The Tlnsport Accident Commission's Motorcycle Sfety Strtegy Mcre, S, Cockfield, S, Thompson, J Trnsport Accident Commission Abstrct Despite ccounting for only 3% of registered vehicles nd0.7"/o of kilometres trvelled in Victori, in2007108 over 74o/o of ftlity nd l4yo of serious injury clims to the Trnsport Accident Commission (TAC) relted to motorcyclists. Over the pst 10 yers, motorcycle registrtions, number of lerner permits issued nd new motorcycle sles hve notbly incresed. TAC's clims costs relted to motorcyclists clims hve lso esclted during this period with the overll cost to the TAC being in the order of 4-5 times higher per vehicle for motorcycles thn for pssenger vehicles. Reserch indictes motorcyclists re 38 times more likely to be injured in crsh compred to cr occupnts. V/ith the im of reducing the number nd severity of rider injuries, the TAC hs invested extensively in reserch with motorcyclist's nd the industry to scertin ttitudes, behviours nd perceptions towrds motorcycling, risk perception nd self reported wering of protective clothing to develop strtegic pproch towrds motorcycle sfety in Victori. This pper nd ssocited presenttion, documents the TAC's motorcycle sfety strtegy including the development of public eduction cmpigns, consumer events nd ctivities to communicte the core messge; riders cn reduce their personl risk by riding t legl, sfe speed nd wering protective clothing. Keywords Attitudes, behviour, eduction, motorcycle, risk, speed, protective clothing. Introduction The TAC is Victorin Government-owned orgnistion whose role is to py for tretment nd benefits for people injured in trnsport ccidents. It is lso involved in promoting rod sfety in Victori nd in improving Victori's trum system. Funding used by the TAC to perform these functions comes from premium pyments mde by Victorin motorists when they register their vehicles ech yer with VicRods. Motorcyclists re over-represented in rod trum nd the TAC's clims dt. Despite ccounting for only 3% of registered vehicles nd0.7o/o of kilometres trvelled, in Victori, in 2007 108 motorcyclists represented over l4yo of ftlity nd l4o/o serious injury clims to the TAC. As motorcycle registrtions, number of lerner permits issued nd new motorcycle sles hve incresed, the TAC's exposure to clims from motorcycling ccidents hs lso incresed. The overll cost to the TAC is in the order of 4-5 times higher per vehicle for motorcycles thn for pssenger vehicles. Motorcyclists ccount for 25Yo of ll TAC's trum relted costs but only 14% of clims. Reserch indictes motorcyclists re 38 times more likely to be injured in crsh compred to cr occupnts per kilometre trvelled. The TAC hs invested in extensive reserch with 2010 Austrlsin Rod Sfety Reserch, Policing nd Eduction Conference I 3l August - 3 September 2010, Cnberr, Austrlin Cpitl Territory
riders to scertin ttitudes, behviours nd perceptions towrds motorcycling, risk perception nd self reported wering of protective clothing with the im of developing strtegy to reduce rider injury. The objectives estblished for the TAC's most recent business plns re to:. reduce the number of motorcycle rider nd pillion pssengers killed or injured on Victorin rods o promote the regulr use of protective clothing to motorcycle riders in Victori to reduce the impct motorcycle injuries on the TAC scheme. educte motorcycle riders nd pillion pssengers bout the impcts of speed relted rod trum on vulnerble rod users. promote the spokes.com.u website to motorcycle riders to ssist in incresing regulr visittions. reduce the incidence of self-reported speeding behviour mongst riders Methods The TAC motorcycle sfety mrketing strtegy ws informed by rnge of mrket (rider) nd cdemic reserch. Much of the former being commissioned by the TAC to give insight to current rider understndings, ttitudes nd behviours. It included: Fce-to-fce reserch with riders - conducted t the Melbourne Motorcycle Expo, with pproximtely 300 riders interviewed ech yer. The reserch guges shifts in rider behviour, ttitudes nd perceptions of risk over time with specific importnce plced on the use of protective clothing. (2002-2007); Smll groups of riders nd retilers; n explortory study of motorcyclists nd motorcycle retilers ws undertken to ssist in the development of public eduction cmpign highlighting the importnce of protective clothing for riders. The study involved eleven motorcycle retilers nd 40 motorcyclists with non-directive pproch used in ech discussion session llowing prticipnts to freely rom cross key topics. A wide rnge of topics rffere cnvssed prticulrly; perception of risk, protective clothing, risk reduction strtegies, motives for motorcycling. (June 2007) Smll groups of riders nd retilers; Motorcycle retilers, wholeslers nd rider trining centre stff. Sweeney Reserch conducted the groups to gin n understnding on how the TAC could ssist retilers to sell protective clothing to motorcycle riders through sles tools, strtegies nd inititives. (September 2008). Motorcycle nd Scooter Rider Client Reserch. - Conducted with 500 existingtac clients to determine t the time of their crsh, the level of protective clothing they were wering nd the resulting injuries. (December 2008) Motorcycle Trcking Shrdy - Telephone interviews were conducted with 1958 riders. The questionnire ws designed to mesure riders' behviour nd ttitudes to specific rod sfety issues nd trck wreness of motorcycle cmpigns. (September 2009 - April20l0) Observtionl Study - The TAC commissioned the Centre for Accident Reserch & Rod Sfety - Queenslnd (CARRSQ) to conduct the Victori Motorcycle Apprel Observtion Study. The primry im of the study ws to identify the frequency nd type of pprel worn by commuting nd touring motorcyclists long designted motorcycling routes. The study hs been completed nd finl report is expected 2010 Austrlsin Rod Sfety Reserch, Policing nd Eduction Conference 3l August - 3 September 2010, Cnberr, Austrlin Cpitl Territory 2
lter in 2010.1984 motorcycles were observed during the study period. There were lso totl of 130 pillions observed. 66Yo of motorcyclists were observed t commuter sites nd 690 (34%) t recretionl sites. (Mrch 2010) Two key issues were identified through the mrket reserch: Use of protective clothing mong riders nd o Rider's perception of the risk of crshing/ being injured In light of the results, mrketing strtegy ws developed nd inititives tckling motorcycle sfety were incorported within the TAC's business pln. They included: l. Development of public eduction progrms highlighting key risks ssocited with riding nd the vulnerbility of riders in the event of crsh with the im of providing motivtion for sfer riding prctices nd incresed wering rtes of protective clothing. 2. Mintennce of retilers progrm tht enbles provision of relevnt sfety informtion t the point of purchse; nd 3. Promotion of protective clothing sfe riding prctices s well s build rider subscriber list for spokes.com.u through the TAC's involvement with the Austrlin Motorcycle Grnd Prix nd the Austrlin Motorcycle Expo. 4. Refresh nd promote spokes.com.u - website tilored to engge with riders nd promote protective clothing nd sfe riding prctices; 5. Regulr surveying of riders with view to better understnding their sociodemogrphic profiles, type of motorcycle ridden, riding behviour nd the wering of protective clothing. Objective: Increse the uptke of protective clothing mong the Victorin riding segment Activities undertken: Public eduction cmpigns: Protective Clothing Cmpign, Mrch 2008. Sperheding this phse of the motorcycle sfety cmpign ws the lunch of mss medi public eduction component in Mrch 2008. Two television dvertisements were produced trgeting two key riding groups; rod riding motorcyclists nd scooter riders, highlighting the risks ssocited with riding without the pproprite protective clothing. The im of both dvertisements ws to increse the self reported wering of protective clothing grments within the riding groups s well s estblishing the understnding of the level of risk riders re exposed to. The primry trget udience of the cmpign ws mle motorcyclists ged 18-30 yers with secondry udience being Victorin scooter riders ged 18-30 yers with femle skew. The secondry trget ws prtners nd fmily members of riders who hd n interest in keeping their riders sfe. This ws mjor public eduction cmpign with television, outdoor, online nd print medi used to promote key messges. Public eduction cmpigns: Tcticl Press Cmpign, October 2009 - April 2010. This cmpign ws commissioned to ssist in combting the excuses commonly quoted by riders for not wering dequte protective clothing when they ride, such s: o Cost of protective clothing Wether conditions. Conspicuity of riders. Only short trip 2010 Austrlsin Rod Sfety Reserch, Policing nd Eduction Conference 3 3l August - 3 September 2010, Cnberr, Austrlin Cpitl Territory
. Scooters - short trips nd trvelling t low speeds. Inconvenience The cmpign commenced to extend the mss medi cmpign noted in October 2009; with specific executions for the two key udiences; mle motorcyclists nd femle scooter riders ppering cross vriety of print medi. Mo lorcy c I e Ret il er P r o gr m In 2006 the TAC developed progrm for motorcycle retilers to deliver key rod sfety messges to riders nd specificlly, ssist in promoting the uptke of protective clothing. The im of the progrm is to ssist riders to mke informed decisions when purchsing protective ger t the point of sle. Educted stff cll on 160 retilers cross Victori twice yer, pre pek motorcycling seson in September nd mid seson the following Februry. The TAC utilises this chnnel to distribute protective clothing point of sle mterils nd other key rod sfety inititives for riders such s;. Ride Smrt CD ROM trining tool. Spokes Rider Sfety Tip competition. Gret Ocen Rod DVD (VMAC) Website Spokes.com.u is the dedicted site for riders developed by the TAC nd refreshed in 2008 to llow enhnced interctivity for users. Spokes houses reputble motorcycle relted sfety informtion with hevy focus on protective clothing informtion. The content provided in this section ws uthored by Liz de Rome, one of Austrli's respected experts in the field on motorcycle sfety. Other res of interest on the site include specific motorcycle events, news, nd sfety cmpigns from round the world. Currently, the Spokes site hsl4,000 subscribers. Mrket Reserch A dedicted trcking survey commissioned to guge ttitudes/behviours cross rnge of motorcycling issues throughout the motorcycling seson Objective: Estblish the perceived level of risk ssocited with riding mong the Victorin riding segment. Activities undertken: Public eduction cmpøigns: Risk nd Responsibility Cmpign, October 2009. Complementing the existing motorcycle sfefy strtegy which consists of the Protective Clothing cmpign (Mrch 2008), the TAC ws seeking to further increse rider's perceptions of their levels ofrisk - gin to provide pltform for individul chnge to sfer riding behviours. This phse of the motorcycle sfety cmpign reinforcedthe messge tht s rider the level ofrisk, in regrds to sustining n injury, is considerbly higher thn tht of cr occupnt nd tht it is rider's responsibility to ensure they do everything in their power to reduce their risk levels by wering protective clothing nd riding t sfe, legl speed The messge ws regrdless of who is t fult, it will be the rider who comes off second best in the cse of crsh. This ws mjor public eduction cmpign with television, outdoor, online nd print medi used to promote key messges. Events - Austrlin Motorcvcle Grnd Prix 2010 Austrlsin Rod Sfety Reserch, Policing nd Eduction Conference 4 3l August - 3 September 2010, Cnberr, Austrlin Cpitl Territory
The TAC hs been mjor prtner of the premier event on the socil clendr for motorcycling enthusists in Victori since 1998. The TAC continues to utilise this event s n opportunity to engge with riders fce-to-fce nd promote its key motorcycle sfety messge to ll ptrons ttending the Phillip Islnd Grnd Prix Circuit. Activtion of the event involves n interctive consumer disply within the Expo fcilities showcsing qulity protective clothing, providing quizzes nd competitions surrounding motorcycle sfety issues nd offering comprehensive informtion on protective clothing. This event llows the TAC to ctivte its messge with pproximtely 25Yo of ll Victorin riders over three dy period. Mrket Reserch Dedicted trcking survey to guge ttitudes/behviours cross rnge of motorcycling issues throughout the motorcycling seson Results Evlutions of the mrketing strtegy's objectives hve been monitored by: 1. TAC clim rte nd crsh dt Number nd rte of cute hospitlised greler thn 14 dys (cute mening they were hospitlised within 7 dys of crsh) from motorcyclists (includes pillions) o Reduction in police-reported ftl nd serious injuries for motorcycle riders nd pillion 2. Mrket reserch continuous trcking o Protective clothing wering rtes for specific protective clothing items s mesured vi observtionl study nd selfreported trcking study o Guge ttitudes/behviours cross rnge ofmotorcycling issues throughout the motorcycling seson. 3. Medi specific performnce rtes Percentge of trget mrket who cn recll cmpign nd messge s mesured vi the trcking study. Trffic performnce of the spokes.com website o MotoGP; evlution of progrms run, prticiption rtes of progrms.. Number of merchndise outlets prticipting, nd quntity of ger distributed vi the Retiler Progrm. l. TAC clims nd crsh dt Acute hospitlised greter thn 14 dys (cute mening they were hospitlised within 7 dys of crsh) from motorcyclists (includes pillions): 2007108:153 clims (l6yo of ll cute >14 dy clims) 2008/09: 179 clims (l9o/o of ll cute >14 dy clims) Ftl nd cute hospitlised greter thn I dy (cute mening they were hospitlised within 7 dys of crsh) from motorcyclists (includes pillions): 2007108:702 clims 2008109:699 clims 2. Mrket reserch continuous trcking Protective Clothing wering rtes Respondents who held motorbike licence were sked bout their incidence of wering protective clothing Significnt improvements hve occurred since the commencement of the Protective Clothing cmpign in 2010 Austrlsin Rod Sfety Reserch, Policing nd Eduction Conference 5 3l August - 3 September 2010, Cnben, Austrlin Cpitl Territory
Mrch 2008, prticulrly in reltion to the wering rtes of protective pnts. Comprison of these results re summrised below: Ql-Q2 08 All/ Most of The Tir e O/ /o Nov-09 All/ Most of Thc Tirle Motorcycle Gloves 89 9l 7 5 Motorcycle Jcket t5 92 18 5 Motorcycle Boots 7l 76 22 l7 Motorcycle Pnts 38 68 40 24 o. /o Ql Q2 0rì Solnetitnes/Never o/ /tt Nov-09 Sornetirnes/Ncvcr o/ /o Rider ltiludes nd behviours Reduce the incidence ofself-reported speeding behviour mongst riders r Achieved l0% post-cmpign (December 2009) compred to l4yo pre-cmpign (September 2009). 3. Medi specific performnce rtes: Public eduction cmpign results Protective Clothine cmnien. 2008: Prompted wreness of the cmpign trcked t6lyo. Recll for the motorcycle execution ws prticulrly high for mles 30-49 t 70Yo nd 54Yo mongst 2l-29 yer old mles. The cmpign hs been successful in generting consumer demnd for protective clothing nd contributed to sles within Victorin motorcycle retilers. Anecdotl feedbck from two key retilers is summrised below: "...As mnufcturers nd retilers of Motorcycle clothing, we hve hd n influx of sles due to the current dvertising cmpign more so thn ever before..." Gry Simmons. Mrs Lethers, Elizbeth Street, MELBOURNE "When shopping for scooter, I sked ech store for their dvice with regrds to sfety ger nd the min response I got...ws tht I didn't need much - just gloves nd hlf fce helmet. Your dvertisement is...wke up cll for us riders...if I followed the dvice provided by 7 5o/o of the people I looked t purchsing from, nd then I'd be no better off thn the womn in your commercil." Tim Snell "To sy tht your new d cmpign for motorcyclists nd scooterists hs hd n impct would be n understtement. Tody (Ester Sturdy) our city store ws open, for the first time ever during Ester. We recorded double our norml sles for Sturdy (lwys our busiest dy of the week), nd three times wht we hd ll budgeted for (Expecting quiet trde for Ester Sturdy). We hd nerly hlf of our customers tell us tht they were upgrding their ger in response to the new T.A.C. ds." Mrk Bulic (Accessories Mnger, Peter Stevens Motorcycles - Melbourne) Risk nd Responsibilitv cmpisn. 2009; Cmpign speciflrc objectives were to: 2010 Austrlsin Rod Sfety Reserch, Policing nd Eduction Conference 3l August - 3 September 2010, Cnberr, Austrlin Cpitl Territory 6
1. Generte recll of cmpign with minimum of 70% riders surveyed. - Achieved 80% (50o/o generl motorists) 2. Reduce the incidence of self-reported speeding behviour mongst riders - Achieved l0% post-cmpign (December 2009) compred to l4yo precmpign (September 2009). The cmpign lso chieved plesing degree of industry nd community recognition in the form of commentry online including: Adnews, Mumbrell, Best Ads on TV, Cmpign Brief, r Mrketing nd medi - Sydney Morning Herld, Herld Sun o Motorcycle Industry - AMCN (Austrlin Motorcycle News), Hond Austrli, Cycle Torque, Riding On Motorcycle Forums nd blogs - Netrider, Fcebook, Motorcycle Riders Assocition of Victori (MRA Vic), Visor Down (UK Website) The cmpign creted helthy debte nd discussion within the motorcycling communify with one orgnistion, Motorcycle Trder, developing it's own version of the TVC which ws posted nd distributed vi their website, You Tube nd Bike Point. Website Trffic Perþrmnce The Spokes website verges 600 users per month, however experiences sizeble increses in trffic when mrketing ctivities occur. For exmple, the Risk nd responsibility public eduction cmpign which lunched lte October 2009 demonstrted considerble trffic to the site. Provided re the October nd November sttistics for the Spokes website, due to the cmpign lunching on the 20 October with expected on-flow into the month of November Spokes Website Sttistics - OCT Actul pge Impre SSIONS 45684 User Sessions: 7070 Av uvllu 1.16 Spokes Website Sttistics - NOV Actul Totl pge Impressions 27 581 User Sessions: 3992 Av. Frer 1.09 Moto GP Evlution The Moto GP ttrcted 105,794 ttendees in 2009, upby 4,494 on 2008 figures. The Spokes ctivtion ws extremely successful, the expo stnd ttrcting very high interest in the content nd promotions. The Spokes stnd offered ttendees the chnce to win $3,000 of protective clothing by nswering question relting to motorcycle sfety. 6,000 gme crd entries were distributed with 5,563 completed with 1,676 opt ins to the Spokes dtbse. Retiler Progrm prticiption rtes The retiler progrm hs mintined prticiption rtes with currently 163 stores prticipting in the progrm. No stores hve exited the progrm nd n udit is conduct nnully to ensure new stores tht hve opened re included in the progrm. 2010 Austrlsin Rod Sfety Reserch, Policing nd Eduction Conference 31 August - 3 September 2010, Cnberr, Austrlin Cpitl Territory 7
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