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scoobynet bikers...be careful out there!

Old Sep 12, 2001 | 03:28 PM
  #1  
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my colleague and friend was killed today in a motorcycle accident in the arundel area.
he'd had a long weekend home with his wife of 2 months, and was heading back to my shop in essex today.he never made it.
he was killed early this morning.
all his family have now been told, and ive shut my shop today as a mark of respect.

why make a post on this?

after yesterdays events in the usa, and now a friend ive known for ten years and worked 6 days a week in a 10 x 10 room being killed today, i now realise life is too short.
we've all been guilty of speeding etc, but on a bike you have no margin for error. ive never owned a bike, never wanted one, im a car man. my friend loved his bikes, wouldnt know a scooby if it bit him on his ****( he did like my sti5 though), and rode his bike as fast i drive my cars.

so think on folks.give a thought about yer loved ones and mates next time yer fancy overtaking when you know yer shouldnt, or cut a biker up, race a nova boy when you think its a giggle. its someones mate, someones dad.

sorry to be doom and gloom, just think its a shame .
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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 03:56 PM
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Very sorry to hear that, as a scoobynetter and biker myself it hits home pretty hard.
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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 03:59 PM
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Likewise............

I am at present thinking seriously about my Bike........and whether the risk is worth it.....

My condolences..

J
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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 04:04 PM
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Spudgun

Sorry to hear about your friend. You must be going mad at the moment

Essex now has the worst record for bike deaths in the UK. I am far too scared to even contemplate getting on.

Condolences M8

Pete
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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 04:14 PM
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Wise words spudgun.

Sorry to hear about your mate, I know what it feels like having lost two friends in bike accidents within the last 12 months.

Whip
(scooby driver and sportsbike rider)
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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 04:20 PM
  #6  
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Sorry to hear about this. Just when you think things can't get any worse...
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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 04:20 PM
  #7  
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I have been through the same thing myself so i know how all concerned are affected, condolonces to the friends and family.
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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 04:49 PM
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As a biker I am sorry to hear that Spudgun, my thoughts are with you....

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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 04:53 PM
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Spudgun,

Sorry to hear about your friend, I am hearing far too many stories like this now.

A few months I was all up for getting myself a motorbike, took it really seriously revised for my theory test and even spent a day on my dads motorbike driving around cones etc. Started buying loads of motorbike magazines and started looking lustfully at GSXR 600s.

Took my theory test, passed it in ten minutes then a few weeks later I took my CBT. Spent the morning riding around a few cones in the car park and chatting with the instructor about what bike i was going to get and come the afternoon it was time to go out on the road. Now I am not afraid to admit this but riding a bike on the roads absolutely scared the hell out of me. Although I passed the CBT there is absolutely no way I would ever ride a motorbike on the roads again as I just felt way too vulnerable.

I think everybody should be made to do the CBT just so they can realise how vulnerable motorcyclists are and how much respect they should be given on the road.
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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 05:26 PM
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Reading this made me well up.
I live in the brighton area and commute to southampton every morning.

I left home at approx 6:20 and was soon in the arundel area.

I was stopped in traffic following an accident that had happened some short time in front of me.
Only one police car had just arrived and was attempting to close the road etc, and the ambluncemen were seeing to the fallen rider. (couldnt see a pillion)

I had to sit in the traffic for sometime, i'm not going to go into any details as i woudnt want to upset any one.
But as a rider myself it made me seriously consider hanging up my lid for good.

I have no bike at the moment, but have free access to one to use as much as i want (a good friend who has lost the use of one arm on a bike crash has offered me a permanent loan of one).
But knowing that my wife worries when i ride (not just my ott style, but re other road users) I think the time has come to say that with my second child on the way its time to quit while before i have a serious accident.

I've only ever come off once and that was at 30mph with nothing involved, i don't want to push my luck.

My condolances to you and the family of the guy i saw this morning.

If you wish to lay flowers etc get in touch and i'll take you there.
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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 05:31 PM
  #11  
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thanks for the posts fellas. ive spent this afternoon trawling through teletext trying to find out what happened. because hes not family, hospitals tell you nowt. he was taken to arundel hospital this morning, i dont even know where this accident happened.
i wondered if anyone here had heard about this today, its just hard to get details from news sources, which is understandable at the moment.
tommorrow i gotta look at his corner of the room, his glasses and watch are still on his shelf.its funny how you can talk to people on this bbs, yet in my shop today i was business like. i'm not now, but tommorrows another day.
thanks for the kind words, spudguns gonna be a bit subdued for a while, but will be back at his annoying best soon enough.

finally, everyone take it easy out there, even for just a day.
leigh
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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 05:47 PM
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Spudgun,

We had our differences in the other thread, but please accept my condolences & me wishing you strength on this one.

Theo
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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 07:39 PM
  #13  
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sorry for your loss spudgun, my condolences to everyone effected.

i'm a motorcyclist myself, and have had 3 accidents in 3 years, the latest (and most serious) one when a car coming the other way did a right turn accross me, and i run into the side of it. i was <B>very</B> lucky, and flew over the car and landed flat on my back the other side, but it could have been much worse - i have thought about giving bikes up a few times, but continue to ride daily. someone writing for performance bikes once that you should treat every other road user as if they are out to kill you until they prove otherwise - good advice, but sometimes not enough.

14,500rpm
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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 08:57 PM
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Spud

My thoughts are with you mate

Ron
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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 09:44 PM
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no worries evil, its all in the past now

does anyone here know of any websites that may have news on this accident today. ive spent ages trawling through bbc news sites etc, police websites, aa reports etc etc.
i'm just trying to find out what happened to my mate. if there was another vehicle involved, what caused this etc.
when i search east sussex sites, all i get is b0llox.and arundel isnt any better.
my friend died alone today, and i want to know why.

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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 10:21 PM
  #16  
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Spud,

have replied to your post. but also came across this that i thought you might want to see :-

Biker badly hurt in rush hour crash
by our news team

Another motorcyclist has been injured in a crash in West Sussex.

The latest victim was taken to hospital today after his machine hit a lamp post on the A27 at Arundel, close to the busy Ford roundabout.

The man's injuries are thought to be serious.

The accident happened at 6.50am and blocked the road for several hours. Traffic was diverted away from the scene.

There have been growing concerns among safety experts in West Sussex over the number of motorcycle accidents.

So far this year eight bikers have been killed on the county's roads, compared with seven fatalities during the whole of 2000.

link is as follows :-
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Old Sep 12, 2001 | 10:27 PM
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thank you
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Old Sep 13, 2001 | 08:56 AM
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Sorry to hear your news
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Old Sep 13, 2001 | 09:09 AM
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Tragic news, my condolances to Spud and all concerned.

Think you summed it up mate, life is too short, and sometimes is shorter still.

D
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Old Sep 13, 2001 | 09:52 AM
  #21  
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Red face

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by hutton_d:
<B>Spudgun - sorry to hear about your loss.
Just want to say that as a biker for far longer than a car driver that it gets into your blood. Like Scoobs... (they also have with me!)... You can't live your life on maybes. It's too short. Your friend was doing something he obviously loved. Remember him as such.[/quote]

Spudgun, speaking also as a biker before Scoob/car driver, I have to agree. Biking once it's in your blood is adictive, you can't live without it (well IMHO anyway!!).

My sympathies are with you and your friend's family but Dave is right, he was doing something he loved and should be remembered that way.

It seems that more and more bikers out there are having serious accidents but that was always gonna happen when bike sales are up year on year and breaking records all the time. It's a sign of the times that our transport system is screwed and I'd like to remind people new to biking out there that it *is* a jungle and everyone *is* trying to kill you!!! (keep that in the forefront of your mind and it *may* just save you one day).

I've been riding for 12 years and have some serious biking milage under my belt, have passed my Advance Bike Test and I have to say that I can't remember the last time I had any worrying incidents or even came close to one. I think you get used to anticipating what everyone else will do and take avioding action before it becomes an incident. After a while it becomes second nature.

Anyone who does ride, please, until you get to this point (and once you have it still applies), be very careful, assume the worse, get some Advanced Training and be careful out there!!!!! (please!)

Once again M8, sorry for your loss.

Matt
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Old Sep 14, 2001 | 02:23 AM
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Deepest condolences.

I too ride a bike to work - had the justification to get one when the office moved to the other side of London, and I hate the tube...

I have just seriously bumped up my accident and 'loss of limb' cover. I seem to find it inevitable that I will get clobbered.

I can not ride everywhere at 25mph with a finger on the brake, and a tensed right ankle.

I just hope it won't be a big one, and I now ride at half the speed I did at 22 yrs age!

You just can't predict or ride defensively enough to account for all the bad car drivers out there.

Send me some car mags boys, not flowers...

Very depressed now.

Diesel
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Old Sep 14, 2001 | 10:56 AM
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Matt,
I couldnt agree more with you m8, I ve been driving a moped since i was 16 bike and cars since 18 (that ll be 18 years). Starting with the moped one learns to expect the worst all the time and drive xtremely defensively. Anticipate the worst on a bike and u always are justified. I feel very very lucky not to have had any serious accidents (had a LOT of falls) when i was 16 to 20 inexperiened and hot headed.

Spudgun very sorry for your loss
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Old Sep 14, 2001 | 11:30 AM
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Spudgun,

My sympathies are with you mate, and also extended to your friends family. I'm just going to take the RSV for a gentle ride to work this afternoon, and try to be positive about why I do it. I've lost people in the past too in this manner, and it hurts like hell.

Matt
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Old Sep 14, 2001 | 11:56 AM
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I am glad you have chosen to share your thoughts and hope that some good will come of your warning pleas and that the responses help you in some way.

Out of the very few people I knew who have died young 5 of the 7 were from Bike accidents.

I've been reminded only recently how vulnerable bikers are - at close hand - and now am very aware of the space between I and them. I learnt a lesson luckily at no cost from a close shave.

I've learnt more about safer driving since owning a 'fast' car and reading Scoobynet, making me much more aware of certain things even after 20 years behind the wheel.

I've much to learn and change and a long way to go but I think I'm learning thanks to reminders like your note.

Hope somehow this helps.

Jerry.
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Old Sep 14, 2001 | 01:01 PM
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Spudgun
Just to say my sympathies are with you and your friends family.
I lost my best friend 10 years ago to a bike crash. I understand how you feel right now, no words can take that pain away. Dont quite know how to finish this - just to say friends and family make a difference at times like these, so be with them.

Yee
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