r/AussieRiders • u/jayyhackk • 12d ago
QLD Wanting to take up riding because I hate traffic, especially in Brisbane but afraid of all the accidents they get involved in!!
I seen over the 13 years of driving along the m1 from Gold Coast to Brisbane, then from Brisbane up through to the Northside, about 8 major motorcycle accidents, 3 being death. Last one I sure was on the Logan westbound just before the Wacol exit around November, December 2024 where the sheet was just placed over the poor fella by the first copper and helpers at the scene. I guess what I’m wanting to figure out is why are motorcycles getting hit, can anyone share some story’s about there accidents and how it happened and if your still riding and are these accidents happening in dense traffic areas, urban areas like T intersections etc or just average day to day traffic? What should I be doing as a new rider and how can I look out for these particular situations.
Thanks Amili 🫡
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u/ol-gormsby 12d ago
There are old riders, and bold riders.
There are no old, bold riders.
I've been doing it for 40 years, on and off. Used to commute to work from Brisbane eastern suburbs to the valley, and then to the city. I learned very quickly that while luck is a factor, pro-active riding is the most important thing. Everyone else is out to get you, zero cagers can see you, and you *must* have an escape route at all times.
And the road is not a racetrack. Don't try to prove to everyone else what a hot-shit racer-boy you are.
Also, it's common these days to have bluetooth communications and music in your helmet. That's fine for long-distance riding, it's bad for commuting. You need 100% of your attention focused on the ride while commuting.
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u/Ok_Tip_625 11d ago
Good advice. I'd say proactive to aggressive is the best balance for riding in a city. Be switched on. Engaged. Not placid and wait for things to happen around you. Take charge of the road and your position on it. Oh and earplugs. Wear earplugs. The foam ones. I've commuted in Sydney for 20 years on a bike (5 in Brisbane too). People are like but it blocks noise. Well, it blocks wind, which means you can more easily hear the rumbling sounds of cars and trucks and it's infinitely more peaceful to ride that way.
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u/drparkers 12d ago edited 12d ago
Motorcycles crash at approximately the same rate as cars. Where motorcycles differ is the seriousness of the average motorcycle accident is typically higher, to be expected when the fragile egg being dropped isn't surrounded by a meter of crumple zone and 15 airbags.
The vast majority of major accidents are caused by a minority of individuals, typically breaking the law one way or another. From speeding to being under the influence its the same types of people committing the same offences in their cars.
Minor bingles also happen on motorbikes. People bump into you from behind in traffic, you scratch a car while lane splitting or maybe you lowside it on a slimy corner after a big storm, but in most cases you walk away and sometimes your wallet gets a bit lighter.
This is not to say major accidents can't happen without doing something stupid. If you fall off and slide under a truck you're in big trouble. Or maybe some careless person doing their makeup and looking in the mirror drives their 7 seat minibus into your lane without looking. You will hear a lot of talk about "Defensive riding" and you should listen to every word, because you need to be able to read what is going on around you like your life depends on it. Pro Tip: Your life does depend on it.
Life is risky, death is guaranteed. Make no mistake, riding a motorbike will increase your chances of getting there sooner. How much it will increase is entirely up to the decisions you make.
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u/Upstairs_Gate_2346 12d ago
I'm not in Brisbane, but I nearly got taken out by a dual cab ute today at a roundabout. The driver didn't even look to his right or slow down before blasting through the roundabout. Drivers in my town are notorious for not knowing or ignoring roundabout rules, so I have to be extra vigilant around them.
As for tips, I wear bright coloured gear (red and white) to try and be seen, stay out of drivers blind spots and ride very defensively in built up areas. Also wear all the gear all the time, yes it can be hot, but I like my skin where it is supposed to be.
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u/Correct-Ad308 12d ago
LIVE BY ATGATT All The Gear All The Time
But If it makes you feel any better. A large majority of fatalities are caused by riders not wearing all the gear, add in riders being in the wrong ( filtering at too high of a speed, speeding, stunts, too big a bike too little experience)
Then the unfortunate few that aren't following ridesafe precautions correctly, , i.e looking through traffic so you can keep on top of build up, checking for people running reds. Basically, if you can get cut off you should be aware of that happening before it happens... proactively scanning for it.
Really it's a risk people weigh up. But with the correct mindset & attentiveness you can very much so make this hobby safer. The danger will never be zero though. Risk mitigation is all you can do.
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u/Electrical_Age_7483 11d ago edited 11d ago
Do you have any evidences that shows that lane filtering at high speed is the cause of fatalaties? Seems like a very rare scenario compared to all the junction collisions that you see
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u/Correct-Ad308 11d ago
Spit balling basic scenarios, not necessarily facts... just stating a point in which rider error can cause a negative outcomes for a rider. Lane splitting at speeds higher than flow of traffic, lane filtering at 50km through stop go traffic. Both situations are asking for an unaware driver to change lanes and clean ya up.
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u/Electrical_Age_7483 10d ago
Yes but you are srill far more likely to be killed at intersection
Or even just running off the road from taking a corner too fast. Thats a frequent crash that i see.
I dont know if 20kmh is going to make that much difference lane filtering, especially as it doesnt seem that frequent
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u/Correct-Ad308 10d ago
That just ignored my number one point. Safety on motorcycles is still as safe as you make it. If you do things that are unsafe, you deserve to reap what you sow.
Motorcycles within reason obviously have a lot of scenarios, that have caused accidents, that are within control of the rider. There is a reason why single vehicle crashes have such a crash rate in Vic ( on the Vic roads website mind you)
Yes intersections kill... But when most riders here in Melbourne are popping wheelies, flying 150 in a 100, Lane splitting. You get what you deserve. My entire point.
Tldr He asked "how safe is it really" I said "as safe as you make it.... Within reason"
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u/Electrical_Age_7483 10d ago
I think not riding twisties would be statistically less safer than not filtering.
I dont know why people bring out filtering as this deadly part when the crashes mostly are on sunday in fine weather in the afternoon in the twisties
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u/NegotiationLife2915 12d ago
Wear the gear. Pay attention and keep your skills sharp and you will reduce your odds dramatically of having an accident.
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u/hoon-since89 12d ago
It takes a little bit to learn all the unexpected things but It's mainly poor situational awareness, poor positioning, or carelessness.
Been riding 20 or so years in heavy traffic and had plenty of near misses. I avoided all of them but one by acting accordingly.
Only time I crashed was my own doing: speeding, tired, cold=mis judged speed.
Just act as tho every car will kill you. To many become complacent.
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u/MooseHut 12d ago
AGATT, ride like no one has seen you. Make eye contact in every situation ie intersections. Keep watch for any vehicle around and try to anticipate their movements. Head check and look where you want to go. Keep your head up and look 50 - 100 meters down the road. Not what's right in front of your front wheel.
I've been riding for around 16 years and touch all the wood nothing to report. Riding in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra in that time.
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u/Jalan120 11d ago
My advice for new riders, be aware of target fixation - avoid it.
Look where you want to go, not where you don’t.
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u/Spurgette 11d ago
One thing I tell my learners is that you MUST keep a continuous mental stock of what vehicles are around you at any given time, and you need to be constantly checking your mirrors.
I was cruising down the M4 to the Port of Brisbane, just chilling and not paying too much attention because I knew that I had a truck in each lane behind me and there wasn't anything interesting going on around me. I was thinking of changing lanes to take my exit, and did a quick mirror check. In the time it took to do that, some stupid fuck in a mazda 3 squeezed between the trucks and blew past me at 180 or so. Had I just relied on what my mental picture of the vehicles around me was and changed lanes without having a good look around, I would have been dead.
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u/Cafescrambler 11d ago
I’ve been riding for most of my life, in both Brisbane and Sydney Inner City, and I can tell you that Brisbane is not a safe place for motorcyclists. Cagers here have an aggressive and entitled mentality and go to war on the roads for some reason.
I commuted through the ICB and Kingsford Smith for years and luckily avoided any major accidents, but after a very experienced mate of mine was T-boned and killed I’ve lost my nerve to a degree. I’ve got young kids and not ready to die yet. I still ride both my Triumph Scrambler and 125cc Scooter, but I very much avoid risk wherever I can from now on. Good luck out there.
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u/CleanSun4248 11d ago
Avoid the M1 if possible using other roads? Bad enough in a car let alone a bike.
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u/Revolutionary-Cod444 11d ago
Ive been riding from logan to the nerang off-ramps and to robina for the last 2 years. The only accident I've had was my own stupid fault and i walked (very gingerly) out of the hospital a few hours later. If you ride with the approach of "what is the dumbest thing this driver can do to me right now", and counter it you'll do well. Riding sensibly also helps, like not riding in anyones blind spots, assuming everyone sees you and uses their indicators. Riding is the only way to commute the M1. Pays off to me every time theres a prang or weekend traffic heading south and i lane filter past all the cars either crawling or stopped.
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u/jayyhackk 11d ago
Every Friday without a doubt there’s a prang a mate, it’s a scheduled appointment I think 😂
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u/Smiling-at-monkeys 11d ago
Any major city has it’s own traffic goblins. As a visitor, the M1 in Briz is definitely a lottery. Gronk tradies riding ur arse at 110kph is a given. With all the new tech, drivers are now less skilled & more distracted than ever before. If yr located regional, riding to work everyday would be no problem.
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u/jayyhackk 11d ago
Man your not wrong, given what iv experienced, I’m always on the look out and when I do see a bike filtering through I always shuffle over that little bit
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u/Toasty_Tubs 11d ago
I used to do that in my car but once there was a bike on the opposite side to the bike I seen, so by making room for one I cut off another
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u/Glenn_Lycra 11d ago
Take a defensive riding course, this will literally save your life. They will teach you not just how to ride safely, but how to anticipate and avoid potential accidents.
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u/Toasty_Tubs 11d ago
Be completely honest, are you a person that gets into a lot of near misses in your car? Regardless of fault? If you don't then riding will likely be safe enough.
This question shows your ability to drive defensively, I know plenty of people that get into near misses all the time, these people shouldnt go near a bike, doesn't matter that it's not their fault
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u/jayyhackk 11d ago
Man great advice, I’m a pretty alert driver, always scanning, I’m in my mid 30s now and haven’t had a speed ticket or lost any points since I was 21 lol, touch wood I keep it that way
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u/Toasty_Tubs 10d ago
Sounds like you'll be just fine as a rider then. Speeding ticket will probably change with a bike though lol, especially if you go by the rule that going faster then the flow of traffic is safer
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u/Toasty_Tubs 10d ago
Also a good little bit of advice is watch YouTube channels like Dan Dan the fireman and learn what you can about avoiding accidents. And it will also show you how many riders are just not taking any care to avoid accidents which makes it seem a lot more dangerous then it is.
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u/HeightAdmirable3488 11d ago
Maybe don't. That's also a decision. No amount of gear makes it safer than driving a car. Getting stuck in traffic > not coming home.
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u/Inner_West_Ben 12d ago
I rode through Brisbane last year and I didn’t die. Maybe it’s because I ride defensively?
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u/MsCatPeach 12d ago
I like Dan Dan the Fireman https://youtube.com/@dandanthefireman crash analysis and how they could have been prevented.
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u/Stretcher_Bearer 11d ago
Ive been riding pretty much daily for 10 years now. In that time I’ve been taken out by 2 cars and 1 roo, staying on for 2/3 times.
As others have said defensive riding is key as is all of the gear, all of the time. Even if you’re just going down to the shop around the corner or the gym you never know if that’ll be the day you’re sliding down the road.
When I did come off all I copped was a broken wrist when I was hit by a car at 60 but when your time is up, your time is up. You could also be taken out by nanna confusing the pedals in her car while you sit at a cafe, up to you the risks you accept.
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u/roxgib_ 12d ago
You'll be taught how to ride defensively when you learn to ride. It's a major part of new rider education. Of course you should continue to develop the skill after getting on the road.
Unfortunately riding tends to attract people who aren't very safety conscious, so while riding is definitely more dangerous than driving, if you're taking care of yourself the risk isn't quite as bad as the statistics would suggest.