General Chat

got this off one of the scooter forums
young girl killed and volvo drove off
http://www.dorset.police.uk/default.aspx?page=6672

Hope they catch the driver poor girl.

http://m.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/crime/jade_clark/10262788.Tributes_left_for_A31_crash_victim__Jade_Clark/

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&safe=off&q=a31&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x487473512f5bc5a9:0xf58cda04ecb2f01b,A31,+BH24&gl=uk&ei=THg3UfD4LeyX0QX4j4GACQ&sqi=2&ved=0CJABELYD

At Canford Bottom near Wimborne Minster (north of Bournemouth) a large and complicated junction has been built at cost of several million pounds. It is utterly horrendous to drive through, causes no end of delays and bad temper. There are continual accidents many of them very serious or fatal. Motorbikes and scooter riders especially are victims.

It is very definitely not a place where a learner driver of 16 should venture unaccompanied.

The whole section of A31 from the M27 past Ringwood and on to Bere Regis has a horrendous accident record. If it figures at all in your holiday plans this year go another way.

There cannot be that many of this model of Volvo with 100 miles of Poole. I can only suppose that the police are tracking them all down and checking with the ferry operators.

There is a junction at the beginning of the M11 in east London where the north Circular and the M11 merge and the lane markings are all wrong.
There is a 50mph (theoretical) speed limit (on the opposite side is the speed camera that did for Geoff Huhne) with two lanes of M11 and on the outside of that one lane from the North Circular.
On a number of occasions I have joined from the North Circular riding a 125cc scooter mechanically limited to 50mph.
You then find yourself in the outside lane with two lanes of traffic to your left, the one nearest to you doing well over 50mph (OK let's be honest, 65-75) and which you have to cross to get into the inside lane.
Not a pleasant experience in good conditions but on a wet night-time it's near enough suicidal.
Easy enough to solve, make it one lane on the M11 and either one or two from the North Circular: job done.

We tend to applaud regulations that limit the power of motorcycles ridden usually by young people, but I do wonder if often they get into situations as Brian describes where they are unable to hold their own against even a low powered car.

Perhaps a rethink raise the age a year to perhaps have a slightly more mature rider and then allow a more competent machine to be used.

My wife bought a 90cc Honda some years ago 60mph flat out awful road holding and suspension, pathetic brakes. Darn thing terrified me, used to feel much safer on my old 650 Thunderbird, wish I’d hung on to it!.

Mayfield
(Ex Rocker) ;-)

I had a scooter that was limited to 30mph: nice and safe you would think.

But being constantly tailgated or overtaken in town was bad enough. On a 40mph or 50mph it was deadly, especially when attempting to turn right.

I went up to London every day for 18 years on a 250cc bike (82 mile round trip so over 300,000 miles) and came off half a dozen times when car drivers did silly things in front of me ("Sorry mate, I didn't see you" syndrome) without serious injury or writing off a bike - quite lucky I suppose.

I hope they find the driver who hit her, what a tragedy for her family and friends, she had her whole life ahead of her, wiped out in an instant.

May she rest in peace, bless her.


I hated it when my son had a moped, a scooter, and then a small motorbike, was glad when it got stolen and he didn't get another.


Lizx

the way the eu is going they will force 2 wheels off the road or keep kids on under powered bikes
to take your full a2 test now it has to be on a 350 cc bike also now a 2 part test one off road with swerve and brake test that has caused a few accidents.
so rather than take the test kids are going to stick to 50cc or when older 125 cc on l plates

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/10276731.Hundreds_of_bikers_in_parade_tribute_to_tragic_Jade_Clark/

reward had gone up to £15,000


police had checked 800 volvos


arrested and charged a bloke from kent, death by careless, fail to stop and disqualified driving.

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/10307552.JADE_CLARK_DEATH__Man_arrested_and_Volvo_XC90_seized_after_fatal_crash/

He will probably get max 6 months to year in jail, more for driving while dsq than the death. Imho he deserves a year for the assorted motoring offenses and another 5 (min) for manslaughter. If he was talking on his mobile then another 6 months for that too.

I do not really understand why there are such offenses as "causing death by careless/dangerous driving".

I can only guess that the idea that somehow killing a person on the highway by carelessness or worse is less serious than other kinds of manslaughter goes back to when only the well off drove cars and mostly peasants were killed and maimed.

The offense is manslaughter and the minimum sentence should be five years no time off. The driving ban should be for life.

He has also caused a first rate financial cost for a county police force which has already had to endure some of the most savage cuts in the UK. I hope they recover the costs from the motor insurers.

As for the complicated junction ... It was constructed at vast cost for the Olympics at Weymouth although the money was taken from Dorset highways budget not the Olympics fund. There were plenty of warnings that it would be dangerous and sadly this has been the case with a lot of serious accidents.

in america they are charged with vehicula homicide ie manslaughter
as the car is treated as a leathal weopan

Quite.