Watch that speedometer -- he was at fault, it seems to me.

Drive defensively, guy, when you are so visually small on the road!

(Upvoting for the object lesson....)

All I can see is the tachometer. I can't read the speedometer, his key is in the way

Ah. Shows what I know.

But surely even the tach going that high means he sped way the hell up, yes?

Well, to me it seemed he was just overtaking the car, there wasn't much time after he did that to indicate whether he intended to continue to rocket along like a lunatic or if he was just merely putting distance between the two of them (I often do that in a car). Although I wouldn't be surprised if he intended to stay at that speed for a while. He's on a bike

*timeshift

Adding video to channels (Timeshift) - requested by ant.

Seems clear to me he is a lunatic, he already put more than enough distance between them by the time he realised he was in trouble.

To be fair, I wouldn't call him a lunatic.

It's very common for the adrenaline rush that results from rapid acceleration to carry you into at least several unnecessary moments with the pedal to the metal.

There's a deeply significant reason the renowned poet laureate of Bel Air, Sir William Smith, penned those immortal words, "Drive fast; speed turns me on."

http://youtu.be/KqOBBhRpnxE

I'd say that's unfair to the biker. When crossing lanes, the vehicle turning across the lane NEVER has right of way at an unlit intersection and the vehicle heading straight always has right of way.

I'd be very surprised if, if he had hit the car, the police didn't at the very least think his speed was a factor in the accident.

It's all well and good to say never, but there are obviously times where this would be stupid. If I was in a car making a turn across traffic in a position where I wouldn't be able to cross the lane fast enough if a vehicle came along doing 150mph, should I not take the turn? In that case you're saying if it did happen I would be at fault, but it would also be the case that there was nothing I could have done to avoid the accident other than not make the turn?

Whether or not this video is one of those incidents is debatable, but using absolutes is not the way the law, or common sense, works.

The biker is obviously speeding, the person in the car obviously didn't see them. The biker is breaking the law, the car driver is perhaps driving without due care and attention. Without seeing more of the road and knowing the speed of the bike it would be impossible to know the extent of any negligence. But it's not really unfair to say someone was doing something wrong when they're speeding.

Unfair to say to drive defensively? [edit -- I just read my original post, and I did say that he was at fault. I stand by that.]

The car driver was clearly at fault. And. That bike probably was hard to see in front of the car s/he just passed, coming out of its silhouette. That biker changed the landscape of the road quickly and an inattentive car driver almost took hir out.

Open it up wide if you are alone on the road. Cars around? Be careful.

In my opinion, this video would be a great teaching tool for anyone who drives a bike. In fact, my boss just bought a new motorcycle -- you have inspired me to share this with him.

There are enough problems in the world.

Find a hobby that doesn't risk death or dismemberment.

If you can't safely turn across a lane of traffic then absolutely yes you do not make the turn. Even if the reason you can't safely make the turn is because someone else is speeding at some ridiculous pace, you still stop and don't turn.

My objection was the tone of the post I responded to suggesting only the the biker was at fault. I have no problem with declaring speeding putting someone partially at fault. I have a bigger problem though saying that crossing a lane of traffic when unsafe to do so is in any world a lesser danger, hazard and fault.

I'll agree to both at fault, but always more fault for crossing when unsafe.

Shit man, there's a long-ass rap-sheet of non-lethal mental illness that puts extreme sports to shame -Bleed yer heart out and feign concern for the human race with worry somewhere else there, Judgy McJudgerstein besides, more room for thoughtful, cautious types like yerself right??

Observing right of way is the single most important factor for avoiding collisions.

By definition, when right of way is observed, co-location is impossible.

Avoid target fixation, keep scanning all around at all times.
Maintain situational awareness, and yield to the right of way.

-scheherazade

I love that you always end your comments with your signature. That takes dedication.

-Benjamin Franklin

watched it a few times - my opinion the car was at fault- turned too soon.
There was open road in front of the car that turned, he should have seen the motorcycle - it was relatively flat straight road, no hills or curves.

While most "crotch rocket" drivers I've seen do speed way too much, in this particular video, the bike wasn't going *that* fast.