His brother Mike, 52, was killed in a head-on crash on the Rakaia bridge on Labour Day.
Ranson is among family members left behind dealing with the tragic death of their much loved brother, father, grandfather and uncle.
“He was a good fella, he would do anything for anybody,” he said.
Ranson said safety messages, such as those promoted in the district council’s Motorcycle Campaign 2021 video series launched this week were “very important.”
He said both motorists and motorcyclists needed to be more careful on the road.
There have been 66 crashes involving motorcycles in the district since 2017, with five of those being fatal and 23 serious.
Mike Ranson was one of a family of keen motorcyclists, and would often ride with Nigel and son Devon and their other brother David.
Ranson said the accident on the bridge that took Mike’s life, which occurred about 10am, involved Mike overtaking a car as he was travelling south to Ashburton from his home in Christchurch, and colliding with a truck.
“The truck driver had nowhere to go, and Mike had nowhere to go either,” Nigel said.
He does not know why his brother attempted the overtaking manoeuvre, but one thing was certain, and that was that his brother had made “a stupid mistake”.
He said safety messages for both motorists and motorcyclists were important to reduce the road toll for motorcyclists. One important message for motorcyclists was to always make sure it was clear for at least 100m in front before overtaking vehicles.
His death was three days after that of Mongols gang associate Steve Smith, who crashed at Burnham on State Highway 1 about 10pm on Friday. Media reported several patched Mongols were quickly on the scene, and they were thought to have been riding in convoy when the accident occurred.
Both deaths coincided with Motorcycle Awareness Month in October.
Senior Sergeant Stephen McDaniel said both crashes appeared to be the fault of the motorcyclists. However, it was too early to say this definitively as they were still being investigated.
He said the crashes highlighted the importance of motorcyclists driving to the conditions and within the limits of their own ability and the ability of their machines.
Meanwhile, district council asset manager transportation Andrew Mazey said the annual Motorcycle Campaign this year involved the addition of a video series that featured three Ride Forever trainers and the police. Ride Forever is an ACC initiative, giving riders information and access to training.
The video series went live across the district council’s Facebook and on YouTube this week.
The campaign involved a roadside event for motorcyclists which was planned for last month at the Glentunnel Community Centre, but will now be next year following Covid alert level uncertainty. The district council will also have free high-vis motorcycle safety straps at its libraries and service centres from late this week.
