So motorcycle deaths are overrepresented

**Blackbird** · 21st September 2009, 07:37

Herald on line: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10598593.

The normal bland assertions without decent stats to analyse root cause. Even so, it seems to me that almost no-one in officialdom is prepared to come out and say that driving standards (skills) in the shape of situational awareness need to be raised across the board, whether it be car or bike owners. Until that's done IMHO, any other initiative will merely be window dressing.

Rant over

**Mom** · 21st September 2009, 08:01

Gee we are coping some bad press at the moment, anyone noticing a pattern here. I wonder what it is all leading to?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10598593

**yungatart** · 21st September 2009, 08:10

More regulation to save us from ourselves?

I agree with the comments about driver training...although they have been talking about it for eons. It would be good if they actually did something about it.

**Squiggles** · 21st September 2009, 08:18

I like the last point

**Swoop** · 21st September 2009, 08:21

Originally Posted by Mom

I wonder shat it is all leading to?

That we will be crapped on from above, by the politicians?

**Mom** · 21st September 2009, 08:22

Originally Posted by Swoop

That we will be crapped on from above?

I certainly hope not

Fuxed it now.

**MSTRS:Me** · 21st September 2009, 08:32

...although those aged 15 to 24 accounted for 42.5 per cent of drink-drive offenders...

This sort of reporting fucks me off. I mean, only the other day I was reading a report on drive-drive statistics and it was stated in b+w that 'young drivers had got the message, and the problem lay with older, recidivist drivers'...
Which is it?

**James Deuce** · 21st September 2009, 08:36

Neither!

Motorcycles and scooters are reaching a critical mass where they become a transport option again, and there are those who would prefer that this didn't happen, fearing a massive rise in road deaths.

Don't train people, just ban bikes.

Always remember people, that they can't see you, mostly because no one gets taught how to look for other road users in NZ.

White helmets don't help.

Reflective vests don't help.

ABS won't help.

**The Stranger:Me** · 21st September 2009, 08:42

"The results come a fortnight before the close of submissions on 61 ideas the Government is asking New Zealanders to rank for a new safety strategy in the face of failed targets to reduce road carnage."

Damn we are good. If they increase the arbitrary target from 300 to say 500 we hose in. No hand wringing required, no postulating, no conferences, no additional cost and no new laws.
Sounds much easier to me.

**ManDownUnder** · 21st September 2009, 08:53

Driver education - what a novel idea. Can't be serious though surely - what good could that possibly have??? We need more stats to analyse for real policy.

What's breakdown of fatal accidents by vehicle colour? We need to identify and address issues surrounding the most dengerous ones.

I'd like the same breakdown by vehicle brand as well please, and again by makes of tire.

I'll make my submissions based on those.

**jono035** · 21st September 2009, 09:00

Originally Posted by ManDownUnder

What's breakdown of fatal accidents by vehicle colour? Just wondering which are the most dengerous ones.

Same breakdown by vehicle brand as well please, and again by makes of tire.

I'll make my suggestions based on those.

Correlation does not equal causation, my friend...

If all the boy racers went out and bought Pirellis because the name sounds flash and fast, then they all ended up as parts of the landscape, would you really blame the tires first?

Types and colours of car are much the same. Even if there was a clear trend showing that drivers of undercoat coloured skylines are the most likely to crash then banning that car would just mean that more house-painted black sylvias would get crashed etc.

Edit: Or did I just miss the joke completely?

**MSTRS:Me** · 21st September 2009, 09:04

And irony was the clear loser on the day...

**Quasievil** · 21st September 2009, 09:07

same old shit really, but in my view Motorcyclists are without doubt over represented in the stats, its not everyone elses fault ya know...........take some heat people.....arent most crashes single vehicle crashes?
How many riders do you know that have gone down due to riding on the road like fuckwits? I know shitloads of them and I know several that are dead due to riding like fuckwits..............put that into the big national picture and I think there is alot of merit in the report.

If we as motorcyclists want to reduce the toll on our kind, then first thing we need to do is have a look within, i.e at ourselves.............doing this would provide lower negative stats over night...... how would this be achieved, well sadly it wont and these stats will continue to pour out until the government do something drastic and unfortunetely thats likely to be inevitable

**rainman** · 21st September 2009, 09:07

Originally Posted by James Deuce

White helmets don't help.

Reflective vests don't help.

ABS won't help.

Damn, I'll have to go for the loud pipes then...

**jono035** · 21st September 2009, 09:10

Originally Posted by Quasievil

If we as motorcyclists want to reduce the toll on our kind, then first thing we need to do is have a look within, i.e at ourselves.............doing this would provide lower negative stats over night...... how would this be achieved, well sadly it wont and these stats will continue to pour out until the government do something drastic and unfortunetely thats likely to be inevitable

Even for the accidents that aren't technically 'our fault' then I think this still applies. We can wring our hands and complain that car drivers are all out to kill us (fair observation in my limited experience) but ultimately that is a hazard that we have to mitigate ourselves because it is unlikely to change.