Tragic month for NSW and Queensland riders

It’s been a tragic month for riders in NSW and Queensland where 13 people have died as warmer weather has more venturing out on the road.

In the past two days, two riders have died on NSW roads and one in Queensland.

The latest fatalities involve motorcyclists colliding with large vehicles.

A 35-year-old Stafford Heights man died after his motorcycle collided with a car and then a truck travelling northbound on the Gateway Motorway around 3.50pm (29 October 2019).

And in South Nowra a motorcyclist died after colliding with a school bus collided about 6.45am at the intersection of Flinders Road and Bellevue Street.

As is the usual practice, police have taken the uninjured bus driver to hospital for mandatory testing.

There were no passengers on the bus.

Causes for the crashes have not yet been revealed.

Also, a 59-year-old rider who hit a tree on Limpinwood Road, Tyalgum, NSW, on 19 October 2019 has now died.

His female pillion passenger, aged 57, suffered shoulder and ankle injuries and was taken to Tweed Heads Hospital for further treatment.

Statistical spike

Let’s hope it is the end of the carnage for October which has seen the usual spike in motorcycle crashes as more riders hit the roads for spring.

While Queensland riders are out year-round, some NSW riders hibernate their bikes over winter and come out in spring for leisure and commuting.

Over the past month there have been eight riders killed on NSW roads and five in Queensland.

We can probably expect a knee-jerk reaction from politicians and police in response, but it is mainly a seasonal situation.

Motorcycle deaths in NSW up to the end of September were slightly up on last year, but down over the past four years.

In Queensland, rider deaths were down a substantial 16.6% by the end of September. 

Thankfully, there were no known rider deaths in Victoria this month. However, a tragic start to the year has Victorian rider deaths up about 28% over the previous year and the five-year average.

NSW crashes

These are the crashes on NSW in October:

• A male rider died after his motorcycle struck a telegraph pole in Ingleburn, south-west Sydney, on 12 October.
• A man in his 50s died after a collision with a car on Waterfall Way, near Bellingen, on October 18.
• Two riders died on October 19, one a male rider, 45, who crashed on a gravel road in the far west of NSW, the other a 59-year-old man after coming off his motorbike in the state’s Northern Region.
• The next day, a Kia Rio ploughed head-on into four motorcyclists in Kyogle, northern NSW, killing one and injuring three riders. No charges have yet been laid.
• On 22 October, police a motorcyclist died in a truck collision at the intersection of Windsor Road and Pitt Town Road.
• Yesterday a 23-year-old male died in a crash when his bike left the road in Macksville.

Queensland crashes

• The month started badly when on October 1 a rider in his 20s died in head-on collision on the Brisbane Valley Highway at Ironbark, near Ipswich.
• A 51-year-old man died after his motorcycle was hit by a 4WD attempting to turn into a driveway in Parkinson, south of Brisbane on 9 October.
• On October 14, a motorcyclist riding with two colleagues suddenly swerved before crashing into a ditch and dying in Far North Queensland.
• On Sunday, a 38-year-old male rider died after a ute turned into a carpark across his path in Burpengary north of Brisbane.

Our sincere condolences to all the families and friends of those lost and our best wishes for a speedy and full recovery to those injured.

We would rather not report on crashes, but we hope the articles prompt readers to take even more caution and responsibility for their own safety.

Seeking cause and blame won’t heal broken bodies.