LONG grass at the entrance to a junction on a major York road probably did not contribute to the death of a motorcyclist, an inquest was told.

York coroner Donald Coverdale heard evidence that overgrown verges at the junction of Kettlestring Lane with Clifton Moor Gate were not responsible for the death of Robert John Phillips.

Mr Phillips, 23, of Haxby, was killed when his Kawasaki motorbike was in collision with a Mercedes car driven by Dawn Ozakinci on July 9 last year.

The inquest heard that Mrs Ozakinci had been driving her husband to catch a train when the accident happened just after 8am.

She had reached the give way signs at Kettlestring Lane and, having looked and observed nothing, pulled out into the carriageway. She was looking to her left, but Mr Phillips was already approaching from the right.

Traffic Constable Stephen Kirkbright, of North Yorkshire Police's collision investigations unit, said Mr Phillips was probably travelling between 43 and 51mph before he slammed on the brakes when he saw Mrs Ozakinci's car emerge from the junction. The speed limit on Clifton Moor Gate is 40mph.

Officer Kirkbright said Mrs Ozakinci would have had an uninterrupted view of some 120 metres of the carriageway from where Mr Phillips' bike was approaching.

He said long grass was not a factor, saying: "He (Mr Phillips) was there to be seen."

A report from Dr Ian Reed, a consultant pathologist at York Hospital, said Mr Phillips had died of multiple injuries. He said Mr Phillips' abdominal injuries, in particular, suggested there had been "considerable" compression of the abdomen.

Much had been made of the overgrown grass by witnesses and because it was cut very shortly after the accident.

But recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Coverdale said: "It is not realistic to say that the undergrowth and obstruction of view was an underlying cause of this incident.

"It may well have been a contributory factor. It may have been a distraction if not an obstruction. It is quite clear Mrs Ozakinci had not seen Mr Phillips and had pulled out accordingly. I believe she had looked both ways."

Mr Coverdale was told that the grass verges were now being regularly maintained on behalf of the owners British Land.

Mrs Ozakinci, of Middlecroft Drive, Strensall, was fined £1,000 and penalised six penalty points after pleading guilty to careless driving at York Magistrates' Court in May.

Updated: 10:52 Thursday, September 11, 2003