This is the shocking moment a 70mph police chase came to an abrupt end when a dopey motor bike-riding drug dealer smashed into a 4x4. Teenager Josiah Johnson made the mistake of zooming past a patrol car and then jumping two sets of traffic lights. Police then chased him close to Birmingham city centre but he collided with a car and was thrown from his motorbike last month The 18-year-old has now been jailed for two years. Police found five deals of cannabis in a bag he was carrying and more of the drug, plus a set of scales and £720 in cash, at his home in Copthall Road, Handsworth. Birmingham Crown Court heard he initially attracted officers’ attention by seeming to follow them as they responded to an unrelated 999 call on June 19. Mark Phillips, prosecuting, said: “He was riding a motorbike and had some unusual attire. “He was wearing an overcoat, tracksuit bottoms and trainers as well as a motorcycle helmet . “He appeared to be following them through the traffic. The emergency was cancelled and the bike then accelerated away from a junction.

“It went through two sets of red traffic lights with the police following, going up to 70mph at Dartmouth Cicrus.” Johnson, 18, had previously admitted dangerous driving, possessing cannabis with intent to supply and driving while disqualified. bmw motorcycle dealer thousand oaksHe was sent to a young offenders’ institution for two years and banned from driving for three. motorcycles for sale on gumtree in kznPassing sentence, Judge Mark Wall QC said: “On June 19 you were on your motorbike and you were out dealing in cannabis. “motorcycle repair derryWhile doing that you foolishly followed a police car on its way to an emergency. motorcycle dealer davenport ia

“You then drove in front of it in an obviously dangerous fashion. "It was a persistent piece of bad driving.” Bernard Porter, defending, said Johnson had been introduced to cannabis when he was 14 and had been dealing to fund his habit. motorcycle shop alburyHe said: “It was within a short period of time of a previous disqualification. “1952 ural motorcycle for saleHe felt he needed to get out and about rather than stay the whole time in the family home. “When he came into contact with the authorities he panicked. Fortunately nobody was injured.”The video, which has been viewed more than 11 million times on YouTube, was released by the local police as part of a road safety campaign. The rider’s family cooperated in the production, with the video stating: “It is their wish this footage is released to make riders and drivers think more seriously about road safety.”

In republishing the video with Mark’s analysis, MotoUSA hopes to convey the campaign’s intended message to our readers. – MotoUSA Editor I note that the driver of the car involved was charged in the accident, in spite of the fact that the guy on the motorcycle was traveling nearly 100 mph moments before the crash. This was a classic, “I didn’t see you, mate” accident. This happens, all over the world, many times a day. Within a few days, the story was among the Top 10 most-read posts on the blog, bumping posts which have been accumulating views for years. I had people sending me FB messages to the effect of, “I think you may save some lives with this post.” That made me want to share it with a wider audience, so I offered it to Motorcycle USA, who has agreed to put it up. According to a comment added to my blog post, the motorcycle is a Yamaha FJR1300. In the next few seconds, he’s going to catch and pass several cars and at least one other bike. I can’t read the speedo, but the official investigation found that he traveled up to 97 mph.

His mum said, “He loved speed.” We all do, and we’ve all exceeded 97 mph at some point. The good: alcohol was not a factor. The roads are dry, visibility is good. He’s wearing good gear and traffic is light. The passes he makes are all safe – although he’s traveling at a rate of speed that is bound to earn him a big speeding ticket if he’s caught. The bad: Already at this point, 97’s too fast. The big green sign on the rider’s left tells him, there’s an intersection ahead. The heavy foliage could conceal a car about to pull out. Meanwhile, the white car just ahead has seen him coming and pulled over. Taking the invitation, the bike passes the car. His lane position is not too bad; he’s to the right in his lane, maximizing his sight lines into the intersection, maximizing his own visibility. He could’ve just let his momentum carry him past the car and rolled off the throttle, but he’s still on the gas. He’s in the UK, of course (which is why he’s on the left side of the road.)

There’s not a big risk of deer jumping out of that treeline in the English countryside, but in much of North America, especially at this time of year, that would be another incentive to slow down. He should be in Condition Orange by now. There’s an intersection up ahead, with a view of potential cross traffic obscured by trees. And now, he can see an oncoming car positioning itself to turn across his lane; it’s “in the box” as they say over there. A rider using proper situational awareness would already have rolled off and taken other steps to reduce his risk by now. But anyone can be caught off guard, so this would be the time to roll off and try to alert the driver in the right-turn lane to your presence. Here in the U.S., we’d flash the high beam to say, “Hey, I’m here, and I’m going a bit quick.” In the U.K., flashing your light would mean, “After you,” so an English rider might try honking his horn. And, check the rear view mirror and flash brake lights to tell the guy in that white car, “I know I just passed you, but I’m about to hit the brakes and you should think about it, too.”

At the very least, the road on left would be a perfect place for a cop to be parked, pointing a radar gun our way. At this moment though, a cop would be the least of his problems; the rider should have a laser focus on that car’s left front tire – that car’s still rolling, and the driver has steered into the motorcyclist’s lane. Now, the rider has to be on the brakes, racer-style, with a swift-but-smooth take-up to plant the front, followed by increasing pressure. He should be checking the position of the white car behind him, and moving to one side or the other to reduce the risk of being rear-ended. But no, the rider is still on the gas, accelerating. Look at his right hand. Finally, he’s rolled off. I can’t know what was inside his head at this point, but I’m guessing that he’s jumped straight from Condition White (daydreaming) to Condition Red (immediate action required). But what’s he going to do? He’s less than a second from the moment of impact. His speed hasn’t yet decreased at all.

He’s now in the middle of his lane. I can’t blame him for moving towards the verge from the earlier position. At this point, his brain hasn’t caught up to his situation. He’s probably still thinking, “This car signaling a turn will poke into my lane, the bastard.” But, as understandable as that drift to the left was, it’s put him in a crappy position for an emergency evasive maneuver. He’s now on the dirtiest part of the asphalt, at a moment when he needs maximum braking grip. Now he’s in Condition Red. He’s realized that the car’s not stopping. Look at his right hand. He’s reaching for the brake. Always cover the front brake! The time it took him to reach for it has already made some kind of crash almost inevitable. Note that at this point, although the horizon is tilted, it’s not any more tilted than it was on the straightaway; he hasn’t taken evasive action, he’s just drifted towards the left. He hasn’t looked for an escape route; he’s looking at a gap, but that gap’s closing – he’s looking right the point of impact.

Although it’s easy to second-guess, it’s now a certainty that the car’s momentum is going to carry it into his lane. In hindsight – considering that the car did fully enter his lane – it would have been better if the motorcyclist was at the extreme right in his lane, from where he could’ve used the center lane as an escape road. Even the far left would be better than where he is; that lane position would give the driver a longer opportunity to see him and stop. (Remember, although the motorcycle’s almost doing the ton, the car’s only going 15 mph. At this moment, he could still stop in the left lane, leaving a gap for the motorcycle to squeak past on the left.) He’s finally on the brakes, but still hasn’t scrubbed much speed. He needed to be on the brakes earlier and harder. And, our worst fears are confirmed, the car’s fully entered his lane. A crash of some kind’s impending, but remember Gardiner’s Rule #7: Always try to avoid an impact. Even Marc Marquez probably couldn’t make that left turn, but it would be worth trying.