Two motorcyclists have died at the scene of a serious crash on a gravel road on Tasmania’s east coast.
The fatal collision occurred on Coach Road in Beaumaris at around 8:30am on Saturday.
Acting Detective Inspector Jason Jones said there were approximately 10 motorbikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) riding along the road at the time, none of which were registered.
He said one of the motorcyclists is believed to have turned around and was heading back towards several other riders when they collided with a motorcycle travelling in the opposite direction.
“Fortunately they all were wearing their helmets and protective equipment but in this case sadly it wasn’t able to prevent them from succumbing to their injuries,” Jones said.
“We don’t believe excessive speed was involved … we believe it was just the impact of both vehicles travelling in opposite directions.”
The two men, aged 23 and 30 from Hobart, were known to each other and were part of the larger group riding on the road at the time.
Jones said the crash occurred just after a crest in the road and both riders were found in the middle of the road.
“It appears that as one person’s gone over the crest of the hill the other person’s been on the middle of the road as well and that’s unfortunately how they’ve collided,” he said.
The pair are not thought to have held motorcycle licences.
“It’s hard to know how much experience they actually did have,” Jones said.
“In tragic events like this it’s always a timely reminder that the rules are there for a reason and you need to have licences to ride motorcycles and that requires training as well.”
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Coach Road runs parallel to the Tasman Highway, approximately 1km inland.
According to historical crash data, the road was the scene of a serious incident involving a pedestrian in 2004 and several minor incidents in the following years.
