Daily motorbike news, views & reviews
Young riders face more restrictions as a new paper suggests raising the motorcycle licence age to 18 as well as high-vis clothing and a night curfew for novices. The South Australian Government is considering the proposals from the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR) which is based on a 2014 Austroads paper. …
Motorcycle awareness should be included in all driver training and increased in safety campaigns, according to the authors of an Australian National University study. It found that drivers are twice as likely to miss seeing a motorcycle compared with a taxi and admit they do not expect to see motorcyclists. Riders refer to this phenomenon …
It is no surprise that the biggest single cause of crashes is the fact that motorists don’t look for riders, according to a US study. The 2017 US Motorcycle Crash Causation Study was only conducted in Orange Country, California. However, the Oklahoma State University study seems to have similar results to other crash studies around the world. …
Attempts to draft uniform national road rules, including helmet and filtering laws, may leave riders even more confused and prone to copping fines from police. Lawyers and motorcycle advocates have warned that draft road rules drawn up by the National Transport Commission (NTC) proposals are fatally flawed and have begun drafting their own proposals. You …
Riders might think drivers don’t care about hitting us, but there is actually scientific evidence that shows they really don’t see us. Of course no driver wants to run into a motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrian. After all, it would cause extensive and expensive damage to their vehicle! The problem is that comparatively small road users …
Riders in Australia’s capital are asked to wear vests with “JOE” on the back while riding around Canberra streets to make motorists aware of motorcyclists. It’s part of the Motorcycle Riders Association of the ACT Motorcycle Awareness Week 2015. President Jen Woods says motorcycle and scooter riders often hear “Sorry Mate, I didn’t See You” …
Could self-cancelling indicators save riders from motorists driving right out in front of them, resulting in a T-bone crash? There is no research to back up the claim, except my own experience, a couple of fellow riders’ anecdotes and the suspicions of Dr Ross Blackman, research associate at the Centre for Accident Research & Road …
Would coloured lights on motorcycles make riders more visible and therefore safer? That’s the reasoning behind the US state of Wisconsin passing a bill in the state Assembly to allow coloured lights on motorcycles. When we travelled through the US last year, we noticed a lot of riders with auxiliary lights on their bikes, not …
Drivers may soon be tapped on the shoulder to warn them of approaching riders. The Jaguar/Land Rover technology is called Bike Sense and it’s latest car company technology development that could prove safer for riders and help prevent SMIDSY (Sorry Mate, I Didn’t See You) crashes. The company is working on a range of new …
Volvo has developed technology that alerts drivers of cyclists and could have ramifications for motorcycle riders. The system involves two-way communication between the car and a rider’s helmet that gives drivers a head-up display rider alert to the presence of riders. Volvo will demonstrate the tech at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (6-9 January …