The Big Dave Files

[oldrider]

Dave, looking at the graph and thinking of what occurred at the time of the cross over, the thing that springs to mind is not directly involved with motorcycling but could be influential.

The stock market crash of 1987, followed by the introduction of Japanese cheap car imports, followed by a sharp decline in new motorcycle sales.

I may be off beam but that's my recollection of the trends over that period. Worth a thought? John.

[Big Dave]

I may be off beam but that's my recollection of the trends over that period. Worth a thought? John.

Of couse! - it has to be indexed against registrations - nice work.

[Motu]

I'm not sure when the graduated licence and 250 limit came in,I already had a full licence so it didn't concern me...but mid 70s anyway.Before that you got a provisional....written test and ''oral'',there were no restrictions other than no pillion I think,you could be on a provisional for as long as you liked,it only cost 50cents...I paid 50cents a couple of times.Then you sat your full,which was just the practical,you had a L rego label,so you could only ride your own,or another learners bike...you could be fined caught riding with a full label (I know that because I had a court case over it) Car drivers had to have an ''L'' label in the rear window too.

With the graduated licence came a big push in rider training,the Coca Cola Riding School at Western Springs was where everyone went to learn to ride - my wife learnt to ride there,taught by a friend who was doing it from the very beginning,he only gave up a role in rider training a couple of years ago due to illness.My wife says it wasn't compulsory when she went there,she just wanted to be taught correctly - just as well,otherwise we would of never met.Kinda embarressing as an experianced rider being pulled up on some of my glaring faults by a learner!

[Insanity_rules]

Go get em Big Dave, we need a rational voice.

If you look at the horsepower increase of bikes between 85 to now theres waaaayyyy more bang to buck ratio increase between then and now.

Also look at how the population of cages has increased as Jap imports have saturated our roads with bigger horsepower(snigger) cars, your average learner (or not so) cager can get a WRX or GSR for Feck all and tear around the countryside like an idiot taking out our 2 wheel bretheren.

It would be interesting to know how many of these deaths were biker at fault but I'd dare say more often than not its the bloody cager's fault.

[Big Dave]

Dave, you already have access to the guy whom knows most about this sort of thing.
Give Finn a call.

Will do.....

[Big Dave]

It would be interesting to know how many of these deaths were biker at fault but I'd dare say more often than not its the bloody cager's fault.

I think I might have some of that - hang on a minute.

no - not quite - not blame but how - per 2004.

I can even tell you what time of day you are most likely to bin it.

[Motu]

The crossover and decline in injuries doesn't happen until 1987/88 - Jap Imports were a very new thing then,still private people going over and bringing back a couple of cars,we weren't geared up as fully dependant on Jap Imports until after 1990.I worked for a dealer in 1988 who imported half a dozen every couple of months,and we did them up for resale,they sublet another shop out to an importer who was probably doing 20 or more in a shipment,everyone thought he was crazy.This is too early to show a switch to cars by the young guys,the dip in bike sales would be more early 90s I'd say.

[scumdog]

Could it be that the actual reporting of injury accidents has fallen since '90. Co-incidentally since the Police takeover from MOT. So that unless the injury requires an ambulance it is highly likely that it's not attended. Fatals are always attended.
Add to that the comment already said, that as bikes become toys, their owners can also afford better protective gear.

Nah, they are now hammering us to report ALL injury crashes - ones that would have not even been looked at 7-8 years ago are now being recorded as 'Injury Crash.

I suspect the average age increase for bike riders has helped a bit too - not so many teenagers on bikes now compared to when i was a boy.

Just look at the College/High School car parks these days - in Nelson back in the 60's there was a fair line-up of bikes in the park.

[Big Dave]

Nah, they are now hammering us to report ALL injury crashes

Consider it the 'working for me' part of your public service

[scumdog]

It would be interesting to know how many of these deaths were biker at fault but I'd dare say more often than not its the bloody cager's fault.

Have to be careful here, I haven't checked ALL the figures but imho the rider themselves is the main factor - a hell of a lot of crashes are single bike/left the road sort of thing and a fair few others are bikes crashing into the cage due to excess cornering speed on the bikes part etc.

[Big Dave]

Have to be careful here, I haven't checked ALL the figures but imho the rider themselves is the main factor - a hell of a lot of crashes are single bike/left the road sort of thing and a fair few others are bikes crashing into the cage due to excess cornering speed on the bikes part etc.

I agree - however according to the way i interpret 'turning against' in table 33
you could say that the 'single most likely cause' of injury is someone turning right, in front of you at an intersection?

[far queue]

I don't know when the bike capacity restrictions were introduced, but they were there when I got my licence in 1979.

Also untill around the mid 80's the law was that a 66% deposit was required for ALL cars and all new bikes but only 33% for a used bike, which helped push more young people into bikes because that's all they could afford. This requirement was removed completely sometime mid 80's, but used car prices were still relatively high, and then the imports started coming in which dropped the arse out of the used car prices. So, suddenly, relatively cheap used cars were available with bugger all deposit, bikes lost a lot of their popularity with those that were just looking for cheap transport, and the bike shops started closing down. Lower % of bikes on the road = lower % of accidents involving them.

[Lou Girardin]

Nah, they are now hammering us to report ALL injury crashes - ones that would have not even been looked at 7-8 years ago are now being recorded as 'Injury Crash.

No doubt. But are you guys getting to all injury accidents? Particularly in the main centres.
Our criteria for injury accidents used to be those requiring ambulance transport - still the same?

[scumdog]

No doubt. But are you guys getting to all injury accidents? Particularly in the main centres.
Our criteria for injury accidents used to be those requiring ambulance transport - still the same?

Nope, even a small cut that may only need a Band-Aid, broken finger, road-rash to a knee - if it constitutes an 'injury' of any sort it goes on an Injury report.

Vitually all that can go on a Non-Injury report is a car-prak fender-bender.

And Ambo IS called out more - it's arse covering in case I say "You'll be right matey" - and fifteen minutes late 'matey' topples over and then his rellies do the PCA thing..

[Lou Girardin]

Nope, even a small cut that may only need a Band-Aid, broken finger, road-rash to a knee - if it constitutes an 'injury' of any sort it goes on an Injury report.

.

Seems strange. What's the criteria now for 'causing injury' charges?