May 9, 2012.
Hello Shana
Go and get a motorcycle licence, spend six months on a scooter, then write
a one sided story of fiction about motorbikes ... if you can.
I have no doubt you have received a lot of "interesting" emails on your bike story.
Try putting up with car drivers who never check mirrors or blind spots. You
know, three points to check, rear-view mirror, side mirrors and HEADCHECK over
the shoulder. Seems the last one is unknown to car drivers.
Too many car drivers put on makeup or even shave! They rummage on the back seat
and the floor for things, drink a cups of coffee or eat cereal, placing the bowl on the seat
when not stopped at traffic lights, but their first instinct when braking is not to spill the
milk on the carpet. They talk on a hand held mobile phone or send text messages.
They argue with children or other passengers. They fail to indicate in when changing lanes
or entering traffic. And, my all-time favourite, they jam the brakes on, start turning and
indicate half way through the turn. They read and mark up work files or a
newspaper and input data to a GPS.
Car drivers will cut off motorcycles concentrating more on mouthing obscenities than
controlling their cars. Occasionally, they give the motorcycle or scooter rider the bird
at the same time. Amazing how often you see a larger vehicle, or especially a truck
at the same distance and they are always given their right of way.
They sit in their air-tight, sound-proof, metal bubble, blissfully not giving two
hoots about my fellow road users. "Damn those mongrel bikies, they never do
anything right!!!"
then write your one sided story of TAC fiction.
Peter Hawker
Sydney
May 8, 2012.
The TAC/VicRoads/Police policy to discourage motorcycling was identified during
the 1993 Parliamentary Inquiry into Motorcycle Safety. It survives in 2012. Some riders
don't because of this policy.
"MOTORCYCLE Riders have been told to take responsibility for their own
safety ......"
FATAL MISTAKES
By SHANA MORGAN
WANGARATTA CHRONICLE
The current TAC antibike campaign promotes disharmony on our roads and
excuses negligent and/or aggressive driving. The message is it is OK to blame the victim if
he or she is on a motorcycle or scooter.
Motorcyclists and scooter riders are angry over the latest shock
horror TAC antibike campaign. The Wangaratta Chronicle is a good
example of regional media picking up TAC campaigns with no balancing
comment from reliable rider experts. This kind of biased and
misleading media promotes antibike feelings on-road and that's
dangerous.
Read Doug Sunderland's letter again.
Doug has been riding motorcycles longer than I've been alive. He's
ridden through 19 countries, crossed the Himalayas several times and
done the Simpson Desert, different ways, 9 times. And, that's not all.
Doug was featured on ABC TV's Australian Story.
When Doug saw the Wangaratta Chronicle pushing the TAC's latest
motorcycle campaign, based on "cleansed" crash data, he sent me
copies. Have a look at Nieuwesteeg's input on behalf of TAC to the
current Parliamentary Inquiry into bike safety on page 691.
www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/rsc/motorcycle_safety/Transcripts/20120307_TAC_transcripts.pdf
He asked me to make people aware that regional Victoria suffers the
TAC's promotion of careless, and sometimes aggressive, driving around
motorcycle & scooter riders too. So please pass this on.
Doug and I agree TAC should get out of showbiz and use Victorian Road
Users' premiums to better care for crash victims and their loved
ones, improve our ambulance & emergency services and encourage safe
driving/riding by introducing no-claim-bonuses like other insurers.
But TAC is a monopoly with a compulsory product and glossy media and
various sponsorships improve a corporate image they like but do not
need.
The questions the Wangaratta Chronicle should be asking TAC are. How
much did it cost to "research", produce and run this campaign and how
much will it save Victorians in reduced road trauma this financial
year? And, how could this large amount of money be better spent?
Damien Codognotto OAM
Independent Riders' Group
Melbourne
Tel: 03 9846 8621
d.codognotto.oam@bigpond.com
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