Biker deaths prompt safety calls
08 May 2006
By LANE NICHOLS
Another two people have been killed in motorcycle crashes, raising fears of a jump in motorcycle deaths and sparking calls for more courses on rider safety.
Annual motorcycle deaths had been falling steadily since the 1970s and 1980s, Land Transport New Zealand spokesman Andy Knackstedt said. However, that trend had reversed in recent years with a resurgence in motorcycling popularity.
The statistics are likely to get worse as fuel costs make motorcycles a more attractive option.
Sione Rex was killed instantly when his motorcycle smashed into a fence in South Auckland on Saturday.
Another man died yesterday in an accident involving several motorcycles and cars in Helensville, north of Auckland. The only other road death at the weekend was when a car hit a power pole in Auckland.
Nineteen riders or passengers have already died in crashes this year – three fewer than this time last year but five more than this time in 2004.
In 1997, 52 motorcyclists died in road crashes. The number fell to 29 in 2002 but has been rising since.
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In one of the worst biking accidents this year, five Outlaws Motorcycle Club members were critically injured and one killed in a motorcycle rally pile-up near Hastings in February.
Motorcycle registrations peaked at nearly 30,000 in 1980 but fell to about 2500 in 1992 after a law change allowed cheap, used cars into the country.
However, they jumped to 7654 last year, with a corresponding rise in motorcycle crashes, Mr Knackstedt said.
This was partly because of older men getting back on to bikes, which were more powerful than those of their youth.
"Obviously the trend we want to see is down, not up. But for motorcycles, they are starting to head in the wrong direction."
Mr Knackstedt said motorcyclists were nine times more likely to be involved in fatal or injury-causing accidents than people in cars.
He urged riders to ensure they were visible on the road and to sit rider safety training courses.
But New Zealand Motor Cycle Safety Consultants chief executive Allan Kirk said regulation changes in the 1980s meant New Zealand now had one of the lowest training course uptake rates in the Western world.
Land Transport should provide more incentives through the licensing system for riders to sit courses, Mr Kirk said.
He feared that the number of motorcycle deaths would rise sharply as the cost of fuel forced more drivers to switch to motorcycles or scooters, which were cheaper to run but more dangerous.
Originally Posted by skidmark
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