Response to the. Inquiry into Motorcycle Safety. Conducted by the. Parliament of Victoria Road Safety Committee

Transcription

1 Response to the Inquiry into Motorcycle Safety Conducted by the Parliament of Victoria Road Safety Committee September 2011

2 1. Introduction The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) Limited represents nearly two million members and has on average a member in three out of every four households across Victoria. RACV has 2,176 members who ride motorcycles, and a total of 2,197 subscriptions for Emergency Roadside Assistance for motorcycles. RACV welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Road Safety Committee of the 57th Parliament of Victoria s Inquiry into Motorcycle Safety. 2. Overview of Motorcycle Safety in Victoria Motorcyclists are at much higher risk than drivers of other vehicles. They do not have the level of protection and stability that car occupants have and therefore bear the full brunt of a collision and subsequently suffer more serious injuries and likelihood of death. It is well established that motorcyclists are consistently over-represented in the Victorian crash statistics, and with an increasing uptake of motorcycles, it is difficult to foresee a change in these trends unless action is taken to improve the safety of motorcycling. RACV s submission is structured in relation to the Terms of Reference outlined in the Inquiry. RACV provides recommendations where appropriate for consideration by the Road Safety Committee. 3. Terms of Reference 3.1 Trends over time in crash types including on-road and off-road crashes, rural/urban breakdown, experience levels of riders (where known) and types of motorcycles being ridden Riders are 38 times more likely to be seriously injured than motorists (AIHW, 2008). In 2010, there were 288 fatalities on Victoria s roads and 49 of these were motorcycle riders (TAC, 2011a). Over the years Victoria has experienced a gradual reduction in total road fatalities, with 2010 recording the lowest road toll since statistics were collected. Despite an ongoing reduction in total fatalities, motorcycle fatalities have typically represented per cent of Victoria s total road toll from 2005 to In 2010, motorcycle fatalities represented 17 per cent of Victoria s road toll. In the first 6 months of 2011, 29 motorcyclists were killed, representing 18% of the road toll. This is concerning particularly as motorcyclists only comprise approximately 4 per cent of registered vehicles in Victoria, and account for less than 1 per cent of vehicle kilometres travelled (TAC, 2011b). RACV is concerned that motorcycle fatalities have remained over-represented in the road toll and believes that further efforts by the Victorian Government are warranted to try and reduce these numbers. 3.2 The changing face of motorcycling and in particular, patterns of motorcycle usage over time including the uptake of motorcycles as an alternative form of transport and its impact on road safety The uptake of motorcycling has increased in recent years. There has been increases in both motorcycle sales (Victoria Government, 2009; Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), 2011) and number of motorcycles registered (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2010; VicRoads, 2011). An increase in the number of motorcyclists on the road increases the risk profile of travel overall and this has road safety implications. The use of a motorcycle for commuting purposes appears to be growing, with motorcycles being cheaper to run, cheaper to park, and more flexible in avoiding traffic congestion all being likely contributors to motorcycle appeal (Victorian Government, 2009). While Page 1

3 motorcyclists are recognised to be part of the road user system, they are more vulnerable than motorists, and have a much greater risk of injury. As such, road safety efforts need to focus on improving the safety of motorcycling. 3.3 The attitudes of riders to safety and risk taking including drugs, alcohol, travelling at inappropriate speeds, use of protective clothing and fatigue The TAC Motorcycle Tracker Report (2010) surveyed 1,755 motorcyclists on a range of topics, including their attitudes to riding while affected by drugs and alcohol, speeding, and use of protective clothing. RACV s comments on these topics rely heavily on this research Drugs and Alcohol The TAC Motorcycle Tracker Report showed that motorcyclists generally believe there is a high crash risk for riding whilst affected by illegal drugs, and very few report riding under the influence of illegal drugs (TAC, 2010). However, higher proportions of regional and off-road motorcyclists believe there is a low risk of being caught riding over the legal alcohol limit compared to metropolitan motorcyclists. This may be because of the perception that enforcement efforts in regional areas are less frequent than metropolitan areas Speed The attitudes of motorcyclists toward speeding is concerning, as higher proportions of motorcyclists (26 per cent) than motorists (17 per cent) report they will exceed the speed limit if they think they won t get caught (TAC, 2010). Speed is considered a factor in over 30 per cent of all fatal crashes in Victoria (TAC, 2011c), and has been identified as a major factor in almost two-thirds of sole occupant single vehicle crashes in which a motorcyclist was killed (Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE), 2011). This is of particular concern as almost a third of motorcyclist would speed if they did not think they would be detected Protective Clothing The use of protective clothing by motorcyclists varies depending on the item of protective clothing. Wearing a protective jacket or protective gloves all the time is relatively common amongst motorcyclists (77 per cent and 83 per cent, respectively), but wearing protective boots or pants is less common (64 per cent and 53 per cent, respectively) (TAC, 2010). The TAC report suggests that motorcyclists main reasons for not owning protective clothing was due to expense (21 per cent) and the belief that it is not needed (18 per cent). The main reasons for not wearing protective clothing all of the time include only riding for a short trip (25 per cent), the gear being too hot (24 per cent), and the inconvenience (20 per cent). Such findings are concerning, as the injury reduction potential of motorcycle protective clothing has been well established over the years (de Rome, 2011). Research by de Rome (2011) reported that motorcyclists were significantly less likely to be admitted to hospital if they crashed wearing motorcycle jackets, pants, or gloves. In addition, fitted body armour was found to significantly reduce risk of injury to the upper body, hands and wrists, legs, and feet and ankles Summary The TAC report reveals that there are many attitudes and behaviours of motorcyclists that are not favourable in terms of road safety. The important point to note is that there is not a strong relationship between attitudes and behaviour, and road safety efforts should focus on changing behaviours of motorcyclists, not simply their attitudes. Recommendations Enforcement efforts should be strengthened in regional areas to decrease the perception that there is low risk of being detected riding over the legal blood alcohol level. Measures to increase the usage of protective clothing among riders are warranted to reduce their injury risk (see for more information). Page 2

4 3.4 Riders and drivers attitudes to each other There have been a number of studies that have examined the attitudes of drivers towards motorcyclists (e.g. Brooks & Guppy, 1990; Magazzù, Comelli, & Marinoni, 2006; Crundall, Bibby, Clarke, Ward, & Bartle, 2008). These studies have generally found dual drivers (i.e. those who drive cars and ride motorcycles) have the most positive attitudes towards motorcyclists, whereas car drivers with two to ten years experience have the most negative attitudes toward motorcyclists (Crundall et al, 2008). Additionally, research also reveals that dual drivers and drivers who have a relative or friend who ride a motorcycle are less likely to be involved in a collision that involves a motorcycle compared to other drivers (Brooks & Guppy, 1990; Magazzu et al, 2006; Crundall et al, 2008). It is worthy to note that there were no studies identified that specifically examined riders attitudes to drivers. While these findings are interesting, strategies that focus on improving rider and driver attitudes is not seen as an effective road safety initiative. Research reveals a low causal relationship between attitude and actual behaviour, including those relating to driving (Elliot, 1992; Watson, 1997; Tranter & Warn, 2008; Verschuur & Hurts, 2008). As such, RACV would not support intervention strategies that only target rider and driver attitudes as it is unlikely that these will be effective in changing on-road behaviour. While improving rider and driver attitudes may have other positive societal outcomes, it is unlikely that these would have road safety benefits unless they were accompanied with other initiatives Recommendation In the absence of evidence to the contrary, efforts to improve the attitudes of riders and drivers to each other are not considered a priority as they are unlikely to be effective in improving the road safety of motorcyclists or other road users. 3.5 Responsibilities for improving the safety of off-road riders Off-road motorcycling has a much lower fatality rate than on-road motorcycling. In the eight year period 2001 to 2008 there were 344 motorcycle deaths, only 33 of these occurred offroad (Mikocka-Walus, Gabbe & Cameron 2010). However, the injury rates for on and off-road motorcyclists is similar (Cassell, Clapperton, O Hare, and Congiu, 2006). This is despite data that reveals on-road motorcycling constitutes approximately 80 per cent of riding time and offroad riding comprises approximately only 20 per cent of riding time (TAC, 2010). While the fatality rate for off-road riders is relatively low compared to on-road riders, the injury rate is of concern and more should be done to address this issue. This would require coordination between Victorian government departments and local governments to develop a strategy that addresses the safety of off-road riders. The Department of Communities Sport and Recreation in Queensland have developed an Off-Road Motorcycling Management Strategy that details how the Queensland Government and local governments will work together to better manage off-road motorcycling. RACV believes this provides a good example of an approach that could be modelled by the Victorian Government. Recommendation The Victorian government should establish and implement a state wide strategy for a coordinated and accountable whole-of-government approach to the management and safety of off-road motorcycle riding in Victoria. 3.6 The efficiency and effectiveness of the accredited provider scheme in the delivery and administration of motorcycle licensing In Victoria, motorcycle licence tests are administered by VicRoads accredited providers. Accredited providers also offer voluntary training courses to help prepare riders for the license test, and there is evidence that variations exist between the accredited providers and the training courses offered in Victoria (Haworth & Mulvihill, 2005). The report also raises Page 3

5 concerns in relation to whether there is consistency across the different providers in administering motorcycle licence tests. Recommendation Regular audits of the licence testing scheme should be conducted to reduce any inconsistency across providers. 3.7 Countermeasures used in Victoria, Australia and other comparable overseas jurisdictions to reduce the number and severity of motorcycle accidents with reference to road environment treatments, behavioural change programs, and the design and technology of motorcycles and protective gear Road Environment Treatments See Section 3.10 for road environment treatment countermeasures Behavioural Change Programs RACV is not aware of any behavioural change programs that have been evaluated and shown to be effective in reducing crash risk of motorcyclists. While there are different types of behavior change programs our comments in this section will focus on rider training, experience, and education approaches as countermeasures. RACV is concerned about the very high number of motorcycle crashes that currently occur during the learner phase. Therefore, RACV supports a requirement for learner riders to obtain a minimum 25 hours of on-road riding experience, in principle. RACV believes that this requirement should be supervised by a qualified instructor or a specifically trained, fullylicensed motorcyclist. RACV also believes there should be two phases to the learner period, and that 25 hours of supervised on-road riding should occur in the first phase of the learner period. The rider can only graduate to the second learner phase when they have completed these minimum hours of supervision. Consideration should also be given to mandating a further 25 hours of on-road riding experience in the second phase of the learner period, which could be supervised or unsupervised. The recommendation for two stages of 25 hours of learner training is considered the most appropriate option from the GLS discussion paper released by VicRoads in The requirement for all learner riders to obtain a minimum level of riding experience will ensure that learner riders have sufficient practical skills to minimise their crash risk while riding on the road, whilst still being an achievable level of experience to obtain. In addition, there is a commonly held belief that post license driver training courses will improve driving skills and reduce crash risk. There is, however, little evidence to support this. In fact, this type of training can often leads to an increase in confidence and optimism bias (i.e. the perception that the driver is more skilful than they actually are) and can result in an increased crash risk for novices. Additionally, there is no evidence of a reduced crash risk for experienced drivers attending advanced or defensive driving courses (RACV, 2011). Overall, the current evidence fails to support motorcycle rider training as an effective road safety countermeasure (Langford, 2003). This is consistent with most of the evidence on the effectiveness of formal driver education at a broader level. Recommendations RACV believes there should be two phases to the learner period, with a requirement that 25 hours of supervised on-road riding is completed prior to graduating to the second learner phase. Consideration should also be given to mandating a further 25 hours of on-road riding experience in the second phase of the learner period, which could be supervised or unsupervised. Consideration should only be given to behaviour change programs if there is substantial evidence of the effectiveness of these programs. Page 4

6 RACV does not support post licence rider training, as it is extremely unlikely that any training program would reduce crash risk and have a positive road safety benefit Design and technology of motorcycles RACV is supportive of technology that improves the safety of motorcycles and motorcyclists. Research has found motorcycles with antilock braking systems (ABS) have the potential to reduce fatal motorcycle crashes compared to motorcycles without ABS (Teoh, 2011; Seiniger, Schröter & Gail, In Press). RACV notes the development of other emerging technologies, such as motorcycle airbags and airbag suits for motorcyclists, which have potential in the future for motorcycle safety. RACV is therefore supportive of encouraging the uptake of ABS on motorcycles, but would like to see more research on its effectiveness in reducing the road toll. Furthermore, RACV believes mandating ABS technology should only be considered if there is strong research support of its effectiveness and investigations as to how this would apply to different categories of motorcycles Protective Clothing The injury reduction potential of motorcycle protective clothing has been well established over the years (de Rome, 2011), and increased use of protective clothing by motorcyclists has the potential to greatly reduce the injury risk to motorcyclists. In RACV s submission to the Discussion Paper on Graduated Licensing for Motorcyclists in 2010, we supported a requirement for all learner and intermediate motorcyclists to wear protective clothing while riding. As novice riders have a high crash risk, a requirement that they wear protective clothing would assist in reducing injury risk. Requiring learner and intermediate riders to wear protective clothing may also assist in developing good rider habits and encourage the continual wearing of protective clothing once they are a fully licensed rider. In addition to this point, it is worth noting that Australian manufacturers and importers of protective clothing are not subject to any mandatory standards in relation to protective clothing. The only protective equipment for motorcyclists that currently has a standard is motorcycling helmets (Australian Standard AS1698). A system for riders to compare the safety of protective clothing (e.g. star rating system) for other items of motorcycling protective clothing in Australia would assist riders in choosing the safest option in protective clothing and may also help raise the profile on the importance of protective clothing. Specifically, it is proposed that a system would be based on safety performance, weather protection, and ergonomic performance of motorcycle protective clothing (de Rome, 2007). Recommendations As part of the Victorian Governments consideration of a Graduated Licensing System (GLS), a requirement for all learner and novice riders to wear protective clothing should be introduced. Better consumer information for protective clothing developed in collaboration with industry should be encouraged to provide consumers with information to assist in purchasing the safest protective clothing possible. 3.8 New initiatives to reduce motorcycle crashes and injuries Road infrastructure for motorcyclists RACV notes that considerable work has been done surrounding provision of safer road infrastructure for motorcyclists under the auspices of the European Road Assessment Program (EuroRAP). EuroRAP is a member of the International Road Assessment Program (IRAP), a UK-based charity dedicated to improving high risk roads where pedestrians, motorcyclists, car occupants and bicyclists are killed and injured with high frequency. We draw the Parliamentary Road Safety Committee's attention specifically to the findings of an expert Panel established to examine improved road infrastructure for motorcyclist and the report titled "Barriers to Change: designing safer roads for motorcyclists" (available through the library tab at Page 5

7 3.8.2 Graduated Licensing for Motorcyclists RACV is supportive of improvements to the motorcycle licensing system, which was reflected in RACV s submission to the discussion paper on Graduated Licensing for Motorcyclists in Recommendation The Victorian Government needs to take action and implement a Graduated Licensing System for motorcyclists. 3.9 The appropriateness of the TAC premium for motorcyclists in relation to covering all riders eligible to claim on the TAC scheme The purpose of the TAC premium is to fund the no-fault compensation scheme. The TAC premium for motorists from 1 July 2011 for a sedan, station wagon, or related body-type (including 4WD passenger vehicle) was $ The TAC premium for motorcyclists varies depending on engine size: from $75.90 for motorcycles with an engine capacity less than 61cc, to $ for motorcycles with an engine capacity greater than 500cc. This disparity is one that is not reflective of the road safety risk that motorcyclists face or their burden on the TAC compensation scheme. Motorists should not cross subsidize motorcyclists. Recommendation In regard to the TAC premium it is not appropriate that motorists cross subsidize motorcyclists The effectiveness of the Motorcycle Safety Levy in improving rider safety in Victoria. The introduction of the Motorcycle Safety Levy (MSL) in 2002 was triggered by the over representation of motorcycle riders and pillions in Victoria s road crash statistics. RACV believes that the MSL is a genuine attempt to address an important safety issues for all motorcycle and scooter riders. The funds from the levy go directly to projects which improve the safety of riders and these funds spent on targeted safety initiatives in areas such as engineering and technology, education and training, enhanced data collection and analysis and enforcement. Furthermore there are number of steps which Victoria s road safety partners are committed to improve, such as: Improving road signage and roadside design; Motorcycle Blackspot and Blacklength remedial treatment; Improved training, skills development and licensing programs; More research into causes and effects of motorcycle crashes; Enforcement aimed at reducing unlicensed and unregistered riders/motorcycles. One of the most important initiatives funded by the Motorcycle Safety Levy to date has been road improvements at over 119 Blackspot locations where multiple motorcycle crashes have occurred or on routes where motorcyclists are most at risk. An independent evaluation of the Motorcycle Blackspot Program by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) has found a 24 per cent reduction in motorcycle casualty crashes at 85 sites treated since the program commenced. When the data was disaggregated by the treatment categories, the 54 Blacklength sites showed a 40 per cent reduction in motorcycle casualty crashes. RACV strongly supports the motorcycle Blackspot program and believes it has improved rider safety by reducing the number of motorcycle casualties. Recommendation Page 6

8 The Motorcycle Safety Levy should continue to operate in Victoria, with the funds directed to targeted safety initiatives in engineering and technology, education and training, enhanced data collection and analysis and enforcement The ways government can work with non-government stakeholders to achieve motorcycle safety outcomes RACV believes that the most successful road safety interventions are those which are developed and implemented on the basis of the best available evidence and in consultation with relevant stakeholders. The Victorian model of road safety reflects this approach and RACV believes it should continue. Community input to road safety policy is a critical aspect of any policy formulation and this input can be provided directly from individual community members and through membership organizations and peak bodies. RACV is part of the Victorian Governments Motorcycle Advisory Group, which aims to provide the State Government with strategic advice on issues relating to the management and development of motorcycling in Victoria. This group has been recently restructured to ensure the quality and efficiency of advice on motorcycling issues to VicRoads and we believe it will be a key conduit between VicRoads and the peak bodies reporting to community or stakeholder constitutions. 4.0 Summary of Recommendations 1. Enforcement efforts should be strengthened in regional areas to decrease the perception that there is low risk of being detected riding over the legal blood alcohol level (refer to section 3.3.1). 2. Measures to increase the usage of protective clothing amongst riders are warranted to reduce their injury risk (refer to section 3.3.3). 3. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, efforts to improve the attitudes of riders and drivers to each other are not considered a priority, as they are unlikely to be effective in improving the road safety of motorcyclists or other road users (refer to section 3.4). 4. The Victorian government should establish and implement a state wide strategy for a coordinated and accountable whole-of-government approach to the management and safety of off-road motorcycle riding in Victoria (refer to section 3.5). 5. Regular audits of the licence testing scheme should be conducted to reduce any inconsistency across providers (refer to section 3.6). 6. RACV believes there should be two phases to the learner period, with a requirement that 25 hours of supervised on-road riding is completed prior to graduating to the second learner phase. Consideration should also be given to mandating a further 25 hours of onroad riding experience in the second phase of the learner period, which could be supervised or unsupervised (refer to section 3.7.2). 7. Consideration should only be given to behaviour change programs if there is substantial evidence of the effectiveness of these programs (refer to section 3.7.2). 8. RACV does not support post licence rider training, as it is extremely unlikely that any training program would reduce crash risk and have a positive road safety benefit (refer to section 3.7.2). Page 7

9 9. As part of the Victorian Governments consideration of a Graduated Licensing System (GLS), a requirement for all learner and novice riders to wear protective clothing should be introduced (refer to section 3.7.4). 10. Better consumer information for protective clothing developed in collaboration with industry should be encouraged to provide consumers with information to assist in purchasing the safest protective clothing possible (refer to section 3.7.4). 11. The Victorian Government needs to take action and implement a Graduated Licensing System for motorcyclists (refer to section 3.8.2). 12. In regard to the TAC premium it is not appropriate that motorists cross subsidize motorcyclists (refer to section 3.9). 13. The Motorcycle Safety Levy should continue to operate in Victoria, with the funds directed to targeted safety initiatives in engineering and technology, education and training, enhanced data collection and analysis and enforcement (refer to section 3.10). Page 8

10 4. References Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011). Average Australian vehicle is 10 years old (Media Release) Retrieved from CA25753D001B59DA?OpenDocument Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Berry JG & Harrison JE (2008). Serious injury due to land transport accidents, Australia, Injury research and statistics series number 42. Cat. no. INJCAT 113. Adelaide: AIHW. BITRE (2011). Fatal road crashes in Australia in the 1990s and 2000s: crash types and major factors. Retrieved from, Brooks, P., & Guppy, A. (1990). Driver awareness and motorcycle accidents. Proceedings of The International Motorcycle Safety Conference, II, Cassell, E., Clapperton, A., O'Hare, M. & Congiu, M. (2006). On-and off-road motorcycling injury in Victoria, Hazard, 64, Crundall, D., Bibby, P., Clarke, D., Ward, P., & Bartle, C. (2008). Car drivers attitudes towards motorcyclists: A survey. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 40, de Rome, L., Ivers, R., Fitzharris, M., Du, W., Haworth, N., Heritier, S., Richardson, D. (2011). Motorcycle protective clothing: Protection from injury or just the weather? Accident Analysis and Prevention, 43(6), Elliot, B. (1992). Report on achieving high levels of compliance with road safety Laws - A review of road user behaviour modification. Report No. 6. Brisbane: Travelsafe Committee, Legislative Assembly of Queensland. Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (2011). Motorcycle Industry Reports Strong Growth in First Half of Retrieved from first-half-of Haworth, N. & Mulvihill, C. (2005). Review of motorcycle licensing and training, Monash University Accident Research Centre, Report No Page 9

11 Langford, J. (2003). Road Safety Impact of Motorcycle training and licensing schemes. Austroads: Canberra Magazzù, D., Comelli, M., & Marinoni A. (2006). Are car drivers holding a motorcycle licence less responsible for motorcycle - car crash occurrence? A non-parametric approach. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 38(2), Mikocka-Walus, A., Gabbe, B., & Cameron, P. (2010). Motorcycle related major trauma: Onroad versus off-road incidence and profile of cases. Emergency Medicine Australasia, 22(5), Queensland Government (2010). Off-Road Motorcycling Management Strategy. Retrieved from cyclingmanagementstrategy.aspx RACV (2011). The Effectiveness of Driver Training as a Road Safety Measure. Monograph Seiniger, P., Schröter, K., & Gail, J. (In Press). Perspectives for motorcycle stability control systems. Accident Analysis & Prevention. Teoh, E.R. (2011). Effectiveness of Antilock Braking Systems in Reducing Motorcycle Fatal Crash Rates. Traffic Injury Prevention, 12(2), Transport Accident Commission, (2010). Latest TAC Motorcycle Research. Retrieved from acking%20report% pdf Transport Accident Commission (2011a). Online Crash Database. Retrieved from D=20&globalNavID=20 Transport Accident Commission (2011b). Motorcycle Crash Data. Retrieved from Transport Accident Commission (2011c). For the Record - Response to Peter Moore's article in the Geelong Advertiser - 15 February 2011 (Media Release). Retrieved from avid=ba0d54117f f89d471d8ec4&navlink=null&pageid=1931 Page 10

12 Tranter P, Warn J. (2008). Relationships between interest in motor racing and driver attitudes and behaviour amongst mature drivers: An Australian case study. Accident Analysis & Prevention 40(5), Verschuur WL, Hurts K. (2008). Modeling safe and unsafe driving behaviour. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 40(2), VicRoads (2010). Graduated Licensing for Motorcyclists. Retrieved from aduatedlicensingformotorcyclists/ Victorian Government (2009). Victoria s Road Safety and Transport Strategic Action Plan for Powered Two Wheelers Watson, B. (1997). When common sense just won t do: Misconceptions about changing the behaviour of road users. In Bullen & Troutbeck (Eds). The Second International Conference on Accident Investigation, Reconstruction, Interpretation & the Law: Proceedings, October 1997 (pp ): Brisbane. Page 11