A NEW TELEVISION commercial launched by Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission urges motorcyclists to take greater care on the road.
According to the TAC, motorcyclists are 38 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than occupants of other vehicle types.
“The TAC wants Victorian motorcyclists to understand that regardless of who is at fault in a road crash, it will be the motorcyclist who will come out second best,” TAC Executive Manager for Community Relations, Phil Reed said.
A total of 43 motorcyclists died on Victorian roads in 2008, with a further 1044 seriously injured.
Of the riders killed, 93 percent were male and 56 percent were single vehicle crashes - crashes not involving another vehicle - and at least 50 percent involved excessive speed.
“Riders need to make decisions that reduce their level of risk each time they ride. This means riding at safe speeds appropriate for the road conditions and wearing highly visible protective clothing,” Mr Reed said.
Despite covering only 1 percent of the total vehicle kilometres travelled in Victoria, motorcycle rider deaths account for 14 percent of all fatalities on the state’s roads.
Mr Reed said that while the campaign targets motorcyclists, drivers of other vehicle types are not exempt from their obligation to drive responsibly and to keep a look out for riders.
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I ride regularly and have to say that if anyone out there who rides does this on a bike and without protective gear, they deserve all the hurt they can get…the biggest pain is the other road users who cop it when dumb bikers crash into them and ruin their lives. I am still waaaay faster than cars from the lights and through corners, yet I can do it legally and safely. What a fantastic advert, massive impact on bird brains who think they know better than what the facts tell us. Hope it works. Good work.
Firstly let me say I have much respect for most bike riders, and it’s the minority that cause the problems.
But it is great to see an advert that finally seems to target motorcyclists instead of continually putting all the blame and onus on the other motorists to look out for them. I mean, are bikers like wild, untamed, rabid animals that roam our habitat and can’t be reasoned with or regulated, meaning that everyone else has to make way for them and give them unbridled freedom? No.
Yes, as a car driver I need to (and do) look out for bikers, but that doesn’t give them the bloody right to f’ing zoom in and out EXPECTING that people like me will see them homing in from 200m behind me at 80km/h in a 60km/h zone. F’ing grow a brain and have some respect for others.
While I do respect the majority of riders and know that many of them acknowledge / appreciate your efforts to move slightly to let them lane split safely, etc; a significant minority don’t give a sh*t and let’s face it, will completely ignore everything said by this ad. After all, that is why they bought a bike in the first place, so that they can flout all the rules, do whatever the hell they want and, because they’re basically faster than anything else on the road, get away with it.
Therefore it is very sad because this ad will have very little impact because those who heed the ad probably already are sensible on their bikes. Those f’ing wankers out there will just ignore it and keep doing what they’re doing. As Rajman said, this then causes untold financial, material, and emotional damage as other peoples’ property and lives are put at risk, including having the death of the motorcylclist on their conscience even if it wasn’t their fault in the first place.
Great, effective ad. Well done TAC
Splat!
Car drivers seem to like this campaign and motorcyclists don’t. Interesting, whom are they trying to educate? I hope that the frequent use of profanities by godspeed does not translate to road behaviour, because if it does, then god help us all. The MRAV made the comment that this campaign provides some car drivers with an excuse to disregard motorcyclists. The comments on this site would seem to confirm that. Exactly what does Linsay mean by “SPLAT”. In what way is it acceptible for anyone to be splattered. Go TAC for a great campaign. Here’s a new definition for you. The TAC, Tacky, Arrogant and Costly and definitely not working for you!