I posted about this when it happened. The officer was escorting state limos in a training exercise. This was supposed to be "slow speed" escort.
Umpteen witness accounts exxagerate .. "He was at least 100 mph"
I doubt.. The bike was limited to 70 mph.
He hit a road hump.. He took off on this. He could not get back the control on landing.. I think because "slow" .. but I base this on my wife's motorbiking chatter and how she rides her motorbike. I confess . that I have never been smitten by a motorbike. I do not like Wildy
riding hers even though I know and trust she will keep it all safety led. I enjoy cars and I enjoy bicycles.
Wildy
? Enthusiastic about anything on wheels.
I have not posted the previous .. which accused the deceased of being "over the ton" - which I doubt. He hit a SPEED HUMP in that road when control was lost.
Source? My quote in April 2005 from the Bolton News over the illegal 6 inch speed humps on that road and others in Bolton and Manchester.. and emulated across the UK
[quote ="Bolton News"]
Force aware that bike ‘weaved’ at speed - inquest
9:40pm Monday 1st December 2008
By Joanne Rowe »
POLICE knew that the type of motorbike ridden by a police officer in a fatal accident in Bolton would “weave” at high speed, an inquest has been told.
The inquest at Bolton Coroner’s Court into the death of PC Allan Shaw in July, 2006, heard that a speed limit of 70mph had been imposed on police Honda ST1300s because the bikes could become unstable at higher speeds.
Insp Michael Keegan, head of traffic network services at Greater Manchester Police, said the speed limit decision was taken in 2005.
However, another officer, PC Lee Rickett, a motorcyclist who rode the same type of bike in the practice session in which PC Shaw died, said he was never told to limit his speed.
He said he would be unable to do a proper escort job on a motorbike limited to 70mph.
PC Shaw died as he and colleagues were practising escorting VIPs.
His motorbike went out of control in Astley Bridge, after crossing the junction of Moss Bank Way and Blackburn Road onto Crompton Way.
PC Rickett and PC Shaw were part of a team of five motorcycle outriders who would take it in turns to ride ahead of the convoy of cars and stop traffic at junctions.
The inquest was told that PC Rickett was first to arrive at the Blackburn Road junction. He stopped the traffic there with the help of a colleague.
Two other police motorcyclists rode through the junction, safely followed by PC Shaw.
PC Rickett told the inquest that he estimated PC Shaw was riding at about 60mph. As he passed the junction and went into a dip at the edge of the road’s camber, the front of PC Shaw’s bike dipped down and the back wheel left the carriageway.
PC Rickett said the back wheel landed at an angle to the front wheel, sending the motorbike out of control, leaving PC Shaw with a situation even the most skilful rider could not always correct.
As the bike veered out of control towards a parked lorry, PC Rickett said he got the impression that PC Shaw had deliberately tried to topple the bike over to avoid smashing into an object.
“Your last chance of not hitting an object is to drop the bike to the floor and hope you go your separate ways,” PC Rickett said.
Unfortunately, PC Shaw, a 33-year-old married father from Ashton-in-Makerfield, collided with the back of a lorry and was killed.
PC Rickett said he did not believe the weaving problem caused his colleague to crash.
However, he criticised a decision taken months before the Astley Bridge accident, to stop police motorcyclists escorting Category A prisoners.
Insp Keegan said the decision was taken in October, 2005, because it was too risky to use unarmed motorcyclists where there was the potential for an armed escape or ambush.
However, PC Rickett said police motorcyclists were unhappy about the decision because it reduced the amount of experience they had in escorting convoys.
The day that PC Shaw died was only the second practice day the motorcyclists had had since the new rule came into force. The first was only a week earlier.
The inquest continues.
[/quote]
I feel very sorry for this officer's family and his colleagues. I think he was legal at all times from previous press accounts and this article .. but witnesses like or have been conditioned to think "speed" causes all incidents
I will agree that nanny pee-cee really makes life more difficult than it need be for police and public alike
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