Rider nudged off motorbike by ute on motorway – so who's at fault?
Dashcam footage shows the moment a lane-splitting motorcyclist is nudged off his bike by a ute on a Queensland motorway.
The video shows a motorcyclist riding between two lanes on the Gateway Motorway near Bracken Ridge, in Brisbane’s north on Friday. Metres in front of the motorcycle, a ute inicates and starts pulling out into the right lane.
The motorcyclist, riding in between lanes, rides straight into the back corner of the ute, bouncing into the service lane on the right, and falling from the bike.
So who’s at fault in this situation?
The video, which has been viewed 209,000 times on Facebook, has sparked debate with many people on social media blaming the motorcyclist for the incident.
“I ride a bike and that biker was flying. The ute didn’t have much of a chance to see him coming at that speed,” one Facebook user posted.
“Riding down the middle on any highway is Russian roulette,” another user said.
While others blamed the ute, saying that the driver should have been more cautious.
“One flash of the ute indicator and it is already moving to the right,” one user said.
According to the RACQ, riding a motorbike between lanes is called ‘lane filtering’ and is only permissible at certain speeds.“Lane filtering is allowed on a dual lane road providing the motorcyclist does not exceed 30 km/h, but even then it must only be done when it is safe to do so,” Steve Spalding, Head of Technical and Safety at the RACQ told Yahoo7.
“Riders need to understand the rules when lane filtering is allowed and when it is not. They also need to make sure they are clear on the rules surrounding school zones, filtering speeds and what licence they need,” he said.
While motorcycle riders are responsible for riding safely, the RACQ also cautioned car drivers.
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“Both motorists and cyclists need to take care when changing lanes. Drivers should check mirrors and blind spots, including performing shoulder checks,” Mr Spalding said.
“Motorcyclists can sometimes be difficult to see on the roads, so extra care should be taken to ensure the road is clear before merging.
“Our advice is only filter where it is safe to do so, wait back when large vehicles or narrow lanes do not allow for safe gaps between traffic.
“When filtering be vigilant for cars that may change lanes with little or no warning.”
Yahoo7 contacted the Queensland Police, who confirmed that they were not investigating the incident in the video. It is understood that the motorcyclist was not seriously injured.
