbah Valley
STORY SOURCE(click here)
posted by Demo at Monday, December 10, 2007
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