Thursday 21 August 2014

MUARC MC SURVEY - AUG 2014

August 22, 2014.
Monash Motorcycle Survey 1.
Please pass these emails on.

It seems to me that Michael Fitzharris did not really answer my questions. Professor Lesley Day has not sent me anything to date. Nor has any of the other "study investigators". It also seems to me that being an academic does not necessarily mean you are not prejudiced and/or ignorant of a given group. And, if you question the quality of a persons work most will find an excuse, especially if there is money/career involved. If that's right, our problem is that some peoples' work can effect both our safety and our right to ride in a free country.
I do not think questions about guns, diet and DIY would be asked of any other transport group in Victoria. Can you imagine the stink if you asked bicycle riders if they owned a gun?!?
Monash University Crash Research Centre (MUARC) co-ordinator trevor Allen told the Waverly Gazette that the survey was anonymous and that the controversial questions were standard guages of risk taking behaviour. He said they were put in the survey in 2011. Seems to me that means they judged riders are risk takers. That may be the reason for all the speeding and like questions. The survey started in 2012 and ends this year.
I'm told MUARC did a push bike survey and the tone was totally different.
As for this being anonymous forever, I'm not convinced. They photograph your number plate and each survey has a file number. They have to be linked at some stage to contact the rider don't they?
What I find strange is that with a Parliamentary Inquiry into motorcycle & scooter safety winding up in 2012 and the Motorcycle Advisory Group operating at VicRoads, rider reps did not pick this up sooner.
Anyway, I got more information on this survey from the Waverly Gazette than any other source.
Please pass this on, put it on facebook and so on.
Damien Codognotto OAM
Spokesman
Independent Riders Group
Melbourne
From: DAMIEN CODOGNOTTO OAM
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2014 4:29 PM
Subject: Re: MONASH MOTORCYCLE SURVEY

Thank you Michael.
Perhaps Lesley Day can inform us of the road safety significance of the questions on riders' diet, home maintenance and gun ownership.
It is difficult for non-experts to understand the connection between food, DIY and guns and motorcycle or scooter crashes. It has been suggested that no other transport group would be subjected to questions like these. Ute drivers or bicycle riders or train travellers might have a negative reaction to such queries.
Damien Codognotto OAM
Spokesman
Independent Riders Group
Melbourne
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2014 2:30 PM
Subject: RE: MONASH MOTORCYCLE SURVEY

Dear Damien

I am following up on your email regarding the study known as the MICIMS study and your questions.

At the outset, as I noted at the meeting, I am not involved in the MICIMS in-depth study. I do know the study is funded under the Australian Research Council Linkage Scheme and was awarded on October 25th 2010; this was submitted to the ARC in March 2010, and commenced in 2011.

The presentation that I gave on the 23rd July at the Amora (titled: Motorcycle Data: What is out there, how it can be used, and why it is important) was about the data systems available to examine road crashes, particularly motorcycle crashes, and the challenges in how they can be used to monitor road safety trends. I mentioned MICIMS in the context of being one information system that can provide information on motorcycle crashes, along with the hospital, ambulance and crash datasets from VicRoads and the Police.

On the website, the research sits within my In-depth Team, however the study investigators are: Prof Lesley Day, Prof Michael Lenné, Dr Mark Symmons, Dr Peter Hillard, A/Prof Stuart Newstead, and Prof Rod McClure.

Dr Trevor Allen is the study co-ordinator.

A study update is on the Monash website (see below).

I have forwarded your email to Professor Lesley Day in her role as Principal Investigator of the study.

Regards
Michael

Associate Professor Michael Fitzharris
Associate Director (Regulation and In-depth Crash Investigation)
Accident Research Centre
Monash Injury Research Institute
Monash University

From: DAMIEN CODOGNOTTO OAM [mailto:d.codognotto.oam@bigpond.com]
Sent: Monday, 18 August 2014 12:05 PM
To: michael.fitzharris
Cc: MLA LP - DR DENIS NAPTHINE - S W COAST; MLA ALP - DANIEL ANDREWS - MULGRAVE; MLA LP - TERRY MULDER - POLWARTH; MLA ALP - LUKE DONNELLAN - NARRE WARREN NORTH
Subject: MONASH MOTORCYCLE SURVEY

MICHAEL FITZPATRICK
MONASH UNIVERSITY ACCIDENT RESEARCH CENTRE

Dear Sir.

On behalf of our members I would like to ask some questions about the MUARC survey of motorcycle & scooter crash victims and other riders.

At the recent VicRoads workshop the presentation did not include the more controversial aspects of the survey.
  1. How was the survey funded?
  2. How much will the survey cost all up?
  3. Over what period of time will the survey be coinducted?
  4. Will the base data be available for independent review?
  5. How are the following questions related to road safety?
                Section 83.

                9.    Do you have a high fat diet?
                10.  Do you do-it-yourself home maintenance?
                11.  Do you own a gun?

Damien Codognotto OAM
Spokesman
Independent Riders Group
Melbourne


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