Isle of Man TT - why is this still allowed?

[jevs]

3,500 people killed annually on our roads in the UK....let's ban driving.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

3,500 people killed annually on our roads in the UK....let's ban driving.

Not a bad idea. Especially in city centres.

 

[El Sid]

Is it "Mad Sunday" when they close the roads and let any old amateur biker hurtle round the course. At a guess, I'd say that is when most of the fatalities occur, rather than on the actual TT races with the professional riders.

At the end of the day, it a "consenting adults" thing for me. No-one is being forced to risk their life doing this.

Sounds like the Steyning By Pass on most Sundays apart from the road closures.

 

[Stat Brother]

OP, Shit happens end of. "Could get run over by a bus or hit by a bike on the TT course I know what I'd rather have. They are fans. You think they would want it banned? They know it's not safe.

Absolutely correct. 240 people have died on Everest since 1921, and that's only one mountain.

So are we going to ban crossing the road cos that is far more dangerous than the TT.

Why don't you (Stat Bruv) bring this up at a motorbike rally rather than NSC. I will pull up a chair and enjoy watching you get ripped to ****ing pieces.

3,500 people killed annually on our roads in the UK....let's ban driving.

People if you're not going to engage in the genuine question I was asking, please don't then get twatty with me on subjects that I haven't raised.

This time I will type slowly for the hard of thinking:-

In organised sporting events (that's not climbing Everest or crossing the road) that can lead to fatalities, the governing body seems to work tirelessly to minimise the risk.
F1 in the 70's said enough is enough.
Spear tackles, and changes to the scrum laws in rugby, and so on.

All other motorbike racing (with the exception of The North West 1 & 200) has had 10 fatalities this century, compared to 24 at the TT. These figures assuming they are correct all show a massive decline since the mid 80's.

Wrong.

So clearly you are wrong @WellQuickWoody.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rider_deaths_in_motorcycle_racing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Snaefell_Mountain_Course_fatal_accidents.


So once again, my simple question is:-

Why in this age of safety first, has the IoM TT managed to be allowed to continue?
That's all nothing sinister, no anti bike/enjoying yourself agenda, just a simple question.

 

[Plake]

The answer had already been given - the TT is central to Manx culture and important to the island's economy in all sorts of ways. They aren't obliged to adopt our H&S laws and I'm very pleased they haven't.

It's been a great week for racing, one of the most enjoyable to watch I can remember. Absolutely delighted for John McG yesterday. What a brilliant rider and brilliant bloke.

 

[Stat Brother]

Yeah I realise that, thanks.
I just felt the need to make sure my query was understood by everybody.

Although I'm not attributing it to H&S (the Daily Mail demon), more a Manx thing.

The TT and fatalities therein goes against the grain of all other motorsport and motorbike racing, I just wondered why it was allowed to happen.

 

[dougdeep]

3,500 people killed annually on our roads in the UK.

No, that just simply isn't true.

 

[Stat Brother]

No, that just simply isn't true.

Or has any relevance to the discussion I wanted to have.

He might as well have said:-

An adult jellyfish is called a medusa.

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Yeah I realise that, thanks.
I just felt the need to make sure my query was understood by everybody.

Although I'm not attributing it to H&S (the Daily Mail demon), more a Manx thing.

The TT and fatalities therein goes against the grain of all other motorsport and motorbike racing, I just wondered why it was allowed to happen.

The answers to your question(s) have all been answered already. If you aren't on a fishing trip and/or don't have an undisclosed personal agenda, why do you persist in posing questions about the validity of the annual IOM TT & Manx GP/Classic TT Races?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Prob still allowed for exactly the same reason the Lewes Bonfire thing is still allowed. Because elfen safety haven't yet succeeded in killing it off. Unlike the cheese-rolling-down-a-hill thing that was forced into going 'unofficial' this year.

 

[dougdeep]

The Isle of Man has it's own government. It is in fact the oldest continuous government in the world. The UK can't tell it what to do.

 

[Stat Brother]

The answers to your question(s) have all been answered already. If you aren't on a fishing trip and/or don't have an undisclosed personal agenda, why do you persist in posing questions about the validity of the annual IOM TT & Manx GP/Classic TT Races?

Maybe I didn't need to ask the specific question again.
But I just wanted to group the answers together that either made no sense, had no relevance, or were simply just wrong, along with the question again, so they could understand.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Wasn't it only last year, or maybe the year before, that a couple died in a bike/sidecar combo on Madeira Drive on a perfectly straight road in the Time Trials thing? Shit happens, and they died what they loved doing. How do you legislate against that?

 

[Stat Brother]

Wasn't it only last year, or maybe the year before, that a couple died in a bike/sidecar combo on Madeira Drive on a perfectly straight road in the Time Trials thing? Shit happens, and they died what they loved doing. How do you legislate against that?

You can't and won't.

But one off freak accidents that occur in any and all walks of life, is very different to a consistent death toll, at 1 specific event.
Esp when all other events of a similar nature, fast bikes racing round a course, (I do appreciate the difference between TT & say Silverstone) have put in place safe guards to reduce loss of life.

Look at the 2 links I put up.
It's clear from the mid 80's bike racing toughened up on rider safety, begging the original question blah blah blah.

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Maybe I didn't need to ask the specific question again.
But I just wanted to group the answers together that either made no sense, had no relevance, or were simply just wrong, along with the question again, so they could understand.

So who could understand? I reckon the good folk of NSC have just about covered all the bases of the debate meself.

ps You won't be surprised to learn that I adore motorcycle racing on real roads: and the TT is the absolute pinnacle (for me at least) of closed-public-roads motorcycle racing. I didn't make it over to The Island this year, sadly, but I would be there every year for both racing festivals if I could afford it. To myself, the TT really is the greatest show on Earth; & a humbling counterpoint to the ill-gotten riches of modern Football's obscenely overpaid & over-rated diving prima donnas. If you or anybody else here wants to learn more about the TT & why riders continue to lay their arses on the line racing there, you can do no better than read Rick Broadbent's book 'That Near-Death Thing' which was rightly awarded Best Motorsports Book of the Year at the recent 2013 Sports Book Awards. It's absolutely stunning.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

So who could understand? I reckon the good folk of NSC have just about covered all the bases of the debate meself.

ps You won't be surprised to learn that I adore motorcycle racing on real roads: and the TT is the absolute pinnacle (for me at least) of closed-public-roads motorcycle racing. I didn't make it over to The Island this year, sadly, but I would be there every year for both racing festivals if I could afford it. To myself, the TT really is the greatest show on Earth; & a humbling counterpoint to the ill-gotten riches of modern Football's obscenely overpaid & over-rated diving prima donnas. If you or anybody else here wants to learn more about the TT & why riders continue to lay their arses on the line racing there, you can do no better than read Rick Broadbent's book 'That Near-Death Thing' which was rightly awarded Best Motorsports Book of the Year at the recent 2013 Sports Book Awards. It's absolutely stunning.

As is your post, Ms. Toes. IMHO, like

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Gawdblessya Guv. The cheque's in the post first thing Monday. Honest.

 

[m20gull]

The answer had already been given - the TT is ... important to the island's economy in all sorts of ways.

otherwise the residents might have to pay more tax

 

[Stat Brother]

So who could understand? I reckon the good folk of NSC have just about covered all the bases of the debate meself.

ps You won't be surprised to learn that I adore motorcycle racing on real roads: and the TT is the absolute pinnacle (for me at least) of closed-public-roads motorcycle racing. I didn't make it over to The Island this year, sadly, but I would be there every year for both racing festivals if I could afford it. To myself, the TT really is the greatest show on Earth; & a humbling counterpoint to the ill-gotten riches of modern Football's obscenely overpaid & over-rated diving prima donnas. If you or anybody else here wants to learn more about the TT & why riders continue to lay their arses on the line racing there, you can do no better than read Rick Broadbent's book 'That Near-Death Thing' which was rightly awarded Best Motorsports Book of the Year at the recent 2013 Sports Book Awards. It's absolutely stunning.

Just a little pop at those quoted.

You are right, I've kind of got an answer, not the most satisfactory to a layman who only knows 2 absolute facts about the TT.
1) It's on the Isle of Man
&
B) People die doing it.


As for the football analogy I think most sports, inc F1 (due to the inherent dangers involved) stack up well in comparison.
But that says more about the state of soccerball.

 

[Stat Brother]

It hadn't really occurred to me that the self governing tax haven of the Isle of Man, could be so reliant on an extra bob or two.
But I guess we're talking x amount of millions (?) annually, and nobody is giving that up in a hurry.

Clearly I'll not be appearing on Mastermind any time soon, with the chosen subject of either the TT or the Isle of Man