Saturday 25 February 2012

AGE INPUT 1 - FEB 2012.

ADAM CAREY
The Age
Transport

Dear Adam.

Thanks for your call this morning.

The  Victorian  Motorcycle Council graph attached was presented to the
current  parliamentary  inquiry  into motorcycle & scooter safety.















For  other  statistical/science comment contact Michael Czajka on 0403
073 055.

Police  figures  on  helmet  use  by  motorcycle  &  scooter riders in
Victoria  are based on unreliable data. Crash scene data, particularly
collected  in  rural  areas,  is  based  to  a  large  degree  on  the
observations  and  opinions of untrained officers ticking boxes. Crash
scenes  can be assessed, if at all, hours after the crash. Some police
figures  on helmet wearing and fault, presented to committees like the
Road  Safety  Reference Group at VicRoads are at best questionable, at
worst misleading. Here's an old example.


































The Victoria Police crash investigation unit is dangerously under-resourced.
Officers with no appropriate training tick boxes and note opinions when
collecting crash scene data sometimes hours after a crash.
This is particularly true of non-fatal crashes and more so in country areas.



Looking  only at motorcycle & scooter fatalities is misleading, out of
connect.  The "big picture" includes fatal, injury and property damage
crashes.  Not  comparing  motorcycle & scooter crashes with pedestrian
and  bicycle crashes (in the 3 categories) can give a false impression
of the size of the motorcycle & scooter crash problem.

The  questions of whether or not the motorcycle & scooter road toll is
inflated   with   off-road   figures   and   how  comprehensively  and
effectively   bike  crash  scenes  are  studied  by  qualified  police
investigators need answers not spin.

The  fact  is  that cars protect their occupants better since 1987 and
urban  speeds  are  lower, so a reduction in injuries/fatalities seems
logical.  And  cars  require less skill to drive and contain many more
distractions     since     1987.     The    fact    is    that    most
pedestrian/bicycle/motorcycle & scooter casualties involve a car.

Swann Insurance found C2006 that across Australia 40% of motorcycle
& scooter claims involved another vehicle hitting the bike from behind.
Says it all really.

The VicRoads/TAC/Police official policy "not to do anything that might
be construed as encouraging motorcycling" was documented in the 1992/3
parliamentary  inquiry  reports.  VicRoads say they have abandoned the
official  policy  but  it's  still there. In our opinion it has been a
contributing  factor  in  the  reluctance  for  VicRoads/TAC/Police to
conduct  real  research or positive safety campaigns into motorcycle &
scooter safety over the last two decades.

Improvements  to  motorcycle & scooter safety should include road user
education  for  all  classes  of  road  user. Campaigns to improve the
relationship  between  car  drivers  and  bike  riders  on  our roads.
Improvements to the road environment for riders. Equal law enforcement
and penalties for bike riders and car drivers.

The  IRG opposes the introduction of mandatory protective clothing


































and of front ID for road motorcycles & scooters.



Damien Codognotto OAM
Independent Riders' Group
Melbourne
Tel: 03 9846 8621

www.damiencodognottooam.blogspot.com

d.codognotto.oam@bigpond.com

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