The video after the jump demonstrates how the lack of patience and failing to take the most basic of precautionary road safety measures leads to a crash. Thankfully, this collision occurred at a fairly low speed, but similar scenarios can yield much nastier outcomes.
The footage comes from the dashcam of a driver in western Romania, and was uploaded on several traffic security websites. The video was accompanied with a demand aimed at internet users to express their thoughts as to who is to blame for the crash.
It looks like the local Police already hold the Polo driver as being accountable for the accident. Apparently the cops took into consideration the fact that the Volkswagen driver failed to check with his or her left-side mirror, and also failed to use the turn signals.
Patience, my dear Watson!
Now, the truth is that the biker himself was not using the turn signals, even though he should have, as he was overtaking the vehicles ahead. At the same time, we watched the video carefully, and the motorcycle also doesn't seem to have had a lit headlight, a thing that is illegal in the country.
Still, we tend to agree with the Police in saying that the crash would not have happened had the VW driver checked the lateral mirrors and signaled his intentions prior to exiting the line.
Truth be told, both motorists are little too impatient for their own well being. After all, they are only some 50 meters (55 yards) from the intersection, and the traffic doesn't seem to be stuck. So, under such circumstances, it would have taken the Polo driver about 2-3 minutes or even less to enter the main road.
In our books, both the rider and the driver have a role to play in this crash, and we can only remind bikers that the roads are never as safe as they sometimes seem. As for the drivers, the mirrors and the turn signals are their best friends.
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