Motorcycle ride caught on video
2:54pm 5 July 2007
Recent increases in motorcycle registrations and corresponding increases in death and injuries to motorcyclists prompted Police and ACC to mount a "High-Vis" ride.
The ride through Auckland and demonstration of the effects of crashing at a range of speeds was caught on video.
Watch the video 3:11 minutes
Read more about road safety.
Transcript
Motorcycle falls crashing into the side of a car
Voiceover: That’s the sound of a motorcycle collision at 70km per hour.
Voiceover: Police and ACC are engaged in a campaign to raise awareness of the increasing presence of motorcycles on the roads and change NZs alarming motorcycle injury statistics.
Rising fuel costs and the increasing popularity of scooters and smaller motorcycles are seen as big influences in the increasing rate of motorcycle accidents.
At present Motorcyclists make up 2 percent of road users and disproportionately account for 18 percent of vehicle related injury claims with ACC. We are also seeing increased numbers of older motorcyclists riding larger bikes.
Voiceover: Demonstrations such as this, at the Greenlane show grounds last week, give the public a real sense of the intensity of motorcycle collisions even at moderate speeds.
MATT(Officer): What we’ve seen today from the crash testing is that the damage to vehicles increases exponentially with the speed traveled and that damage is going to be reflected in the injuries sustained to the rider.
Voiceover: 41 per cent of injury motorcycle crashes occur in situations where other motorists don't see the motorcycle and, in three quarters of cases, the motorcyclist was not at fault. but that doesn't stop them from being the ones with the most serious injuries.
MATT: My advice to anybody thinking of taking up motorcycling would be to go through an approved course to increase their chances of knowing how to ride the motorcycle successfully... and to ride with headlights on at all times and wear day-glo vests to increase visability to other motorists.
Voiceover: And that message was driven home by a parade of police and other motorcyclists through the streets of Auckland later the same day... but it’s a message that has a long way to go before changing many attitudes.
NOREEN: Do you think you’ll wear high vis gear from now?
BEN (RIDER): UMMM... ah ah.
NOREEN: Is that a no?
BEN (RIDER): No.
NOREEN: Why do you think that is?
BEN (RIDER): Ah, it looks a bit silly but everyone here’s wearing one so I thought I’d put one on so I wouldn’t feel out of place.
OTHER RIDER: If I’m doing big rides I’ll wear one because I’m generally marshalling or things like that And so I’ll wear one then, yeah.
MATT: The message for motorcyclists would be to ride defensively to keep their speeds within the expected speeds for the area they are riding in, and just be aware and expect that every car could become a hazard to them, and that will increase their chances of reacting correctly if that car does become a hazard.
Voiceover: Which is sound advice indeed for anybody taking to the road on two wheels particularly as statistics show motorcycling despite its potential benefits, is quite a risky Business and is costing tax payer dollars to clean up the damage.
END
