LETS IMAGINE A FATALITY-FREE MONTH
October is Motorcycle Awareness Month. RoadSafe Goulburn Valley is urging drivers and motorcyclists to look out for each other and to share the road safely. Motorcyclists face significantly higher risks when incidents occur on the roads. Road safety is a team effort, and together we can work together to achieve a fatality-free month.
This nationwide campaign takes place every October in Australia, focusing on shared road safety, rider visibility, and practical everyday behaviours for both drivers and riders. Motorcycle riders make up around three per cent of registered vehicles in Victoria. However, they account for around 17 per cent of road deaths and around 23 per cent of very serious injuries. Drivers are urged to break the habit of only looking for large objects like cars and trucks.
Please look and re-look at intersections, especially on country roads, before turning across oncoming traffic or pulling out from a T-junction. Look once, then look again specifically for two wheels. Double-check blind spots too. Motorcycles disappear completely behind a car’s door pillars and other vehicles. Always execute (practice makes perfect) a physical head check before merging or changing lanes. Give riders plenty of room. Motorcyclists may brake unexpectedly or swerve slightly within their lane to avoid potholes or debris that a car would drive straight over.
Key message to riders: Assume you’re missed.
Because motorcycles are smaller and easily obscured by blind spots or intersections, riders must protactively manager their space. Constantly adjust your positioning within your lane. Do not hug the kerb and ride where you are most visible to oncoming traffic and side-street drivers.
If we can’t see you–we can’t see you! This applies to all vulnerable road users.
It may be cool to ride with shorts and t-shirts, however, a point to note is that casual denim shreds instantly on bitumen. Our suggestion is to wear specialised motorcycle jeans equipped with Kevlar-reinforced liners and ensure you wear full impact-resistant body armour for every trip. Check the TAC’s Only Protected for a Moment for more information.
Always, always buy your protective headwear from a knowledgable retailer that is safe and certified. Whether you’re cruising the streets, hitting the track, or heading off-road, your helmet is your #1 safety essential. Crashes don’t just affect those who are injured, but have a major impact on others around them, including family members and first responders who attend these incidents.
Riders can access and fill out a free Motorcycle Crash Card to carry in their helmet, giving first responders immediate access to crucial medical and emergency contact details.
During October, there will be community launches, regional safety campaigns and community advocacy by RoadSafe Goulburn Valley, supported by statewide digital safety campaigns featuring ambassadors like comedian Ross Noble. Check out the link on the RoadSafe Goulburn Valley Facebook site and like and follow for more information on being road safe. Think safe, be safe.
Kind regards,
Bill Winters. RoadSafe Goulburn Valley
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