British cyclist, 27, is hit and killed by truck in New Zealand after car driver opened door in front



Chapeau!

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[SIZE= 28px]British cyclist, 27, is hit and killed by truck in New Zealand after car driver opened door in front of her.[/SIZE]​

[SIZE= 12px]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1330795/British-cyclist-27-hit-killed-truck-New-Zealand-car-driver-opened-door-her.html[/SIZE]

Quote:​
A British cyclist was hit and killed by a truck on a popular New Zealand route last night after she swerved to avoid a car.

Jane Mary Bishop, 27, who was working temporarily in the country, is the fifth cyclist to be killed on New Zealand's roads in as many days.

Emergency services closed part of Tamaki Drive, a waterfront route in Auckland, and worked frantically to save Ms Bishop after she was trapped under a Henderson Rentals truck last night.​
Police said she took evasive action after a motorist opened a car door and fell off her bike underneath a truck travelling in the same direction.

A witness said Ms Bishop was trapped underneath the truck's rear wheels.

He told the New Zealand Herald: 'The drive brought a jack to try to jack the truck up, but he couldn't - it wasn't big enough.

'So the firefighter got their airbags and lifted the truck up. But she was in a bad way.'

Firefighters gave Ms Bishop CPR to keep her alive until an ambulance arrived, but she died before paramedics got to the scene.



Accidents: Mark Andrew Ferguson, 46, and, right, Wilhelm Muller, 71, were both killed after a car ploughed into a group of cyclists near Morrinsville

Last weekend, Wilhelm Muller, 71, and Mark Ferguson, 46, died near Morrinsville in a head-on collision with a car which appeared to have crossed over into the wrong lane.

A third person, 45-year-old Kay Heather Wolfe, died in hospital this morning.


Wreckage: A badly mangled bike and car after the accident in Morrinsville. Five cyclists have been killed in New Zealand in as many days

Patricia Anne Veronica Fraser, 34, died near Palmerston North after she was hit by a car during a training run.

A spokesman for Transport Minister Steven Joyce said there were concerns over a spate of fatal road accidents.

'As the details of those accidents become known, he will be reviewing them with transport officials for any common elements and to see if any changes in regulations could help,' she said.

Inquests into the cyclists' deaths could be grouped together to see if measures can be made to cut down on fatal accidents.

Auckland authorities regard Tamaki Drive as the city's most dangerous stretch of road for cyclists.

In 2008 and 2009, there were 24 crashes involving cyclists in the Bastion Pt area, six of which caused serious injuries.

Barbara Cuthbert, Cycle Action Auckland spokesman, said: 'This is a ghastly toll for such a short time.

'We have to have that big-picture analysis. In this case, we are dealing with a congested road where parked cars are a luxury that we can't afford to have.'

In September last year, four cyclists were injured along the road when they were hit by a female motorist.

And in November, a man was hit and injured after a car pulled out of an intersection and collided with him in the cycle lane.

The Auckland City Council has allocated $455,000 for improving safety along the busy route, including on-road cycle lanes and improving signs.​
 
I'm always wary of them car doors from parked cars in built up area's.

Motorists don't even bother to look in there mirrors.

Just keep your wits about ya.
 
Originally Posted by Chapeau! .

I'm always wary of them car doors from parked cars in built up area's.

Motorists don't even bother to look in there mirrors.

Just keep your wits about ya.
Same, I always ride out of a doors reach. I live in a relatively rural area, you couldn't do this on a lot of big city streets.

They seem to have a road safety problem in NZ, it would be great if any kiwi members could post their thoughts.
 
Originally Posted by steve .
Same, I always ride out of a doors reach. I live in a relatively rural area, you couldn't do this on a lot of big city streets.
+1.

Originally Posted by steve . They seem to have a road safety problem in NZ, it would be great if any kiwi members could post their thoughts.
There is Fergie (when he stops spouting off that you don't need strength to ride a bike).
 
That's a sad reminder of what cyclists face on a daily basis. What a shame.

As an avid cyclist, I've had my share of crashes and close calls. As I type, I'm recovering from a pretty bad spill I took when a car hit me in Santa Monica, CA. Even at the moderate speed I was going and trying to anticipate other drivers' actions, there was nothing I could do. I'm just glad (and very lucky) the outcome wasn't any worse than it was - the aforementioned article is a testament to that.

Gotta be sharp, have your head on a swivel, and ride defensively.
 

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