Saturday 3 September 2011

HIGH-VISIBILITY GEAR COMPULSORY? - SEPTEMBER 2011.

The Sunday Herald Sun

September 4, 2011

Agenda

Page 78.

In Melbourne's Sunday Herald Sun last week there was an item on a request to Roads Minister Terry Mulder to make high-visibility vests compulsory for bicyclists. Two letters on the subject were printed.

"POINT MISSED

How about making the drivers of cars take a little responsibility themselves instead of yet again m,aking it the responsibility of the victim, as was done with helmet laws ('Visible answer', SHS, August 28)?

Safety interventions tend not to work as well as they are claimed to.

All that6 happens is that individuals adjust their behaviour to return to the same level of perceived risk.

High-visibility clothing, as Bicycle Victoria spokesman Gary Brennan says, can give cyclists a false sense of security.

With the passage of time, speeding motorists - already in a cocoon of seatbelts, anti-lock brakes and many other features designed to make their vehicle feel safer than they really are - would expect all cyclists to be wearing them.

This would lead to a situation where drivers could claim the cyclist contributed to the accident becausde he was not wearing high-visibility clothing.

Anyone with big ideas about bike safety should ride a bike (DC - Hear hear!) around Amsterdam, as I did. It will change anyone's thinking on the subject. Unbelievably safe. No helmets or high-visibility jackets.

Peter, Pakenham"

VicRoads/TAC/Police bureaucrats are already talking about compulsory protective clothing for motorcycle & scooter riders and the spectre of  contributory negligence to a crash because of the rider's choice of clothing has long been a topic of conversation in road authorities across our nation.

"POINT MISSED 2

DAREBIN Council wants Roads Minister Terry Mulder to make high-visibility clothing compulsory for cyclists across Victoria.

VicRoads, the TAC and police are also talking about high-visibility vests for motorcycle & scooter riders across. The next step may be a law for reflective jackets for pedestrians to relieve drivers of  responsibility to look for other road users.

Car drivers' errors are the main cause of road trauma in Victoria. Reduce in-car distractions and increase driver skills and alertness even a small amount and you reduce vulnerable road user casualties significantly.

Damien Codognotto
Independent Riders' Group
Melbourne"

The Herald Sun

Thursday, September 15, 2011.

Your Say

Page 36

"KEEP EYE ON ALL ROAD USERS

I took up motorcycling later in life than most.

I'd never heard of the acronym SMIDSY (Sorry mate. I didn't see you.) before I rode.

Now, after two years on two wheels, I think it should be changed to SMIJDL 9Sorry mate. I just didn't look.).

C'mon, drivers, it's not hard, turn your head and look before you try to run into me.

Does my life really mean that little to you?

Peter Faulks, Candelo, NSW."

The Herald Sun

Friday, September 16, 2011

Page 32

50/50

"THE pros and cons of riding my motorcycle to work: I don't pay tolls, I beat the traffic, parking is free and it's fun. I get wet when it rains - and I can get killed by a moron who pulls out in front of me.

Mark, Parkville."

The Herald Sun

Saturday, September 17, 2011.

Your Say

Page 83

"BRIGHTEN UP MOTORCYCLISTS

MOTORCYCLISTS who want to stay safe on the roads need to take some responsibility themselves. If the common comment after an accident (DC - crash) is that the driver did not see the bike - help fix the problem.

Dark clothing/helmets/bikes disappear blending with the road colour.

Start wearing bright helmets, bright protective clothing and ride a bike with lots of colour and lotes of sparkling chrome.

Give motorists a good chance to see you! - it is in your own best interests. Stop passing the buck to anyone else but yourselves.

Lynda, North Balwyn"

Lynda tells motorcyclists to take responsibility by wearing brightly coloured gear and riding bright coloured, shiny bikes. She accuses us of passing the road safety buck.

Too many car drivers like Lynda don't look for motorcycles & scooters in traffic. If they did look they would see many bikes are very brightly coloured. They would see lots of silver and chrome on most bikes. They would see gaudy helmet designs and clothes, with body armour, covered by all sorts of paterns and colours. But they do not look for anything but excuses.

Some bikes are dark coloured but all have reflectors front, side and rear by law. Most bikes are hard wired so the head lamp is on when the motor is running, not that that stop cars from hitting bikes. Audible conspicuity helps but if conspicuity, or high-visibility was a primary safety factor for bikes, why do cars hit police motorcycles?

Motorcycle & scooter riders, bicyclists and pedestrians can be seen by drivers if they LOOK. 

"Sorry mate. I did not see you." is an admission of negligence or incompetance or both by any vehicle operator.

Damien Coidognotto
Independent Riders' Group
Melbourne

The Herald Sun

Tuesday, September 20, 2011.

Page 24

50/50

"MARK of Parkville (50/50, September 16), if you and all your motorcycle buddies rode in the middle of the lane instead of zigging and zagging between two lanes on the freeway you wouldn't face being cut off.

Jason, Berwick"

The Herald Sun

Tuesday, september 20, 2011

Page 24

Your Say

"DRIVERS NEED TO LOOK AROUND

LYNDA ("Brighten up, motorcyclists", September 17), I could dress up as Elmo from Sesame Street and ride a flouro pink bike but if you don't head check before changing lanes, you won't see me.

Why don't we address the root cause of the problem? Drivers need to make the effort to actually look.

Take some responsibility for your bad habits.

Tom, Melbourne"

Another letter rings true. VicRoads is being sued for over $1,000,000 by crash victims who blame the road environment for their injuries/damages. I am very uncomfortable with VicRoads having anything to with road safety, particularly with motorcycle & scooter safety. Just the state of disrepair our roads are in, especially in regional Victoria is enough to convince many that VicRoads should concentrate on road building, maintenance and repair. We need an independent road safety authority.

"OFF THE ROAD

GOOD article, Peter Rolfe ("$1 million bad road cliams", SHS August 28).

Privatise VicRoads. We pay incredible fees and we get everything from poor roads to poor service, not to mention their far from adequate office locations and opening times. One would think it's time for VicRoads to have a major roadworthiness check.

James Towers, via email"

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