TWO impatient motorbike riders, who caused a traffic jam on Phillip Island Road last Saturday, February 15, made a rookie mistake that almost turned tragic.
According to a spokesperson for the Bass Coast Highway Patrol, the two riders came up behind a group of cars waiting for another driver to turn right, off Phillip Island Road, into Punch Bowl Road.
But, instead of waiting patiently for the momentary blockage to clear, the first of the riders has turned out and passed, not only the waiting cars on the right, but also the car waiting to turn, narrowly avoiding a collision with an on-coming car, travelling in a westerly direction.
A 20-year-old male Learner rider from Beaconsfield Upper has followed the more experienced rider in the same manoeuvre, attempting to pass the cars on the right but has collided with the rear taillight of the turning vehicle and fallen on to the road, sustaining minor injuries.
Police said the motorcycle has continued on, without its rider, and collided with a westbound vehicle.
Initial reports were that one of the riders had been run over by the on-coming car, but emergency services arrived to find that, thankfully, it wasn’t the case.
One of the riders has been issued with an infringement notice, for overtaking when unsafe to do so, but the outcome was a lot less serious than it might have been.
“We’ve had four or five collisions in that section of the road, between the Bass Highway and the start of San Remo in recent months, a couple of them serious. It’s a busy section of road and people just have to be patient and get to where they are going safely,” said the spokesperson for highway patrol police.
The incident was reported at 4.42pm on Saturday, February 15, 2025 and there were brief delays on Phillip Island Road east of San Remo while police conducted their investigations and emergency services cleared the scene.
If anyone has dashcam footage of the incident or information for police, they can contact Bass Coast Highway Patrol on (03) 5671 4100 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the website at https://www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
