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Motorcycle commuters happier and better workers

road safety commuter - austroads

Commuters who ride motorcycles or scooters to work are happier, arrive calmer and therefore make better employees.

We don’t need surveys to tell us we are happy, but the British survey of 1000 commuters, commissioned by motorcycle insurance firm Bennetts, found 87.9% of motorcycle and scooter commuters believe they are happier than their colleagues. Some 67.8% also said they believed commuting to work had a positive effect on their enthusiasm and ability to tackle work.

It doesn’t say why they are happier, but it could be several factors. I now work from home and haven’t commuted for four years, but I remember how much fun it was, the challenges of weaving through the traffic the camaraderie of acknowledging my fellow riders and the comforting knowledge that it was quicker and cheaper than taking public transport or a car.Lane filtering commuter

Although it took a lot of concentration to carve through the traffic, I felt less stressed when I arrived at work and was ready for the day, rather than the frazzled commuters who took their car or squashed on to a train and needed a coffee before they could function enough to make a valuable contribution to the office.

The only stress I felt was the fact that lane filtering wasn’t legal then. It is now legal in the three eastern states, the ACT is trialling it until next year and the other states are considering it.

Taking out the stress of being caught lane filtering would make commuting even more enjoyable.

Bennetts managing director, Vince Chaney, says the data supports their figures that show an increase in people buying insurance policies for motorcycles and scooters for commuting purposes.

Interestingly, the survey also found that a third of motorcycle and scooter commuters spend more money every month on their beloved motorcycle than on their partner.

Are you a happy bike commuter and why?

  1. The bike ride to and from work on a 1 litre bike is the highlight of my day, everyday! I would say some motorcycle riders may think they spend more on their bikes than their partners, but that is only because they have not invented a bike that can help itself to your joint bank account for “groceries & amenities”! It’s funny how the minister for war and finance has a different outfit for everyday of the year! Don’t be fooled, the partner always costs more! If our bikes had access to our bank accounts and turned up with a different, tank, fairings, headlights & exhausts everyday then perhaps I could agree with the third in that survey.

  2. I commute on my bike most days, and I love it. I never enjoy driving a car, but love every moment on my bike. With the lane filtering laws in QLD, I can also get into the CBD (from the far south east) in max 30 minutes. That would take close to an hour in a car at that time of the day. I do believe that I am less stressed about my commute since taking up motorcycles.

  3. Up to a few years ago i was using a tradies box on my outfit plus
    trailer carrying signs up to 3.6 mt long, i managed quite well with
    no ute or car for years. every day was a good day.still have no car

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