Motorcyclists have long suffered from a poor public image. There is little broad public understanding of the changing demographic of motorcyclists who are generally older, better educated and wealthier than stereotypes would suggest.

Historically the poor public image is derived from old stereotypes and perpetuated by the media promoting fear and mistrust. However there is some evidence that the poor public image has direct road safety implications in the on-road behaviour of motorists towards motorcyclists. It also has broader significance in relation to their inclusion in transport planning and facilities, road user consultations and the development of countermeasures to address motorcycle crash incidence.

A study for the Federal Office of Road Safety in 1995 identified a number of safety problems associated with the poor public image of motorcyclists. They found that motorists tended to be influenced by old 'bikie' stereotypes and feel an emotional distance from motorcyclists. They had little understanding of the riding activity or risks associated with it, nor did they have any knowledge of how to interact with motorcyclists as road users. (Maxine Kriege, Motorists attitudes towards motorcyclists and motorcyclists current attitudues and behaviour, 1995).

Another study identified lack of social awareness of motorcycles as a factor which may predispose drivers to errors when interacting with motorcycles. Their results suggested that some of the variance in accident involvement with motorcycles may be accounted for by lack of driver social and technical awareness. (Brooks and Guppy, Driver awareness and motorcycle accidents, 1990).