[2bikebill]

There's a guy drives a milk delivery van round this area. He's been doing it for years. He's well known, killer of cats, wildlife, feared by anyone unfortunate enough to have to drive, walk, cycle or ride these roads and lanes when he's on his round. These Devon roads and lanes are narrow and winding, often one car's width with passing places. Hurtling round them at fifty and more is russian roulette.
Everyone knew he was going to kill someone eventually, how it hadn't happened sooner can only be down to astonishing luck.
Finally he's done it. Last thursday. A fifty-five year old motorcyclist on a Honda 250. Head-on. Died of his injuries. I doubt there were witnesses. It was a back road and early.
The van driver is unhurt and said to be in shock.
Shock?  I'd like to give him some fucking shock.
My neighbour just told me about this. I can't believe how angry it's made me.
I mean
really
fucking
angry.

[ROVERMAN]

Wow Br Will, as an ex-pat from Sussex i can visualize the scenario you describe very well.Be assured some of your anger has been displaced into me.Hopefully others can absorb even more and i hope you don't do anything rash.
Sincerest regards Robert and REnfield in Michigan USA.

[billy2sheds]

a bad thing to hear will even more so when you know the idiot,and could see it was going to happen.lets hope he gets locked up then you will feel safer when out riding.

[Ice]

 I will bet the driver is playing the oh pity me card to try and get out it.

[Chasfield]

A lot of people don't understand probability. Many think that a 90 percent chance that there is nothing around the next blind bend is as good as certainty - based on the happiest days of their betting shop experience.

This is a catastrophic misjudgement. You just can't play those percentages when you have a steering wheel in your hands. I think that driving schools are partly to blame because some of them put making progress at a higher priority than safety. Thus, you might be encouraged to move off from a junction on the basis that another vehicle approaching from the side is signalling to turn into it.  However, my old (ex-police) driving instructor would have said wait until you see evidence of the other car turning. This slows things down a bit but you don't get T-boned by some dolt who left his turn signal on.

The idiot described at the start of this post sounds like his driving involved a full blown break with reality and no amount of defensive riding skills could have saved that poor chap on the motorcycle.

[2bikebill]

"The idiot described at the start of this post sounds like his driving involved a full blown break with reality and no amount of defensive riding skills could have saved that poor chap on the motorcycle."

Exactly right. I've lived here a long time and use the back roads and lanes a lot, although I avoid them on the bike. These nutters are always local drivers who are just playing the odds - they don't usually meet another vehicle.........
You might be going along at twenty, and you might have stopped - but they can't at that speed. Collisions on the lanes aren't rare although usually aren't fatal. Insurance companies always treat it as "knock for knock" - in other words you'll pay half even if you were blameless. Keep a camera in the glovebox.
Two days after I bought my latest car, I met a Hi Lux towing an empty flat-bed trailer and filling the width of the lane, hurtling round a blind bend doing at least fifty. If I hadn't done a lightning shift into reverse and had clear road behind me, that would have been the end of it. There was smoke coming off all his tyres and a look of horror on his stupid face. I had to back into a space to let him pass. He stared straight ahead while I expressed myself using short old fashioned words.

OK I've done my share of stupid stuff on the road. Quieter now.
But this milk van driver. I hope he's done with it.

[Chuck D]

Some weird paradigm shift about driving has happened over the last two or so decades. In the mid '70's when I started driving, arrogant and aggressive behavior  behind the wheel was seen (at least by my peers) for what it is, namely, amateurish and uncool. Even with our just freshly acquired "skills", we wanted to at least look like we knew what we were doing in front of our friends in the passenger seats. Our $350 cars were loud enough without speeding to attract attention. Running a red light was an embarrassing fuck up.
I don't know, but lately a whole new attitude of self entitlement rules the streets and roads. Red lights and stop signs are just suggestions and speed limits are a joke. Law enforcement (in NYC) in these areas is nonexistent. The cops themselves seem to relish every opportunity to display disdain for prudent driving by rolling through red lights unnecessarily or (my favorite) parking the opposite way on a one way street. The message is clear. The law doesn't apply to us. With that in mind, why would anyone else take it seriously?
Now you add the absurdly powerful and insulating ve-hicles that people can't seem to live without nowadays and a truly ugly picture emerges. One where everyone and everything else on the road becomes an annoyance and an obstacle. And we as motorcyclists, bicyclists, and yes, pedestrians are catching all the hell.
Sorry for the rant. But as one who regularly drives large rigs over 45,000lbs. for work, I can tell you that it is my WORST nightmare to accidentally kill or injure someone with my driving. And I will continue to take the rules of the road (not to mention plain ol' courtesy) seriously even if no one else does.
Chuck.

[1Blackwolf1]

  Sorry to hear of this..lost cousins and friends to 4 wheelers "high balling" around blind corners to save time or play Mario Andretti.

  Drove commercial vehicles for a while to earn a living and saw my share of drivers trying to please the owners by taking crazy risks to get the load in before time.  I basically wasn' t well liked by management since I wouldn't run two logs.  So know why some of the stupidity happens.  No excuse for it, accidents do happen but not all that often.  And the accident rates for commercial vehicles are going up, very few drivers are really pros' anymore..lots of cowboy drivers.  Probably why I got away from it.

  Again many condolensces to the man and his friends and family.