1. What is a group?

App.1.a It is important to remember that there are several quite different types of motorcycle groups which use the roads of the Snowy Mountains. The main types are:
i. Fully organised events, usually based on one or more clubs, with ride captains, lead and sweep riders, briefings etc.
ii. Less organised events consisting of a variable groups of riders who simply ride together on a fairly frequent and more or less regular basis.
iii. Loose groups of friends who ride together occasionally. This type of group would include many of the motorcyclists who pass through the region on their way to an from major sporting events like the GP and Superbike races at Phillip Island.
iv. Impromptu or `pickup' groups which happen to coalesce on the road, also perhaps from various smaller groups or individuals on their way to or from the races, or perhaps a rally. They are not necessarily going to the same place, however, and may consist of very different riders.

App.1.b The potential to assist these groups is obviously greater for the earlier ones in the list above, but we can actually help all of them. The things we can probably hope to do would include:
i. Providing the organisers of the first group with potentially better information and methods, and their participants with an effective set of guidelines. They are already used to employing such techniques, so it would be relatively easy to help them. In other words, we merely need to help them to do it right.
ii. We might be able to encourage riders in the second group to take on some of the characteristics and behaviour of the first group, perhaps mainly by appealing to their concern for each other's safety. The appeal would rest mainly on the group, seeing that it has significant cohesion. An increase in discipline would obviously be helpful. These people would require a bit of persuasion, but both their group and individual behaviour can be improved.
iii. The third group is not really much of a group, so our main appeal here will probably have to be on an individual basis. Riders are not likely to be interested in any increased degree of regimentation, no matter what the reason, but we should be able to appeal to their concern for their own well-being. Their individual behaviour is open to improvement, as is (perhaps more importantly) their attitude.
iv. The best we can probably hope for with the last group (and this is still a considerable advance) is to get them to pick up a brochure on their way through the area and to think about its contents while filling up with fuel or having a cup of coffee or a meal. Since they are almost certainly rare visitors, we need to reach them straight away. To contact them smartly, it may be an idea to consider laminating some of the brochures and putting them up in service stations, cafes and other gathering-points (and even perhaps enlarging them). Another possible way to reach these people (and the others) might be to insert the brochures into motorcycle magazines in the areas where they live. Generally speaking we are probably looking at improving mainly their attitude. On the positive side, these kinds of groups probably don't display some of the especially dangerous group riding patterns (such as the absolute need to stick together) that the others do.

App.1.c We have already touched on some ways of reaching these different groups. To summarise, the most effective ways will probably be:

i. Supplying both kinds of leaflets to the clubs, and possibly following up with guest speakers at their club meetings.
ii. Supplying both kinds of leaflets to them, in whatever groupings they can be reached, and promoting the idea of properly organised riders through local papers, radio interviews, leaflets and motorcycle magazines.
iii. These people are best reached by leaflet drops (the rider type, not the organiser version) at motorcycle stops. These could be cafes, service stations, tourist attractions and even pubs. Inserting leaflets into a motorcycle magazine would also be useful, if the magazine offered restricted geographical coverage.
iv. We have considered ways of reaching these people above.