Annual Review August 2012

Completed actions June 2011 – July 2012

• 38 of the 50 original actions from the Motorcycle and Scooter Safety Advisory Group Forums have been completed and the balances of the actions are due for completion later this year.
• The western Australian version of the Rider handbook (Ride Safe) was launched on June 29^th and is now available in all licensing centers throughout the state.
• We now have a motorcycle specific license theory test
• The Western Australian Motorcycle Rider Competency Standard is now complete and in use through all licensing and assessment centers and all riding instruction organizations.
• We now have a Code of Practice for Motorcycle Safety Attire. This is a compulsory requirement for all W.A. Department of Transport staff and learner riders being assessed and is being encouraged as a standard for all learner riders and trainers.
• A. Version of making roads motorcycle friendly book completed and distributed to all road designers and road maintenance departments
• The Good Gear Guide and the Ride On DVD and other motorcycle riding specific material have been introduced into W.A. high schools through the High School Driving Program.
• We are enquiring with the Queensland Govt. on the evaluation of their Road Safety Audit Motorcycle and if there is anything they would improve on the design and information gathering instruments, with the view to have a similar motorcycle modified for use on West Australian roads.
• The West Australian Government recently announced that 66% all monies raised by multi nova and red light speed camera’s will be ploughed back into road safety initiatives and this will be go up to 100% from 1^st July 2012. This not only gives us a huge jump in the funding for road safety but also removes the tag of speed cameras only being revenue raisers for the government as this money will no longer go into general revenue.
• We had a meeting with the WA Minister for Transport Hon Troy Buswell in October regarding establishing a working group to work towards a motorcycle Transport Policy that would cover all the usual subjects of motorcycles in bus and bicycle and emergency stopping lanes. The favorable parking positions and gear lockers for motorcycle riders at train stations. I have since the meeting had some feedback from his principal policy advisor that he has instructed the Director General of Transport to organize the working group and that will include motorcycle riders
• On November 5th we held the fifth forum in our ongoing series of forums on how we can improve the safety of riders on WA roads. At this forum we had about 45 participants which included all the visiting members of the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Motorcycle Safety, Aline Delhaye General Secretary of FEMA (Federation of European Motorcycle Associations) Professor D’Arcy Holman (The independent Chair of the WA Road Safety Council) And the top men from a number of government organizations and we also had over 20 motorcycle and scooter riders representing their clubs and groups as well as a few people who were just concerned independent riders After the presentations we had a lunch break and then held our workshops for about an hour on what we thought new actions could be taken to improve rider safety. We now have the new list of actions that we have put forward to the relevant Government Departments and organizations and this is being dealt with through the Motorcycle and Scooter Safety Advisory Group meeting. All up I believe the forum was a success and it is great to get the people from the Government agencies and private organization together with real riders to talk together in a true spirit of cooperation to reach the goal we all want. We also must not forget that we as individuals have an important role to play in our own safety and in the safety of others.

• As mentioned in my last report we now have a W.A. version of making roads motorcycle friendly book completed and distributed to all road designers and road maintenance departments and we have now received funding to produce a DVD to be distributed to local authorities to give them much more details on how to approach the design and maintenance of roads for riders. We have also recently received funding for a person to travel to the regions and give a presentation on motorcycle friendly road design.

• I am now sending a bi monthly motorcycle safety update to all WA motorcycle groups to briefly cover motorcycle safety issues in WA and incorporating any national issues that are for public consumption.

New Actions 

• Work with W.A. Police and W.A. Main Roads Department to enhance the fatal and serious accident investigations to move more towards solving and curing the problems and less emphasis on who was to blame. In other words how did it happen and what can we do to reduce the likelihood of the same type of accident repeating at that location and other similar locations.
• We now have our working group established to look into the possibility of establishing a W.A. Motorcycle Transport Policy.
• I now have regular meetings with W.A. Main Roads Department Executive Director to discuss new issues as they arise such as enhanced signage, Line marking and road delineation.
• I have also had some meetings with the W.A. Commissioner of Police on conducting some joint motorcycle safety courses.
• I will be giving a presentation to the WA Road Safety Council in September to highlight what has been accomplished to date and what future initiatives we need to pursue e.g. motorcycle black spot funding. Enhanced data and research into motorcycle crashes.
• Currently working with the O.R.S. on a Motorcycle Safety Strategy with specific target reductions in fatalities.
• Recent grant approvals from RAC Grass Roots grants of $2,000.0 for new display boards and printing of safety literature and $1,950.00 for Motorcycle Safety Week expenses.
• Work is well under way for this year’s Motorcycle Safety Week and will be held from Sunday 25^th November to 1^st December 2012.

If you want any more detail on any of the above issues please call or e-mail me directlyDave Wright – ph 0418 945 424 –email davmar08@bigpond.comRide Like Your Life Depends on it.