On 12/17/2014 6:17 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote:



Perhaps I was not detailed enough. They rode from a small, one lane,
one way, village road onto the main N.S. Phuket highway. The small
road merges with the main road at the exit of a very large 90 degree
bend. They entered the road and started down the outer lane of the
road. A large truck hauling a 4 wheel trailer - probably approaching
80 ton capacity, and loaded - was approaching around the bend. From
living in the village I would guess that two women and two kids on a
90 cc Honda may have been traveling about 15 KMH. The truck was likely
doing 50 - 60 KPH, at least I usually am going about 50 KPH on that
curve and the big trucks sometimes pass me.

The truck driver obviously saw the woman and made an attempt to stop,
apparently braked rather violently as he lost the trailer which was
lying crosswise in the road when I came by a few minutes after the
crash.

The truck couldn't stop in time and hit the motorcycle that was,
apparently, well into the lane. Two dead in the crash and two severely
injured.

I realize you're talking about a third-world country, and I realize that
road design in many places is not up to western standards. It sounds
like this is one of those places. If a truck can't stop in the assured
clear distance ahead, then the combination of road design and allowable
speed is clearly defective. After all, what if (say) another truck
pulling a large trailer had done what the motorbike rider did?

This is one of the reasons that third world countries tend to have far
higher death rates per km traveled. That's true for motorists,
pedestrians, bus passengers and bicyclists.

Had they not "taken the lane"...

In any case, putting up one lane-center, hit-from-behind incident
doesn't prove that primary position riding is dangerous. After all, I
can put up accounts of horrific crashes to cyclists riding to the right
of wide lanes, or even riding in bike lanes.

Right, ignore it as it happens so seldom.... I'm sure that the woman's
family agrees completely.

Don't ignore these, either:

http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/l...284488831.html
["He was riding his bicycle in the bike lane of westbound White Lane
sometime before 6 a.m. when he was struck from behind by a vehicle,
according to police."]

http://wishtv.com/2014/04/24/school-...ls-pedestrian/
["Bicyclist was in bike lane when hit, killed by bus..."]

http://www.twazlaw.com/blog/2014/09/...icyclist.shtml
["... a biker was in the designated bike lane when he was hit from
behind by a car..."]


--
- Frank Krygowski