New rider safety campaign fronted by Chris Vermeulen and backed by Motorcycling Australia
On Monday 28 April, Motorcycling Australia (MA) and MotoGP star Chris Vermeulen launched their Rider Safety Campaign in Sydney at the New South Wales Leagues Club.
With representatives from; the Federal Government, the Roads and Traffic Authority NSW, Motorcycling industry, the NSW Ambulance Service and motorcycling and general media attending, Vermeulen spoke about how, with motorcyclist injuries and fatalities on the rise, he felt compelled to act and to spread a safe riding message to everyone on the roads.
“The statistics I’ve seen for motorcyclists are pretty bad,” Vermeulen said.
“I love racing and riding bikes both on and off the road, so safety is a pretty big concern for me.
“I feel that if I can give something back to the community, and can help somebody stay safe on the roads, then it’s been worth all the effort that many people have put in.”
Vermeulen was adamant that everyone on the roads, motorcyclists and drivers alike, need to take control and be aware of others.
“Motorcyclists cannot treat the road like race track,” he said.
“When I race, I have a team of mechanics continually monitoring my bike and my progress, I know what the track is going to be like each time I go around and I only have to contend with other highly skilled and trained riders.
“When riding on the roads however it’s very different, the condition of the road can change unexpectedly, there are cars, trucks and busses sharing the road with you and there are so many other unknowns.
“Riders need to take control of their situation; no one forces a motorcyclist to speed or to take corners too quickly, so it’s their responsibility to take control – it’s their hand on the throttle!
“Motorists also need to be aware of motorcycles when they’re driving, keeping riders in sight and checking behind them.”
Also attending the launch was Mr. Chris Hayes MP (Member for Werriwa), representing Mr. Anthony Albanese MP (Member for Grayndler), who spoke about the value of campaigns such as this in changing the attitudes of people taking to the roads.
“The statistics we’ve seen recently about motorcyclist injuries and fatalities are shocking enough, but what these statistics don’t show is the grief and heartache that others suffer as a result of these numbers,” Hayes said.
“With road safety, the key objective is to change community attitudes and it is with campaigns such as this that we can work together to make our roads a safer place for all future users.”
A different perspective was provided to the launch by Ryan Salter, a Motorcycle Paramedic with the Ambulance Service of NSW.
Salter, who also rides recreationally, is often asked how he can ride when he sees what he sees at accidents and his answer is always the same.
“Yes, I have seen a large number of injured motorcyclists, some of them fatal,” Salter said.
“Yet in almost every accident I’ve seen, it could have been avoided or the injuries significantly reduced if the rider had behaved differently prior to the crash or worn appropriate clothing.
“We need to improve rider attitudes if we are going to reduce the statistics of motorcycle crashes, in addition to encouraging motorists to be more aware of motorcyclists on the road.
“The fact that a paramedic was asked to be involved in this campaign speaks volumes of the community perception of motorcycles.
“Unfortunately, the fact is that when people think of bikes, many think of ambulances, and the association between the two is both disappointing and needless.
“With increased awareness and education among all road users, I hope that in time we can correct the needless view that motorcycles and ambulances go hand in hand.”
