The AA are lying about us.

[shrub]

I read through the 1 minute pause called Directions that the AA put out, and in an article about road safety found this gem:

"There were about 43 motorcyclist deaths, of which motorcyclists themselves were responsible for 35. Car drivers were responsible for four".

For a start "about 43" deaths? Is their data collection so poor that they were unable to get an exact figure on motorcycle fatalities, yet were able to accurately attribute the exact number of deaths to bike riders and car drivers? Or are motorcyclists of such low value that nobody really knows how many die?

I know Katman probably believes that motorcyclists were responsible for 44 of the 43 deaths, but the good Prof Lamb's stats showed culpibility was pretty evenly divided between us and car drivers, and Prof Lamb doesn't use the word "about" in his research. Which is how come he's a professor, not some minimum wage journo working for AA.

The AA are an influential organisation with a lot of credibility, and you can guarantee that Mary Pajero and Andy Audi are reading this article and tsk tsking about all those mad, crazy bikers with a suicide wish. Unfortunately that means when we ask to be taken seriously regarding road safety, and when we demand that our rights as road users be respected they will say "you bring it on yourselves, don't come looking for sympathy or support".

[Str8 Jacket]

Motorbikes are dangerous. I think that this has been done to death.

Excuse the pun.

[shrub]

Motorbikes are dangerous. I think that this has been done to death.

Excuse the pun.

You've been listening to Katman too much.

What needs to be done to death is the attitude of the AA. As long as an influential organisation like the AA is willingly disseminating complete untruths like that, motorcycling won't get any safer.

[bogan]

wheres the article? if its easily proved wrong complain to the ASA

[SMOKEU]

What has alcoholics anonymous got to do with motorbikes?

[shrub]

wheres the article? if its easily proved wrong complain to the ASA

http://www.aa.co.nz/aadirections/dri...Our-Roads.aspx

I have emailed the link to Charley Lamb for his response.

[Clockwork]

If it's not an advert the ASA will not be interested.

[MSTRS:Me]

If it's not an advert the ASA will not be interested.

They weren't interested in the ACC propaganda ad in major dailies last year, either.

[bogan]

If it's not an advert the ASA will not be interested.

yeh you're right, that doens't look like an advert. Still if it's easily proven wrong I'm sure there's someone to complain to, anyone got a link to last years actual figures?

[shrub]

yeh you're right, that doens't look like an advert. Still if it's easily proven wrong I'm sure there's someone to complain to, anyone got a link to last years actual figures?

Charley Lamb has access to pretty much everything, so I'm looking forward to hearing from him. Once I have that data I will be writing to the editor of Directions as well as Brian Gibbons, the AA CEO. What they need to realise is that AA members are also motorcyclists (because it's my partner who's a member the letter will be in her name) and that presenting data that is incorrect can and will have a detrimental effect on road safety.

[Scuba_Steve]

The AA seem to have gone astray, you could almost be forgiven nowadays for thinking their a Govt owned organization. what happened to the good old days where their purpose was to warn of speed scams ahead & fight the injustice of Govt's retarded road rules?

[rainman]

I's not just the AA who are concerned:

Motorcycle deaths worry Govt

Motorcycle deaths still feature prominently in the road toll.
The number of road deaths recorded as of Tuesday stood at 216 - 20 fewer than at the same time last year.
But 29 motorcyclists have died, one more than at this time in 2009.
Transport Minister Steven Joyce says the number of motorbike riders dying is a real worry, as it's the one casualty toll that has continued to grow.
Motorbike fatalities were 27 in 2003, but gradually rose to about 50 per year in both 2008 and 2009.
The Government says motorcycle numbers increased by 60%, from 60,000 to 97,000 In the past decade.
Copyright © 2010 Radio New Zealand

From http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/storie...1/12481056ac4c.

Is this the start of another anti-motorbike push by the gummint?

[bogan]

Charley Lamb has access to pretty much everything, so I'm looking forward to hearing from him. Once I have that data I will be writing to the editor of Directions as well as Brian Gibbons, the AA CEO. What they need to realise is that AA members are also motorcyclists (because it's my partner who's a member the letter will be in her name) and that presenting data that is incorrect can and will have a detrimental effect on road safety.

All well and good that you have faith in Charley, but after his last report he can hardly be considered an unbiased expert. Surely there is crash data online somewhere? what data drew you to the conclusion that AA are lying to us?

[shrub]

Is this the start of another anti-motorbike push by the gummint?

It wouldn't surprise me. Our beloved leaders probably see motorcyclists as irresponsible, low intellect, low income and quite probably drug users, or just another form of boy racer.

[shrub]

All well and good that you have faith in Charley, but after his last report he can hardly be considered an unbiased expert. Surely there is crash data online somewhere? what data drew you to the conclusion that AA are lying to us?

It's more a case that I have faith in the data he has access to, and his last report was fine.

Of course he is biased, he's a motorcyclist, but he's also the consumate professional. While a few people didn't agree with some of his findings, I have read the whole paper and looked at much of the raw data he used as well as the data analysis methods he engaged in, and I have confidence that what he presented was pretty well on the money.

Charley is currently looking up the crash data on the NZTA database, and that is the most complete and accurate information available. I would be very, very surprised if 81% of motorcycle fatalities were the fault of the rider and that only 9% were caused by car drivers given that international statistics show that the other road user was primarily at fault in between 50 and 65% of accidents and road conditions were at fault in 12 - 20% of cases (depending which country you look at). The figures the AA use would suggest that Kiwi bikers are predominantly appalling riders, NZ roads are unbelievably good and Kiwi drivers are the best in the world.

None of which is true.