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
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
MONASH UNIVERSITY
ACCIDENT RESEARCH CENTRE
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.
-
How was the survey
funded?
- How much will the
survey cost all up?
- Over what period of
time will the survey be coinducted?
- Will the base data be
available for independent review?
- How are the following
questions related to road safety?
9.
Do you have a high fat diet?
10.
Do you do-it-yourself home maintenance?
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