News, research & events
Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) Motorcycle Safety: Improving the Odds, November 1 2007 The Australasian College of Road Safety held a seminar in recognition of Motorcycle Awareness Week for an audience that included representatives from road authorities, local government and the insurance industry. Speakers Jim Ouellet, Fred Schnerring and Liz de Rome explored some of the myths and misconceptions about motorcycles crashes. Jim Ouellet will be a familiar name to many as one of the authors of the Hurt Report, which was the original large scale in-depth study of motorcycle crashes in the USA. He now teaches motorcycle crash investigation, reconstruction and injury analysis. Fred Schnerring is a consultant engineer and expert motorcycle crash investigator. Liz is a research consultant who specialises in motorcycle safety issues. The seminar was chaired by Guy Stanford, Chairman of the Motorcycle Council of NSW and hosted by The George Institute for International Health. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Motorcycle Safety Forum - September 2006 Liz de Rome was invited to be a part of a Technical Panel presenting to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Her paper on The injury reduction benefits of motorcycle protective clothing, was one of only two invited from outside of the US at the two day forum. September 12 & 13th, 2006, Washington.2006 International Motorcycle Safety Conference: The Human Element, March 2006 Liz de Rome & Guy Stanford presented a paper Motorcycle protective clothing: Fashion or function? at the 2006 International Motorcycle Safety Conference: The Human Element (IMSC), Motorcycle Safety Foundation, March 28-30, Long Beach , USA.Motorcycle Council (MCC) Gearing Up - Motorcycle Protective Clothing - May 2005 The MCC held a seminar for the motorcycle clothing industry to raise awareness and discuss issues of protective clothing standards and consumer protection. May 4, 2005.
The seminar followed earlier research for the guide to protective clothing, which revealed that many of the products currently available may not deliver the level of protection that is promised. The aim of the seminar was to discuss options for ensuring that motorcycle protective clothing sold in Australia is fit for purpose. Participants included manufacturers, importers and retailers as well as motorcycle industry, media and community representatives. For a full report see link Gearing Up - Motorcycle Industry Seminar Report The Touring the Illawarra Motorcycle Safety and Tourism Project This is a joint initiative of the Local Government Road Safety Program and Tourism NSW to address motorcycle crashes in the Illawarra. Research by the NSW Injury Risk Management Centre (IRMC) indicated that a large proportion of motorcycle crashes occurring in the area were visiting 'day-riders', with fatigue and excessive speed being significant factors. The IRMC Report is available in Publications, also see Rider fatigueThe Touring the Illawarra booklet was developed using local rider knowledge and included the best loved routes and relevant road safety information. It encourages riders to take a break and identifies local cafes and other hospitality businesses that are motorcycle friendly. Note: the booklet will be available to be downloaded from this site shortly. Australian College of Road Safety (ACRS) Motorcycle Safety Seminar, December, 3 2004 In another first, the ACRS held a seminar on motorcycle safety. Presenters included Brian Wood, who gave a presentation on the benefits of the MCC having developed the Motorcycle Safety Strategy (Positioned for Safety) and the achievements that have occured as a result. Other speakers included Prof Radin Umar from Malaysia who spoke about the types of engineering treatments being pioneered in Malaysia to make road designs more motorcycle friendly in a country where motorcycles make up 49% of registered vehicles. Treatments include motorcycle only lanes and special lane markings at intersections. 2004 Road Safety Research, Policing & Education Conference, 14-16 November This was the first time that an entire session has been devoted to motorcycle safety issues at this annual national conference. Two of the papers involved work by the MCC.- Survive the Ride II - Working from the ground up a description of a program run by Auburn, Blacktown, Parramatta and Canada Bay Councils.
- Survey of Motorcyclists and their safety initiatives a report by Liz de Rome on a survey conducted by the MCC in 2001. (Copies available in Publications)
The third paper, Hazard perception and responding in car drivers and motorcyclists, was a report by Christine Mulvihill from the Monash University Accident Research Centre. It was a study of the differences in hazard perception and responding skills needed by novice riders and drivers. All papers from this and previous years conferences can be downloaded from the Road Safety Conference web site.
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| The UK government has finally issued their motorcycling strategy (February 2005). This is a quite broadly based transport strategy which covers environmental, infrastructure and traffic management, motorcycle and rider equipment and behavioural factors. The strategy, by the Department for Transport, includes a foreword from the Minister which states that mainstreaming motorcycling as a form of transport is now government policy. This is quite a different approach to most Australian governments, and many others around the world, who consider motorcycle too dangerous to be encouraged and focus policy on harm minimisation and control. The DFT strategy is available at the following: UK Motorcycling Strategy
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