Latest News

He's Doohan it for road safety

Oct 31, 2009

FORMER world motorcycle champion Mick Doohan is the new face of safe riding in South Australia.

Mr Doohan said a graphic new TV commercial, which superimposes everyday objects like phone boxes and trees on to a motorcycle track, should leave no doubt about the consequences of a street crash.

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Two wheels wins in crowded Sydney

Oct 28, 2009

Rising fuel costs, congestion, no parking, poor public transport and environmental concerns are driving up motorcycle use.

Yet, transport policy lags far behind and has failed to create equity for this growing group of road users.

Sydney Council’s move to free motorcycle parking one year ago has been widely applauded and embraced. Yet, the State Government has failed to create road toll and registration equity, and has inadequately invested in safety campaigns, according to the Motorcycle Council of NSW.

“The total spend on safety campaigns since 2003 has been less than four million,’’ Guy Stanford of the Motorcycle Council of NSW said. “But it makes economic sense to move to a scooter or small bike. The average car journey carries 1.1 people, rolling a tonne-and-a-half to shift just one person.

“Motorcycles are less than 200kg. A lot of people are shifting to motorcycles for convenience, initially because of the overstretched public transport system. But as petrol prices start to bite, it makes economic sense. There has been a big growth in 250cc bikes.’’

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Motorcycle Buyers Encourage to Take Advantage of Economic Incentives

Oct 12, 2009

Figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) show 82,601 motorcycles, scooters and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) were sold in the nine months to September – a 14.4 per cent decline compared to the same period in 2008.

“The motorcycle market has faced a period of challenging economic circumstances and although down on the record highs of last year has remained resilient,” FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said.

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Road Maintenance & Design

The key issues identified for road environment safety are:

  • Road fixtures and furniture may create crash and injury risks for motorcyclists.
  • Maintenance and upgrading practices may create crash and injury risks for motorcyclists.
  • The designers of new roads are not required to consider the specific vulnerabilities of motorcyclists.
  • Crash records are not used systematically to monitor and guide road maintenance practices.

The MCC objectives for Safer Roads are to:

  1. Reduce the incidence and severity of single vehicle motorcycle crashes.

  2. To ensure motorcycle safety is accommodated in the design and maintenance of roads and the road environment.

  3. To ensure motorcycles are recognised as a growing and distinct mode of transport in all road planning and road safety programs.

Every motorcyclist knows that road conditions that are no problem for a car, can be dangerous traps for a motorcycle. Non-motorcyclists are less likely to understand this and few road engineers appear to appreciate the handling characteristics of motorcycles.

Forty percent of motorcycle crashes are single vehicle crashes. It is often assumed that such crashes are due to excessive speed, but poor road design and surface condition also play a part. As a part of the strategic planning process, we undertook a review of NSW crash data. We found that road surface hazards such as loose gravel on a sealed surface were a contributing factor in 21% of single vehicle motorcycle crashes.

  • Road authorities need to be made aware of the dangers for motorcyclists that are created by the poor design and maintenance of roads.
  • Motorcyclists need to develop their skills to read the road surface, to anticipate, avoid or control loss of traction.
  • All motorcyclists can help to improve the roads in their local area by working with their local road authorities.

This subject is covered in depth on the MCC Motorcycle Safety website

Reporting a Road Hazard

How to report a road hazard. Refer to the Road Hazard page on the Motorcycle Council Road Safety Website