The following is an extract from the latest AA Directions Online.
Bike Alert
Take the helmet off a motorcyclist these days and you may be surprised. For the face of motorcycling is changing. Over the past 25 years, the average age of the motorcyclist has risen from 22 to 33 (in 2005). And while the perception might be that those threatening, black-clad bike riders are lawless and tough, they are more likely to be stockbrokers, corporate managers or teaching professionals than anything nefarious.
Statistics also show that most injuries and deaths of motorcyclists are in the 40 years-and-over age group.
Last year, 39 motorcyclists were killed and more than 900 were injured in road crashes. In around 40% of those accidents, the bike rider was not to blame.Many crashes happen at intersections, where oncoming motorcyclists are vulnerable to being overlooked.
In an effort to reduce the number of injuries and deaths among motorcyclists, ACC’s injury prevention unit is working to increase motorists’ awareness of bikes and to improve motorcycle safety in general.
ACC’s programme manager for motorcycle safety Phil Wright has been preparing the safety campaign and and is surprised at attitudes revealed in the process. “Courteous sharing of the road is a concept we endorse at least intellectually – but with the motorcyclist vs. car divide, the problem is quite serious.”
Surveyed car drivers confessed to considering the typical motorcyclist ‘a law unto themselves’and that, while they were confident of seeing other cars and trucks, they might not notice a motorbike.
He also found that car drivers disapproved of motorcylists’ behaviour, believing that they ride too fast and carelessly.
“A recent phenomenon is lane-splitting where on motorways when traffic is slowed, motorcyclists dodge left and right passing the cars by riding along the dotted line. Legally the practice is doubtful,although there is no specific lane-splitting regulation. Drivers get annoyed when motorcyclists do this;
however, they should contemplate that if all motorcylists drove cars, how much longer the queues would be. You can get eight motorbikes into one parking space taken by a car,
so they help ease parking and congestion.”
Another factor motorists are urged to consider is that despite their relatively diminutive size, motorbikes can – and do – inflict damageon larger vehicles. There have been around 1300 intersection crashes involving motorbikes
and cars over the past five years; one car driver was killed and around 70 injured by the motorcycle.
As well as campaigning to increase motorist awareness of motorbikes, particularly at intersections, ACC also plans to promote defensive driving to motorcyclists.
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Originally Posted by skidmark
No worries !
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