David Hurst

I was reading a copy of Superbike magazine from back in the “summer” and was rather appalled to see pictures of Brandon White’s horrific accident reprinted, ostensibly as a “warning” on road safety. This from a magazine that seems to actually encourage high speed riding. I don’t believe anybody unrelated to the accident or Brandon’s family needs to see these pictures.

Brandon was a 25 year old American, who hit the back of a “semi” (big truck to all the UK readers) after it changed lanes in front of him. It is believed that Brandon was traveling at 120 MPH, and if the truck was doing 50, then that’s pretty much like hitting a wall at 70 MPH. Suffice it to say, Brandon did not live to tell the tale. Thankfully, he probably felt nothing, but that may be slim consolation for his family that now have to deal with the pictures whizzing around the Internet and being printed in magazines and newspapers.

These same magazines all showed utmost respect when Craig Jones (a British racer) died in an on-track accident recently, printing beautiful eulogies to a “great man”. I’m sure Craig Jones was a great man, but the people writing these articles don’t necessarily know that any more than they know Brandon White wasn’t a great man. I’m sure he was a wonderful person who doesn’t deserve to be ridiculed.

Even more upsetting are the various posts in forums by sub-humans with a morbid desire to intrude upon another individual’s death. There are even posts in one forum (that I found thanks to Google) expressing disappointment because the photos of Brandon hanging limply from the back of a truck are not gruesome enough. Unsurprising then that Brandon’s sister has posted strong objections to these people. However, I do have to raise my own objection to something she wrote. She says, and I quote: “So the Lord said it was his time to go, he needed him in heaven for something…” - give me a break!

Wherever the blame lays for this accident, it does not lay with God. He didn’t have His hand on the motorcycle throttle. He wasn’t driving the truck and He didn’t force it to change lanes. He did not have a job vacancy come up in heaven that he needed Brandon to fill. This sort of drivel just detracts from the real issue of road safety. For all I know, the throttle on Brandon’s bike could have jammed open. Maybe the truck driver was tired. Who knows? You do have to consider the very real probability that, had Brandon been riding at a more sensible speed in relation to the surrounding traffic, he may have been able to stop in time.

The only good that can come from his brutal end being publicised is that others will think more carefully about their own road safety. Anyone who rides a powerful motorcycle knows that a flick of the wrist and a few seconds are all that stand between rider and speeds our ancestors could only dream of. Empty straight highway? 120MPH? Not a problem. Take the same highway and add a few slow-moving vehicles and 120MPH is likely to result in what happened to young Mr White. Arbitrary speed limits or limited bikes may be the answer for the ignorant few, but for most sensible riders, they just need to ensure that their speed does not wildly exceed the speed of those traveling around them, and that the speed they choose to travel at is appropriate for the road and weather conditions.

Brandon White has been severely punished for his mis-judgment, whereas many other (probably less worthy) individuals will get away with it. For now.

The human body is a fragile thing, comprised mostly of water. It cannot survive high speed impacts. The seasoned rider will be acutely aware of this fact, without being morbidly obsessed with it, and will temper his riding accordingly.

Whether Brandon White was at fault or not in his accident is irrelevant to his family who were not in any way responsible for his actions, and deserve to be treated with respect and allowed to grieve in peace. I certainly am sorry for their loss and I sincerely hope that I don’t see any similar pictures the next time I open a bike magazine for a quiet morning read.

For now, the sun is out (!) and I have my GSX1100F back from the garage, so I’m heading out to enjoy my motorcycle. At safe speeds, of course.