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Father calls for more road safety measures after witnessing accident

A motorist has called for a crackdown on careless driving by motorcyclists after witnessing a collision. (File photograph by Akil Simmons)

A stay-at-home father of two has called for increased safety measures on the roads after he narrowly missed a collision with a motorcyclist and later saw that same cyclist involved in a crash.

The father, who asked not to be named, added that riders needed to be reminded that their erratic driving put others, such as his family, which includes two boys aged two and nine months, in harm’s way.

The 41-year-old said: “When is someone going to go through a young family like mine and wipe them out on the road? It’s just infuriating.”

The man was speaking on Monday after a two-motorcycle collision at the Barker’s Hill Roundabout in Devonshire around 11am.

Police said a motorcyclist travelling west on North Shore Road failed to give way to a motorcycle travelling south over Barker’s Hill and the two collided.

The man claimed that a motorcyclist had earlier overtaken him as a bus was in the opposite lane and missed both vehicles “by about two or three feet”.

The father claimed that the rider was going “at least 90kph”.

He said: “I was so angry because if he had been hit it would have wiped us out as well.”

The man said that he later came to the roundabout by Barker’s Hill and saw that the motorcyclist and another rider both on the ground after what looked like a collision.

He added: “That original rider, he had just got up and was holding his ribs, so I don’t know what actually happened at the roundabout.

“I heard on the radio that he had collided with another cyclist.”

The motorcyclists received minor injuries and were treated at the scene by paramedics.

But the man said that he was “shocked” that no one had been killed.

He added: “I’ve seen so many of these near misses, especially when I’ve had my children in the car.”

He added that, while there were campaigns such as the police’s Operation Vega, more needed to be done to crack down on motorcyclists.

The man said: “I think much, much tougher fines for when people are overtaking would be important.”

The man also called for more speed cameras and CCTV on roads, as well as for stricter testing for those who wanted to use a motorcycle.

He also encouraged other motorists to report instances of reckless driving, particularly if they have cameras in their dashboards.

The man said: “I’ve heard numerous stories of people going to the police with their dashcam footage. It’s recorded and indisputable evidence.”

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Published September 03, 2021 at 7:56 am (Updated September 03, 2021 at 7:30 am)

Father calls for more road safety measures after witnessing accident

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