South Australia Police have released a video of a high-speed motorcycle crash in an effort to vindicate tougher new penalties for extreme speed offences.
They say the video was released at the request of the rider’s wife.
“This motorcyclist filmed his own crash – the crash that put him in a coma for two months, gave him a permanent brain injury and put him in full time care for the rest of his life,” SA Police say.
“The man’s wife allowed us to use this video because she wants you to see what happens when you drive or ride at extreme speed.”
South Australia has now introduced laws to Parliament that increase the penalties for extreme speeding.
Extreme speed is defined as driving or riding at 55km/h or more above the limit in a zone marked 60 or less, or 80km/h or more above the speed limit in a zone marked above 60.
The rider in this video reached speeds way in excess of the threshold for “extreme speed”.
Motorists convicted of driving at an extreme speed could be jailed for up to three years and face a mandatory minimum two-year licence disqualification for a first offence.
For a subsequent offence, motorists face up to five years in jail and a mandatory minimum licence disqualification period of five years.
The maximum penalty can also apply in the following circumstances:
- The offence was committed while attempting to escape a police pursuit;
- The offending caused death or serious harm;
- The vehicle driven was stolen;
- The offender was driving while disqualified;
- The offender was on a provisional or probationary licence, a learner’s permit or unlicensed; and
- The offender was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The car of an offender may also be forfeited to the state.
Police say the rider who ploughed into the back of the ute at about 140km/h survived thanks to a witnesses who called the ambulance and took instructions about how to resuscitate the man.
The rider will now need full-time care for the rest of his life.
“His decision to ride at extreme speed did not just impact him,” police say.
“It impacted the lives of those strangers who kept him alive on the road and forever changed the lives of his family.”