Six-month suspended sentence for 149mph speeder

[markyt]

i thought the rider was a numpty. the motorway isnt the place for 149mph with a wheely thrown in when other riders/drivers are on it. its easy to spot the old bill behind you on a bike if you look closley at the bike i dont think he noticed cos he wasnt looking.

[Lancastermick]

To be perfectly honest I'd be quite happy to ride a capable machine at 149+ down a motorway.

However, I would have a few stipulations:

Dry empty motorway...usually about five o clock on a summer's morn.

Clear view ahead...good long straights where I can see what's up ahead.

Clear view behind...absolutely nothing behind me that could be a label-free copper (would have to be a Stobart wagon or something of that ilk).

At that point, it's my life. If I've bought (or farkled up) a powerful performance machine then I want to experience it.

I realise that we have track days for such stuff but I'd still see the above criteria as a green light.

That said, 150+ is short life living. When I sold the Subaru Impreza and got back into riding (I had a break from it....mainly because I was a real cock when younger and wouldn't be here now if I hadn't), I chose adventure bikes for that reason among others.

As for Pauls son, very sad, but an important thing for him to see. Now though he needs to see the positive side of our passion. Take him on a IAM rideout or something maybe, where, during the brews and the chat, he can immerse himself in the roadcraft of people who balance the passion with a desire to live a long life.

[snaphappy]

As for Pauls son, very sad, but an important thing for him to see. Now though he needs to see the positive side of our passion. Take him on a IAM rideout or something maybe, where, during the brews and the chat, he can immerse himself in the roadcraft of people who balance the passion with a desire to live a long life.

Have to agree with Mick, hopefully he wont let it put him off altogether but seeing that we're not invincible will help keep him safe.

[Alun]

That's a sad story Paul and one I can identify with from my other passion, climbing.

In his early teens my son Bryn was showing a great interest in climbing and mountaineering and after many years of learning the ropes on UK hills I took him over to the Alps for his first biggie - he was about 14 at the time.

On the route we were climbing there was a German guy and his daughter who was about the same age as Bryn. I could tell at the start of the climb that the father was not as good as he thought and his daughter was being put in danger. On two occasions I had to untangle her out of climbing ropes whilst her dad was bellowing instructions from above. She was terrified and thankful of my help. Bryn also helped her around one particularly exposed rock face with a sheer drop of about 1000ft.

The dad was unappreciative of our help and told us so, but I had to point out to him that he was placing his daughter in serious danger and that we would help if he wanted. He declined our assistance. I then made a decision to climb ahead as they were both so close to falling on many occasions that I did not want Bryn (or myself) to be in their fall line if the worst should happen.

A couple of hours later we were having a snack on a ridge just before a tricky down climb when I noticed they were catching up. So, we quickly packed up and I went ahead and climbed down over a overhang to an exposed narrow ledge. Next thing I know there was rock coming over the edge above me and out of the corner of my eye I saw something big falling over the lip right by the side of where Bryn was sitting. I looked down to see the young German girl bouncing like a rag doll down the rock face before hitting the ground about 400ft below us - she was unroped and dead.

It was the most tragic and awful sight I've ever seen in over 30 years of climbing and Bryn got to see that at the age of 14. It did not put him off climbing but what it did do, without any prompting off me, was to transform his climbing from a slightly cocky teenager into a double check everything seasoned pro. He learnt a lesson in life which will stay with him for life.

[Adrian]

Alun,
as I read through your story, I knew what was coming and I had shivers down my spine.
Well done for the young 'un for taking the experience on board and learning from it.
You must be extremely proud.

C'mon Joe, don't give up mate. Get out and about with some great sensible guys and learn some new skills, you'll be glad you did.

Ade

[Bryn]

It was the most tragic and awful sight I've ever seen in over 30 years of climbing and Bryn got to see that at the age of 14. It did not put him off climbing but what it did do, without any prompting off me, was to transform his climbing from a slightly cocky teenager into a double check everything seasoned pro. He learnt a lesson in life which will stay with him for life.

So true. After seeing that my awareness of what's going on around me has increased and I'm definitely more safety conscious to say the least. It wasn't a nice thing to see at that age and the image has stayed in my mind as clear as the day it happened, but it was a valuable lesson that was taught to me the tough way.

Your son is bound to be shaken up by what happened and, as a wannabe biker myself, I can vouch for him that it is off putting when you see a mangled up sports bike strewn across the road with a broken body lying next to it.

[Cooper]

I have a son that has now has passed his test. He road my 640lc4 for a while, and i was glad he road with me so i could keep an eye on him. With test passed he wanted a sports bike, that is not a bike for someone that's just past his test. With me giving him the lc4 i was much happier and it stopped him buying a sports bike. I did worry about him when he went off on his own, but you do get use to it. He is now 22 and living in Australia, and on his way down to Austrailia he stayed in Thailand for 4 weeks,and to my dis pare he hired a bike over there for a few days. Just glad he told me after and not before. Hope your lad gets back on a bike, but i do agree that doing green lanes with him will boost his confedence and take him to semi off road bikes and not sports bikes as many youngsters want..... Nick

[Paul]

I know that I have hijacked this thread, by accident, thanks for all of the positive feedback. I will let Joe read it when he gets in!

[Sprockette]

I like going fast as much as the next person but 149mph on a public road is reckless and irresponsible to say the least. In my opinion a ban should mean a ban for someone willing to do this, not 18 months naughty-naughty-slappy-wristy. He is obviously showing off in the video because he sees another rider (the unmarked police rider) coming up behind him or whatever the case may be so cares more about his kudos than the lives of other road users. How can someone like this be trusted with what is effectively a 200kg inert bomb? Or even heavier if they decide to do it in their car.

A lot of people say "well the risk of speeding is reduced because of the time and place it was occurring", which may or may not be true, but is reduced enough? If you are acting in a manner that could needlessly endanger someone else surely you have a responsibility not to do that. Unless you are some kind of emotional degenerate you should be able to see that that is A Bad Thing.

What would have happened if the rider came off the bike? Okay, it may have been only him that was hurt but what happens to the bike though? It doesn't just stop or disappear. It could just crash out on the side of the road and not hurt anyone but what if it tumbles and flips the central reservation into oncoming traffic? Are the barriers built to be able, 100% of the time, to stop a bike tumbling at 149mph? Lets say the rider is unconscious or dies and is just lying in the road, swerving to avoid the body could cause accidents and running it over is very likely to cause emotional and/or psychological distress. If it happens in the dark or semi-darkness are you likely to be able to see and identify the body/unconscous form/bike wreckage for what it is in time to take safe avoiding action? Is someone glancing in their mirrors to change lanes able to tell you are going over twice the speed limit and judge whether they can safely pull into the next lane or not before you get to them? Do drivers always indicate they are switching lanes so you can judge/plan for a different route in time? All this "its my life I'll do what I want with it, I've got more testosterone/emotional problems than sense" stuff is all very well, but its not just your life is it?

Okay, there are a lot of what ifs involved but would they even be an issue if the rider was travelling at pretty much the same speed as the other road users?

He got off lightly if you ask me. If someone had a shotgun licence and was firing their shotgun in an inappropriate public place you'd expect that person to be banned from owning firearms ever again wouldn't you? Whether they actually shot anyone or not is not the point, it shows they are not responsible enough to be trusted with people's safety when it is placed in their hands. How is it different with bikes/cars?

People like this give all bike riders a bad name and I for one would not stand up to be counted with such people. Reckless endangerment and dangerous driving if you ask me, at the very least.

[snaphappy]

As Sprockette said if someone loses their licence then it should be gone. Maybe not permanently as that would only increase the amount driving with no licence, but a six month ban should mean only after six months can that person apply for a provisional licence and then to take lessons and take the driving test again from scratch