In September 2002 Mary Murray was in a collision on her motorbike. Her right femur was shattered, her face crushed, her wrist broken. Now two years later she's finally beginning to "come out of it the other end". She spoke to Patricia Weston
Expect the unexpected. It sounds trite, but we are all guilty of taking our daily journey to and from work for granted.
The latest census shows that more of us are providing our own transport than ever before, which means more people in charge of their own safety.
Driver error was responsible for 86 per cent of all collisions in 2002, according to the National Roads Authority (NRA). Figures in the NRA's Road Accident Facts 2002 show road factors were the determining factor in only 2.5 per cent of accidents.
This week the National Safety Council has launched a campaign to increase awareness of road safety for motorcyclists. But the campaign is just as relevant to motorists. A little consideration of other road users can go a long way to avoid needless collisions.
It was a bright, dry, sunny Saturday morning. A perfect day for a bike ride. I left home on my CBR 400cc at around 8 a.m. on my way to a motorcycle training day at Mondello Park.
I was travelling from Clonsilla to Naas. There were road works on the Celbridge junction so the speed limit was down to 50 mph.
There was a 4x4 up ahead, but no other traffic on the road. It was doing about 20 mph, pulling a cattle trailer with no brake lights.
As I indicated my intention to overtake and began to manoeuvre, it pulled out across my path heading towards the median line which was separated by cones. The driver had decided to do a U-turn, but hadn't bother to indicate, never mind the legality of the manoeuvre.
He was looking for a gap in the cones and obviously spotted one when he decided to cross the lane. I was riding at 50 mph when I hit the side of his SUV.
My body slammed against the side of the jeep, my head going through the passenger window.
I suppose I was lucky my head hit the glass because there was more "give" in the glass as I broke through it. I was hurled back and bounced back onto the road. My bike was thrown in the other direction.
My right femur was broken and I had shattered the bones in my wrist.
The helmet protected me to a degree, but my face was squashed and my top teeth went through my bottom lip. Glass was wedged in my chin so there was a lot of blood.
I'd never had an accident before and I thought I was going to die. My armoured gear protected me to an extent, but my bike was a write-off.
The driver of the SUV was charged with dangerous driving and pleaded guilty.
At the time of the accident I was a qualified motorcycle instructor. I was preparing to take my RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Advanced Riding Test Diploma) training. I was actually on my way to do a course to further my skills.
I eventually got back up on a bike during the summer but I was terrified and very tense. I kept imagining people were about to pull out in front of me.
I was so tense that I couldn't lean into corners. I couldn 't just relax and go with it. I don't think I'll be getting back on a bike in the near future. Even in the car I'm very very nervous.
I had been planning a career change. I was working in horticulture and wanted a change. I wanted to work as a yoga instructor and motorcycle trainer.
However, I was out of work for a long time with plates, bolts and pins in my knee. Today I'm back in horticulture.
I still suffer a lot of pain in my knee and thumb. I went back to work last Thursday but still haven't really done a normal day's work.
I still go over the accident in my mind. I'm at a loss as to what could've been done to prevent it.
Motorcycle training teaches you to expect the unexpected but there's always something to take you by surprise, like someone doing a u-turn on a motorway.
A year ago I felt very bleak but today I feel that I'm coming out the other side.
John Wheeler
There is a formula in TV and radio reports on accidents involving motorcycles. It's usually said that "the motorcyclist collided with a car/lorry/bus . . ." rather than "the car collided with the motorcycle"
The impression created is that motorcycles are some form of missile dedicated to the destruction of other kinds of vehicle.
To us bikers, it seems anything involving a biker gets a negative slant. This reinforces the perception that motorbikes are dangerous and abets those who should know better, including the senior traffic official who insists that "all motorcycles are noisy, dirty and dangerous."
Yet every serious study of motorbike accidents, despite differences in methodology, country or time, has shown that, in between 60 and 75 per cent of incidents involving a motorbike and another vehicle, the primary cause was the other vehicle.
We also know that about three-quarters of such accidents occur at intersections, with motorbikes on major roads being hit by other vehicles emerging from minor roads. In biking circles this is known as the "Sorry mate, I didn't see you" syndrome.
A simple explanation for this may be that humankind tends to regard as a threat anything that is as big or bigger than itself. If it's smaller, the brain says "no threat."
There is precious little any rider can do about this. The best thing is to expect it and take all necessary counter measures.
And there's lots we can do - wearing something fluorescent, riding with a dipped headlight even if studies on this are inconclusive, and remembering that it's safer to travel at the speed of traffic about you rather than much above or below.