Motorcycle safety drives police operation on the Northern Rivers

A Northern Rivers motorcyclist says it is not good enough for drivers to say “I didn’t see you” as recent tragedies drive an increased police focus on safety in the region.

A lifetime on two wheels has entrenched the importance of safety for North Coast motorcycle rider Tony Williams.

It comes as police in the region increase their focus on motorcycle safety in the wake of crash deaths that claimed the life of a man in his 60s at Kyogle and a crash north of Nimbin that killed 18-year-old Lachlan Snadden.

Mr Williams said he first climbed aboard a motorcycle in 1969 and had since been on a journey that took him from working for Harley Davidson in Sydney, to helping establish Destination Motorcycle in South Lismore.

He has seen his fair share of motorcycle accidents and lost friends in crashes he believes could have been avoided.

“A long time ago a mate of mine and his girlfriend were travelling through Sydney’s eastern suburbs,” he said.

“He was actually doing a test ride for one of the motorcycle magazines and a car came on the wrong side of the road, hit him head-on, killed him instantly and put her in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

“They were 22 years of age.”

Tony Williams of Destination Motorcycles with a cast rim smashed in a pot hole.

He said even the less serious crashes had long lasting effects.

“People go ‘Oh, it was an accident, he wasn’t killed he’ll be all right’ but the legacy of these things lives on,” Mr Williams said.

He said he has had problems with his back since hitting a car in Sydney.

“I was coming through Chifley Square, I was on the green when a car came through a red light,” he said.

“It was a lady and I ploughed right into the side of her.”

He went over the roof, landed on his head, fractured his skull, compressed his neck, broke his collarbone and injured his back.

“I hit her with such force that the bike was buried in the car, they had to cut the roof off to get her out of the car,” he said.

Mr Williams was a motorcycle sidecar racer and recalled another accident where a car ran through a stop sign, knocking both himself and his best friend and sidecar passenger off their bike.

“We got pretty messed up from that crash,” Mr Williams said.

“I’ve had two bad accidents and both times the standard reply is “I didn’t see you”.

“People go ‘Oh, it was an accident, he wasn’t killed he’ll be all right’ but the legacy of these things lives on.’’

He and another mate went on to form motorcycle lobby group Celebration of Australian Motorcycling and organised a ride in 1997 that resulted in 18,000 bikes arriving at Parliament House.

Richmond Police District officers are currently running Operation Trance in response to a higher than usual number of motorcycle fatalities and accidents in the Northern Rivers.

Inspector David Vandergriend said police would be working with highway patrol for an increased presence on backroads as well as main roads from Casino to the Queensland border.

“We’ll be monitoring speed and want to remind people not to ride above their capabilities,” he said.

“We’ve seen a lot of riders coming out of corners too wide.”

He said the condition of the roads needed to be taken into account when out riding.

 Operation Trance will continue through to March.