Motorcyclist injured in accident

Anthony Debono

Sep 8th 2009, 09:11

@S Vella
"tell me were I pointd my finger at the car driver!!"...
"because from what I heared she had no fault at all."
If those were the only two parties involved in the accident, then by elimination, whom do you think was his fault if you yourself expressed it wasn't the motorcyclist's fault.

Before even trying to conclude whose fault it was, get facts, from BOTH parties involved, to start with!

S Vella

Aug 27th 2009, 08:13

@Anthony Debono
Sir, please tell me were I pointd my finger at the car driver!!
f you read the previous comments, quite a few of them argued that WE motorcyclist, ride at high speed, we are careless,dangerous and so on...that all puts a guilt on his lady driver in my opnion because all these comments were written under this article "Motorcyclist injured in accident" so all I said is not to point fingers at ANYONE not even the car driver and I ask you to quote were I did so. I wasnt on the scene and dont know anyone of the involved so I have no intention of pointing fingers. I wrote that "FROM WHAT I HEARED she had no fault at all" and I heared it from people who assisted the ladybiker to hospital after the accident who I believe know much more than myself about it.

p.grima

Aug 26th 2009, 00:21

@-Jason Zammit-

The 125cc Japanese motorcycle I bought new more than three years ago has daytime running lights factory installed. Most new motorcycles nowadays are equally equipped. I always used to ride all my previous bikes with the lights on even though they were not equipped with DRL. I always knew that I am vulnerable when I ride, so I do my best to be as visible as possible.

Today, as I was riding back home form work, I got insulted because I signalled to a van driver that he should have used the direction indicators at a crossroads. This guy's vocabulary cannot be published.

I hope and pray my fellow biker gets well soon.

Leonard Perkins

Aug 25th 2009, 17:10

I am English and have been riding a R6 on Maltese roads for 2 years now, the lack of respect by a majority drivers shown to motocyclists is poor to say the least. Saying that I have seen wreckless motorcyclists on to many occasions that probably sets this trend. All drivers/riders must show respect on the roads, in regards to this accident lets hope she makes a full recovery and the driver of the car also.

Nicole Sammut

Aug 25th 2009, 13:48

@ S Vella ... nicely said :)

Nicole Sammut

Aug 25th 2009, 13:46

@ robert micallef ... 18 year olds can't drive 'powerful bikes'

i myself know because i am 20 years old and intend to get my motorbike license soon and have checked about it

up until the age of 21 you can only drive motorbikes until 250cc

Anthony Debono

Aug 25th 2009, 13:30

@S Vella
"I think it is extremely unfair to generalise and point fingers"...
..."In this case we do not know what happened so let us not comment wrecklessly in such a way that we can influence that this lady biker was guilty for the accident, because from what I heared she had no fault at all."

HEARSAY!! (Normally inadmissable in court). Road experts determine who's fault it is from findings through EVIDENCE.

Oops S Vella, you yourself pointed your fingers yourself towards the car driver! Yes, you are right, it's unfair to point fingers.

(I never indicated whose fault it is, not even when auguring the injured a speedy recovery)

S Vella

Aug 25th 2009, 08:06

I think it is extremely unfair to generalise and point fingers.I am a motorcyclist 24X7 and am fully aware of the danger I face, and know I am at risk much more than 4 wheeled drivers, altough I do drive a car too, but because I ride a motorcycle and am much more aware of the danger a biker faces, I have much more respect towards bikers when I am driving my car.
I do agree that there are some crazy bikers that do not realise what danger they put themselves in when driving at certain speed, but let us not just accuse bikers of overspeeding because we see crazy 4 wheel drivers overspeeding all over not just the roads leading to Golden Bay. Cars with turbo, and chipped with high BHP, cars that race at Hal far drag raceway every week...so let us not point fingers because who is not guilty may throw the first rock.
In this case we do not know what happened so let us not comment wrecklessly in such a way that we can influence that this lady biker was guilty for the accident, because from what I heared she had no fault at all.

Anthony Debono

Aug 24th 2009, 21:06

@A Sammut
The 2 cases happened in a 1km stretch of a quiet road. That is not a generalisation that all 2-wheel bikers are bad drivers.

My message is on road safety particulary for 2-wheelers, not that 4-wheel drivers are less dangerous - far from it.

Unlike most 4-wheeled cars, 2-wheeled vehicles DO NOT have:
bumpers
front and rear crumple zones
seat belts (bar the BMW C1)
air bags
side protection (bar reinforcement & airbags)
a passenger safety cage

For the same crash scenario, a bike driver is generally more at risk than a car driver as all these safety buffers are shouldered by the bike driver himself.

On impact the bike driver's tendency is to fly or to fall to the side, potentially skidding uncontrollably few metres away from the accident spot, hoping to stop by friction & not being stopped by bumping under a car, tree, the pavement etc - unlike in a racetrack where drivers are fully protected and have adequate escape space in case they fall.

A car driver will normally have the seat belt retaining him/her and potentially the airbag, apart from the cushioning of the crumple zone. A biker has all elements against him/her

robert micallef

Aug 24th 2009, 18:42

go to golden bay or roads leading to golden bay every sunday morning and you will see loads of large motor cycles going at full speed. but the police who go there are there only to give tickets to people on the beach. when will the authorities tackle over speeding ? why are 18 year olds allowed to drive such high powered bikes or cars. we should be like other countries. at 18 you can drive a small bike and after 4 years of accident free driving then you will be allowed to do another test for a higher powered bike. nothing against motor bikes but the way the Maltese drive them yes. Most do not wear protective clothing and ride in sandals and without even gloves. instead they drink beer and then drive back home. no wonder most motor cycle accidents happen on the week end. The police can never catch them by cruising as they never reach them of course ! we need hidden speed cameras set at non ridiculous speeds now. or else introduce unmarked police cars with cameras. the only safe place in Malta is underneath a speed camera.

Karl Glanville

Aug 24th 2009, 16:01

Paul Aquilina.....Very well said. I would add also that some people tend not to switch on their headlamps at night perhaps they think they will reduce their electricity bill?! This country driving behaviour has no cure! Today i was almost crashed into by a car driven by a woman in an almost empty Lidl Car park at Zejtun. Because the car park was almost empty she thought that there is no need to look for cars coming by, and she simply crossed the moving pathway of the car park, without looking at all!

Ronnie Gauci

Aug 24th 2009, 15:00

OK I retract what I wrote and wish to make a new statement to correct my previous one;

MALTESE ROADS ARE VERY SAFE FOR BIKERS

I hope you are all happy and I send you my apologies.

Paul Aquilina

Aug 24th 2009, 14:34

There are different types of accidents, some are accidental, some are deliberate.

Why is there a continuous white line? To keep to your side of the road and avoid crashing head on; some prefer just to overtake at will.
Why is there a stop sign? To stop and avoid collisions at crossroads; some prefer to depress the accelerator and honk rather than stop.
Why are there sleeping policemen? To stop/slow down; some prefer to accellerate just for the 'Hazzard' stunt jump effect.
Why are there regulations for safe parking? For safe parking and pedestrian safety, but some use no parking zones for reserved/convenience parking.
Why do you slow down and drive extra careful when you have complete blindness due to headon sunshine? To avoid accidents, but some beleive that accidents happen only to others, effectively the others they crash into.
Why do you turn on the lights at night/in tunnels? To be seen in darkness, but some think that turning on the lights will reduce engine performance.
Why use indicator lights? To indicate your directions; some think that it is very dumb to indication your turning intentions.
Why is all this careless driving allowed? Dunno!!!

The list goes on.

S Vella

Aug 24th 2009, 07:58

Some people still judge us as crazy fast drivers, and look at us with a dark lense, WHY? Why generalise and gather everyone in the same basket? There are crazy drivers all over, NOT JUST MOTORCYCLISTS? We have much more to lose than any other driver so the majority are aware of that and are very careful not as some irresponsable writers said in their comments.For every motorcyclist there are hundred car drivers so the percentage of irresponsable car drivers is much bigger there. It is unbelievable how SOME car drivers do not respect you when riding a bike....they see you coming and block your way, they dont give you the right of way just because they feel stronger driving a car...for some drivers, indicators are there just for decoration etc but yet you still point your fingers at bikers.
You know when we are praised??? When we organise Charity rides...thats all.
As someone said with motorcycles there is less traffic jams and congestions on our roads and I think the government should encourage the use of motorcyles in our tiny island by for example making the licences cheaper or even free for smaller bikes at least!!
Get well ladybiker!!

Michael Andrews

Aug 24th 2009, 07:22

Whilst i agree with most people here that we should be more aware of two wheeled vehicles we must also ask those who ride a motorbike to also look at their own driving.
The amount of times i have seen irresponsible riders weaving in and out of traffic and overtaking on the inside lane is unreal.
I dont mind moving over to the slow lane to let them pass, but at least give me the chance, and not let me move over only to find them right next to my passenger door.
Not all riders are irresponsible as not all drivers are.
It's a two way thing and not all one sided as alot of pople would like to think.

P.S Heres wishing the female motorcyclist a speedy recovery.

w.scicluna

Aug 24th 2009, 00:06

@ Ronnie Gauci. Sir as a full time biker, I can say that the roads and the drivers are a genuine nightmare. Motorcycles are meant to be on the road and who doesn't like it has to deal with it. We pay insurance and road tax like the rest of you. A little bit of respect please. And not all people can afford a car so we have to make do with a cheaper mode of transportation. Pls keep that in mind.

Galea. L

Aug 23rd 2009, 22:52

Anthony Debono
Just a typo because I said headlamps instead of fog lamps.
I also wear polarized sunglasses and they help a lot especially as I said when facing the sun and the tarmac acting like a mirror. As a matter of fact I do not drive without them. I certainly did not say that you are not entitled to your opinion, but anyone can try to do what I suggested and see for themselves. The readers can try and see whether any headlamp will be able to overcome the sun being reflected on the shiny tarmac. My comments are also not meant to hurt anyone let alone someone who is making such suggestion in good faith to help prevent accidents. Good night Anthony.

Alex Sammut

Aug 23rd 2009, 20:24

@ Anthony Debono
You listed a couple of cases where the drivers of two-wheeled vehicles were breaking the highway code. In turn I could make you a list of ONE HUNDRED cases I saw while driving this morning, of 4-wheeled vehicle drivers breaking various road laws. So what's your point here? It may be that you tend to notice more the former either because you are prejudiced against them, or because of the fact that for every one hundred 4-wheeled vehicles on the road there is only one on two wheels. An unfortunate case, since for every motorcycle/bicycle on the road, there is ONE LESS CAR, and that means less traffic congestions, less pollution, more parking space and less general frustration for all road users.
@ Ronnie Gauci
When will we learn once and for all that the more motorcycles there are on our roads, the lesser problems as mentioned above we will have?

Anthony Debono

Aug 23rd 2009, 19:55

@ Galea L
You can keep on insisting. So be it. That's your opinion...against mine, Volvo's and all their R&D, the EU, our own highway code, UK's. I guess that's enough.

Headlamps do not help in fog at all. Foglamps do. They are quite distinct. The reflectors are different, the beam is different and beamed differently towards the street.

I personally wear polarising sunglasses. Yet, oncoming vehicles with their lights on are more pronounced.

I rest my case. Now it's up to the readers to digest our comments, search a bit on the internet and come to their own conclusion. At the end of the day, my comments are not meant to hurt anyone's feelings but to get people more aware of maybe improving our driving mannerisms. Better safe than sorry!

Galea. L

Aug 23rd 2009, 19:04

Anthony Debono
You can rest assured that I am a driver and also ride a bicycle, but your headlamps can NEVER compete with the mirror-like sun reflecting from the tarmac. Try it if you don't believe it. Headlamps help in fog situations but not with the sun in front of you shining in your eyes reflecting from the tarmac.

What people should do is to wear good sunglasses which reduce glare. I never go out without them. As for seat belts I also did not wait for the law to make them compulsory and have been using them for the last about thirty years.

Ronnie Gauci

Aug 23rd 2009, 17:43

@ JJ Camilleri

Our roads are death traps for riders, it's not a question of if but when a biker will be involved in an accident, I don't know a bike rider who was not involved in an accident or in a near miss, so you want me to write MALTESE ROADS ARE SAFE FOR MOTORCYCLISTS, but if I write this many will think I'm insane. I'm even scared to drive my car on our roads let alone ride a bike!!

Ronnie Gauci

Aug 23rd 2009, 17:39

@ Reuben Sultana

I stated that in my comments but it was edited out.

Anthony Debono

Aug 23rd 2009, 17:14

@joseph messaudi
You didn't even read what I said!
Where did I ever mention that the injured person was/wasn't with the lights on? Where in my comments did I assume and/or blame anyone re your friend's mishap?
How can anyone presume who's fault it was from just one ToM's sentence: "A female motorcyclist has been taken to hospital following a head-on crash with a car in Cospicua this morning." ??
I explicity stated in my first comment "This is a general comment and not relating to this morning's accident. No one can say how it happened and even more whose fault it was."
My comments were all an awareness campaign on mitigating accidents in general.

And I'm not implying anything once again, but it does not necessarily mean that if you have your lights on or wearing seat belts, you're safe or you can drive wrecklessly or whatever. You life depends on others who also make use of the road. A driver is responsible for one's self, for his/her passengers, for other drivers, for the public and for the roads!

joseph messaudi

Aug 23rd 2009, 16:53

i guess before we ban the bikes we should start with banishing the idiots who cant drive and respect the other vehicles on the road

joseph messaudi

Aug 23rd 2009, 16:34

@ a debono
the girl involved in the accident is a friend of mine and i just came back from hospital as she is still there
i can assure you she was driving with the lights on. So before we start assuming we should look at the facts,
@ ronnie gauci
if we cant drive motorcycles and we cant drive bicycles then the over crowded streets that we already have would come impossible to handle
she pays road tax she drives within the law so whats the problem
instead car drivers should be more cautious and drive correctly
thank god this was a minor accident which caused broken bones and brusies could have been worse

Anthony Debono

Aug 23rd 2009, 15:57

@ Galea. L
You either don't drive; or if you do, you have never experienced one good example I mentioned of the benefits of having headlamps switched on. It's not a matter of dull (rest of) Europe and super sunny Malta. It's a fact that headlamp lighting stands practically in every situation as well as in silhouette. Have a look at the pioneering safety features by Volvo. Most if not all have been integrated by all other manufacturers or have been enforced by law. I don't think that such are gimmicks. They are the results of expensive R&D. I don't need for the law to tell me to switch them on. I did so way back in 1982! Same as for seat belts. I didn't wait for the law to enforce them upon me. I started wearing them in 1982!

Reuben Sultana

Aug 23rd 2009, 15:39

Dear Ronnie Gauci,
You are correct when stating that the state of the Maltese roads are not suitable to drive motorcycles, but I think that your comment is totally out of place here. I have been driving a bicycle for the last 16 years and a motorcycle for the last 10 and I can say that the state of the roads is not one of the factors that (luckily) almost led to accidents. I am a very careful driver and can say that I've had close encounters with other vehicle drivers (cars, vans, buses, trucks, ambulances, etc.).

When are drivers going to understand that we should wear sunglasses to help us see other people in the roads. And what about using ALL mirrors to look out for other oncoming vehicles? Of course there are so many other tips, one could say but I'll leave it at that.

As a final comment, please do watch out for drivers on two wheels when you're driving! ;-)

Jeremy J Camilleri

Aug 23rd 2009, 15:24

Ban the bike says road expert Ronnie gauci....

Seriously...some comments on these pages sometimes beggar belief!!!!!!

Ronnie Gauci

Aug 23rd 2009, 14:09

When we will learn once and for all that Maltese roads are not suited to drive motorcyles in?

Galea. L

Aug 23rd 2009, 13:34

Anthony Debono
We have so much bright sunshine that the ideas that made sense in dull Europe do not make sense here. How can you ever have enough bright headlamps when the sun is shining in your eves like a mirror?

Jason Zammit

Aug 23rd 2009, 13:31

All motorcycles built in North America have automatic headlamps that ALWAYS turn on. No matter how bright out, you will always notice a vehicle with their headlamps on! Hence the law in the US & Canada. What are we waiting for? This mentality of "saving the battery" by switching on the lights until it's absolutely pitch black out is more pathetic than the state of our roads! I hope the motorcyclist is fine and that the driver of the car in question was breathalized.

Anthony Debono

Aug 23rd 2009, 12:17

@Joyce et al
That's the whole point in having your headlamps on - to be seen. With the sun infront of you, a lit vehicle can be easily distinguishable from the silhouette.

Incidentally, a new EU directive will see that as from mid 2011, all new cars sold in EU will have Daytime Running Lights, i.e. they switch automatically on when engine has started.
I have been using these, as well as high level brake lights since 1982 when I bought my first car - two safety ideas ported over from Volvo.

joyce aquilina

Aug 23rd 2009, 11:21

i live near that area and one thing for sure is at that time of day from 7.30am till after 8.00 the drivers who are coming up hill are blinded by the sun,i saw the poor girl on the ground as i was driving home from mass this morning and i hope she is alright

Anthony Debono

Aug 23rd 2009, 11:01

This is a general comment and not relating to this morning's accident. No one can say how it happened and even more whose fault it was.

While driving this morning I saw:
high capacity road bikes (mostly with lights switched off - though not compulsary, it's advisable; the idea is to be seen) flying (i.e. racing speeds);
bicycles in the middle of the road; one bicycle jumping the red traffic lights - same bicycle rider going through the tunnels with no lights...
Our (not just ours) highway code lists a bicycle as a vehicle, no? Which means that all traffic rules have to be abided by.
What a long way to achieve that!
If everyone respects the highway code, if roads are in a good state and regularly maintained, then there wouldn't be accidents. But only if.

Wish speedy recovery to the hurt.