Following a request to hear evidence and argument from MAG (UK), the Victorian Parliament in Australia has released the results of its Inquiry into Motorcycle Safety.
Following a request to hear evidence and argument from MAG (UK), the Victorian Parliament in Australia has released the results of its Inquiry into Motorcycle Safety.
The 495 page document has been written by the Parliamentary Road Safety Committee of the State of Victoria, which contains a cross party group of MPs.
Back in the summer, MAG was asked to give evidence to the visiting Committee and during the afternoon, we argued the case for motorcycles including why there shouldn’t be an extra tax levied on riders just because they ride. We reported the meeting at the time and you can read about itĀ here.
We also argued the case for permitting motorcycles to filter through heavy traffic, why bikes should be encouraged as a form of personal mobility and why legislators should always consult riders and not assume what may be good for us. Education not legislation for all road users and road designers.
MAG is delighted to say that the report contains 64 recommendations including:
- making crash barriers less damaging to motorcyclists by fitting underrun protection rails or other technology.
- stating that the benefits of filtering should be reviewed with the aim of introducing filtering in Victoria
- educational materials for drivers should consider safety features on cars which may obscure riders, like thick roof pillars
- abolishing the tax on riders
- introducing CBT style early training
- introducing motorcycle specific questions in the car test
- Motorcycle Action Group should be consulted at inception, design and production of safety advertising and messages
- Highways Authority should update its engineering guidance to account for motorcycles
MAG’s Campaign’s Manager Paddy Tyson said “The delegates appeared genuinely interested in hearing the experiences of British riders and really listened to the suggestions made. This report demonstrates how much attention they paid and highlights how strong the arguments for motorcycling were.”
The report in all its glory is availableĀ here