SA’s overtaking cycling laws dangerous, says crash survivor Maritha Keyser

A BRAIN injury, punctured lung and several broken bones including her pelvis and shoulder – these are reasons why Maritha Keyser wants a rethink of South Australia’s controversial new cycling laws.

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• Baby delivered from dead car crash victim

A BRAIN injury, punctured lung and several broken bones including her pelvis and ­shoulder – these are reasons why Maritha Keyser wants a rethink of South Australia’s controversial new cycling laws.

The Athelstone mother, 45, was riding her motorbike with friends in Tasmania – which has similar cycling laws to SA – when an oncoming campervan veered across double white lines while overtaking cyclists and into her group.

After a month in hospital, Mrs Keyser is calling on the State Government to better protect motorcyclists and consider changing SA’s cycling laws for the safety of all road users.

“I’m just really lucky to be alive,” Mrs Keyser, a mother of two, said.

“If that driver in Tasmania took this responsibility more seriously, he would not have made such a foolish decision to overtake uphill on a blind rise.

“Why let vehicles pass ­cyclists on solid white lines?”

Cycling laws in both states allow motorists to cross over solid white lines to allow enough space – 1m at 60km/h and 1.5m when travelling faster – when overtaking cyclists.

Maritha Keyser with her bike, in the same protective clothing she was wearing during the crash.

But the State Government says motorists must consider oncoming traffic and other hazards and only cross over when it is safe to do so.

Mrs Keyser and her husband Charles were among six motorcyclists riding from Swansea to Hobart on December 29 when the crash happened. The first rider braked and swerved to avoid the van and Mrs Keyser tried to do the same, but hit the rider in front and was flung from her bike into the path of another car.

“I came off and landed under an oncoming car, in the middle of the road. My bike spun to the other side of the road and caught flames,” she said.

“My main concern is my brain injury. I had a cognitive brain assessment done and grossly underperformed in all the tasks.”

Mrs Keyser, a specialist lender who also has an industrial engineering degree, is hopeful her brain injury will improve, but she cannot do some everyday tasks because of the ­damage to her frontal lobes. Her short-term memory has also been affected.

Maritha Keyser shaded by people who stopped to help before paramedics arrived.

The Keysers believe motorcyclists should be allowed to lane filter – riding alongside vehicles that have stopped or are moving at less than 30km/h – and be able to legally wear ­European standard helmets to improve rider safety.

“I find it completely and utterly puzzling – and alarming – the inaction of government is so deliberate to disadvantage motorcyclists,” she said.

“If a minority group such as cyclists is getting so much through legislation, why this stark contrast when it comes to the motorcycling minority group?”

A government spokesman said the cycling laws were designed to reduce cyclist fatalities, many of which were caused by being hit from behind.

“It is not acceptable to cross a double line when there is ­oncoming traffic and other hazards,” the spokesman said.