Tag Archives: road safety

Rider gear sacrifices safety for comfort

Motorcycle jackets and pants that have good breathability for the warmer riding months sacrifice safety standards, according to the latest test results from Australia’s internationally awarded MotoCAP motorcycle gear safety ratings service.

MotoCAP has now performed testing and issued safety and comfort ratings ratings for 354 items of rider jackets, gloves and pants.

The MotoCAP safety intitiative launched in September 2018 and is the first of its type in the world.

It has now added 14 more products to its online ratings of 172 jackets, 90 pairs of pants and 92 pairs of gloves.

The new safety ratings for seven jackets and seven pairs of pants range from one to three out of five stars for safety.

They show that you can’t have it all when it comes to safety and comfort in hot conditions.

Jackets and pants that have good breathability score low for safety and vice versa.

For example, the Bullit Easy Tactical Icon pants score just one safety star but a maximum five for beathability.

Meanwhile, Dainese Delta 3 leather pants performed well for safety with three out of five stars, but just two for breathability.

It’s not that we haven’t suspected the trade-off on comfort and safety, but it’s interesting to see that sciebce back up our suspicions.

The new ratings for jackets can be viewed here. The new ratings for pants can be viewed here.

Riders are urged to consider checking the safety and comfort ratings of gear before they buy.

Shapeheart Classic Handlebar Phone Mounting System

While some have disputed the veracity or usefulness of the tests, rider representative groups and road safety experts say MotoCAP at least makes riders more aware of wearing protective gear.

MotoCAP is a partnership between Transport for NSW, State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), VicRoads, Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), Lifetime Support Authority (LSA), the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, Western Australian Police: Road Safety Commission, Department of State Growth, Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Australian Motorcycle Council and Accident Compensation Corporation in New Zealand.

Testing is carried out by the Deakin University Institute for Frontier Materials on behalf of the MotoCAP partners.

All gear rated so far has been obtained through a secretive buying system to guarantee integrity.

In 2019, MotoCAP won a Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) road safety award.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Grip comes to painted road surfaces

Painted road surfaces that present a dangerous slip hazard to motorcycle and scooter riders could son be a thing of the past with new grippy surface treatments.

Australian company OmniGrip has commissioned to replace painted surfaces such as bus and bike lanes and pedestrian crossings with their special treatment in several Victorian cities and more recently Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Now the Victorian company is so confident that more of these dangerous surfaces will be replaced with their treatment, it is opening up in Queensland.

Dave Jones, External Affairs Director for Smarterlife the Australian manufacturers of non-slip OmniGrip road surface treatment says it is not paint, but a coloured aggregate using recycled Australian glass.

He claims it has the same grip levels as the surrounding tarmac and lasts about seven years which is longer than painted road surfaces.

OmniGrip Direct also provides calcined bauxite safety surfaces that improve grip between the road surface and a motor vehicle’s tyres (motorbikes, cars, buses and trucks). It is particularly effective at reducing wet weather crashes.

The rollout of this grippy road treatment was suspended in 2020 due to COVID, but the company is opening a new office and depot in Brisbane to work with councils and state road agencies in Queensland and northern NSW.

Chief road safety expert Dave Jones says they are talking to Councils about its use but deals aren’t finalised just yet.

OmniGrip CST on cnr of Leitchs Rd and Stanley St Brendale Brisbane (2) (1) (1)
OmniGrip CST on the corner of Leitchs Rd and Stanley St, Brendale, in Brisbane.

Sites in use already in Queensland are:

  • Stanley St and Leitchs Rd in Brendale (Calcined Bauxite High Friction Surface plus Green Recycled-Glass bike lane, late 2019)
  • Griffith Road and Boardman Rd, Newport (Calcined Bauxite High Friction Surface on roundabout, early 2020)
  • Park Road at Patricks Road intersection, Ferny Hill (Calcined Bauxite High Friction Surface late 2019)
  • Collins Road at Francis Road intersection, Arana Hills (Calcined Bauxite High Friction Surface, late 2019)
  • Clear Mountain Road at Winn Road intersection, Mount Sampson (Calcined Bauxite High Friction Surface, late 2019)

 OmniGrip Direct’s safety surfaces are also used on red bus lanes and with calcined bauxite to improve rural and urban road safety.

A national industry forum heard that the Transport and Main Roads Department is lifting the standard and requirements for contractors that lay coloured surfaces on their roads such as in bus lanes and bike lanes.

ROHITESH UPADHYAY breaking the record for world's longest no-hands wheelie October 2019

TMR is also banning some types of painted products and require independent assessment and approval by the Australian Road Research Board for any product they do use.

Queensland Councils are also signatories to the process and will adopt it.

Dave has welcomed the move.

“The implication for riders is that coloured surfaces that riders cross will have higher texture, for longer, reducing the likelihood that riders will slide or skid when stopping or turning,” he says.

“For example when riders turn across bus lanes or bike lanes at intersections.”

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Aussie invited to road safety summit

Australian Motorcycle Council chairman Shaun Lennard hopes to address how roads can be made safer for riders at an international motorcycle safety workshop. 

The online event is being hosted by the transport arm of the OECD, the International Transport Forum, in conjunction with the Swedish Transport Administration. 

The invitation-only event of 150 participants was originally due to be hosted in Stockholm, in June 2020, but was postponed due to COVID-19 and later redesigned into a series of online workshops. 

Shaun has been invited to participate in the sessions on road infrastructure, road management and speed management on 17 June 2021. 

“The idea of making roads safer for motorcycles is not new,” he says. 

“There are some great ideas we have either been talking about, or have seen in practice, for more than 10 years. But things continue to be largely ad hoc.

“One good example is the Austroads Guide Infrastructure Improvements to Reduce Motorcycle Casualties. This was prepared and released in 2016. 

“The AMC was closely involved with the development of the guide, and it contains best-practice information. But five years later, it’s still not a default reference point for most Australian road authorities. It should be. I aim to speak about this at the workshop.” 

The workshop also builds on the ITF’s similar event in Lillehammer, Norway, in 2008.

However, Shaun says follow-up and a commitment to actions from the Lillehammer workshop has been lacking and he hopes this will be addressed this year. 

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Secrecy slammed over Victorian motorcycle safety levy

Millions of dollars of Victorian motorcycle safety levy funds remain unspent as minutes of the ministerial advisory panel on motorcycle issues are shrouded in secrecy.

Retired industry veteran and Two Wheel Action Group spokesman Stuart Strickland OAM “strongly disagrees” with the confidentiality around all aspects of the Motorcycle Safety Levy collected as part of the Transport Accident Commission premium in registrations for motorcycles with an engine capacity of 126cc or above. The levy is $73.70 per registration.

The unallocated funds balance of the Motorcycle Safety Levy is currently $15,477,785, which is only down marginally from the $18.5m unspent at the end of the 2014/15 financial year.

In 2017, road safety advocate and author Heather Ellis called for the annual levy to be “greatly reduced by 50% or more”, fearing the Victorian State Government was “eyeing it off for internal revenue”.

Stuart says that as a levy payer, he and other riders should have access to all information related to the levy and formally requested the Minister release the minutes from the past four Motorcycle Community Engagement Panel meetings. 

However, the Secretariat of the Motorcycling Community Engagement Panel told Stuart that “as per most ministerial advisory committees and previous motorcycling advisory panels, minutes of meetings are confidential unless otherwise advised by the Chair or the Minister”.

The Motorcycling Community Engagement Panel held its inaugural meeting on 23 April 2021 and has now met four times. 

“Confidentiality enables open and frank discussion at meetings, helps facilitate the development of new ideas, and protects information that is personal or relates to other sensitive matters,” the Secretariat says. 

“From time to time, the Minister or Chair may ask for specific matters to be made public, however this will happen on a case by case basis. There are no plans to change this arrangement.

“While the meeting minutes will be confidential, panel members are encouraged to talk about and promote MCEP and their position on the panel to the riding community. 

CYRIL NEVEU, winner of the 1979 first Motorbike Dakar Rally, on a Yamaha

“Members are expected to actively source the opinions, attitudes, and sentiments of a wide range of Victorian motorcyclists regarding issues that they feel are relevant. 

“This may include discussions on social media, online forums, or in person with other motorcyclists. 

“The Department of Transport supports communication by panel members on social media sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) regarding motorcycling issues that are not specifically identified as confidential.”

The Liberal Opposition has previously said it would “consider” reducing the levy.

Long-time campaigner against the “unfair tax”, Rodney Brown, has pointed out that the Victorian Road Safety Committee’s Inquiry Into Motorcycle Safety has recommended that the motorcycle safety levy be abolished.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Safr and CMT Join forces to Increase Road Safety Via DriveWell App

According to a report from BusinessWire, Two companies in Massachusetts have announced a joint venture to improve safety on the Road via the smartphone platform, DriveWell. 

Owned by Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) and already in use in 28 countries by 6.5 million users, the DriveWell app uses smart sensors to track the riding patterns of app users, give riders updates regarding their driving behavior, and even go so far as to score drivers and rate their driving against other app users in the area. 

driver using hands-free system related to Drivewell, owned by CMT

Safr can benefit from this perk, being a mission-driven ridesharing company originally built to cater to the transportation needs of women who have experienced fear or danger at the hands of other ridesharing companies. 

Now, with CMT’s DriveWell program fully integrated, Safr will provide an additional level of security to their customers while also providing accurate driving data and giving drivers incentive to become more aware, making the road a safer place for everyone. 

Sal Khokhar, Safr’s Chief Marketing Officer, says, “We’re excited to partner with CMT, the market leader in smartphone telematics, as their consistent efforts to improve road safety mirror our own…We want riders to feel safe in every aspect of their ride, and we want drivers to feel supported and valued while they’re driving for Safr.”

With DriveWell collecting data on the driving habits of users worldwide, the statistics prove that the app works – with almost a third of the platform’s users reducing their phone distraction by 39%, their hard braking by 51%, and speeding by 30% after just 30 days.

The numbers don’t lie, and with the moto-industry evolving faster every day, I’m more than happy to support an app that keeps road users safe and vigilant.

For more articles on road safety, as well as additional tips on how to stay aware on the road head over to WebBikeWorld.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

MotoCAP now rates more than 300 rider gear items

Australia’s internationally awarded MotoCAP motorcycle gear safety ratings service has now performed testing and issued safety and comfort ratings ratings for 340 items of rider jackets, gloves and pants.

The MotoCAP safety intitiative launched in September 2018 and is the first of its type in the world.

It has now added 16 more products to its online ratings of 165 jackets, 83 pairs of pants and 92 pairs of gloves.

The new safety ratings for 13 jackets and three pairs of pants range from one to three out of five stars for safety.

All pairs of pants from DriRider (Titan and Xena ladies pants) and Macna (transfer) tested were rated at just one star.

The Dainese Prima72 leather jacket was the top jacket performer with three stars.

Dainese Prima72 jacket
Dainese Prima72 jacket

Riders are urged to consider checking the safety and comfort ratings of gear before they buy.

While some have disputed the veracity or usefulness of the tests, rider representative groups and road safety experts say MotoCAP at least makes riders more aware of wearing protective gear.

MotoCAP is a partnership between Transport for NSW, State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), VicRoads, Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), Lifetime Support Authority (LSA), the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, Western Australian Police: Road Safety Commission, Department of State Growth, Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Australian Motorcycle Council and Accident Compensation Corporation in New Zealand.

Testing is carried out by the Deakin University Institute for Frontier Materials on behalf of the MotoCAP partners.

All gear rated so far has been obtained through a secretive buying system to guarantee integrity.

In 2019, MotoCAP won a Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) road safety award.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Cyclist passing rule a danger to motorcyclists

A rule allowing drivers to cross solid white lines to overtake cyclists has now been extended to Victoria, making it a blanket rule across all Australian states.

Back in 2016, crash victim Maritha Keyser and rider groups said the implementation of the rule was putting the lives of motorcyclists in danger.

Maritha vainly launched a petition against the rule. The petition is now closed with 2340 signatures.

In 2015, Maritha was involved in an accident when a vehicle legally crossed a double white line to pass a slow-moving cyclist and give them the required 1m buffer (or 1.5m in over 60km/h zones).

Maritha Keyser Cyclist rule endangers motorcyclists
Crash scene on double white lines

Cyclist passing rule

The laws actually state that you can only cross or straddle a solid white line or painted island “if it is safe to do so”.

However, the very fact that it is allowable creates the wrong impression for drivers.

Motorists already can’t see riders, don’t want to see us or simply ignore us as no real threat to them.

They wouldn’t cross a solid line if another car was coming, but they seem willing to do so for motorcycles.

Here is a video example of a close call as a rider nearly runs head-on into a van that is over the white line on a corner because of a cyclist on the side of the road.

While Maritha’s accident was not a head-on with the overtaking vehicle, its presence on the wrong side of the road led to a chain of events that caused the crash that left her with permanent disabilities.

Motorcycle paramedics

Maritha had the support of Australian Motorcycle Council, the Victorian Motorcycle Council, BMW Clubs Australia and others.

Legislating to protect one vulnerable road user that heightens the risk of another vulnerable road user is simply wrong, they all said.

Now, the Motorcycle Rides Association of Australia has chimed in wth the introduction of the laws in Victoria.

“This is a very dangerous law on roads like the GOR, the Black & Reefton Spurs, the St Andrews / Kinglake Road and many others,” says spokesman Damien Codognotto.

“In my opinion the police crash reports on head-on and rear-end crashes will not mention bicycles in most cases so the data will be distorted in favour of the new law being effective. That is what happens with road barrier crashes. There is no oversight or control to ensure crash data is reliable.

“Double white lines are there because it is dangerous to go on the wrong side of the road where the lines are painted. On many 80 and 100 kph roads crossing double white lines creates an extremely dangerous situation. I’ve heard of at least one head-on in Queensland in these situations.
“Then there’s the danger of coming on slow moving bicyclists and braking to slow to their speed. The car/truck behind does not brake in time and hits the back of you.”

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Riders Academy by motoDNA provides tools for survival 

Most motorcycle road craft courses are only as good as the training on the day, but Riders Academy by motoDNA also provides riders with the tools to improve long after their street skills day-course has finished.

I recently sent our casual reviewer James Wawne for a day course in road craft at Riders Academy held at Brisbane’s historic Lakeside Driver Training Centre.

MotoDNA training
James suits up

It’s a $350 full-day course on the tight asphalt course with alternating classroom sessions followed by practical skills tests on the course.

James says the day was well run, “with an emphasis on safety balanced well with providing enough breathing room and practice iterations to push boundaries and provide real learning & tangible skill development in a safe environment”.

“The guys talked about sports psychology and their interpretation of being in a state of flow and increasing boundaries in safe increments which was useful.” he says.

Riders Academy was started by Mark “Irish” McVeigh who has been a Racer, MotoGP Engineer and a V8 Supercars Engineer.

MotoDNA training
Mark instructs praticipants

 “I’ve seen a lot of my Irish racing friends die,” he laments, giving seem credence to the adage “ride like everyone is trying to kill you.

Furthermore, Mark bases all his training courses on science and statistics, not gut feel or conspiracy theories.

So when Mark speaks, the 25 riders at the street skills course listen intently, nod in agreement and soak it in.

“The classroom sessions were instructive,” James says.

“Irish struck a nice balance between covering important elements of theory but relating it to its application and the bringing the various elements together in the real world.

“The on-track coach also pitched in with useful, practical pointers, which he then emphasised during the on-track practice sessions.”MotoDNA training

Mark pointed out early on that 50% of all motorcycle accidents are single vehicle and that riders underestimate available grip.

I’ve heard all this before, but there is a difference in how Riders Academy courses are taught.

It’s called “flow”.

Mark learnt the theories of “flow” when he was working with the Triple 8 Red Bull V8 Supercars team in Brisbane.

Basically, it’s a learning program where you take small steps at a time, pushing yourself about 5% beyond your limits. It’s also evidence driven with science and data.

The street skills course not only takes this approach during the duration of the day, but also arms the participants with the skills to continue to stretch their goals and improve as riders long afterwards.

“The course reviewed a number of useful fundamentals and then went further than you would during the process of getting your licence,” James says.

“It underscored the importance of using reference points and using them to optimise line in terms of entry, hitting the apex and exiting corners.

Motorcycle paramedics

“A few items that we practised of particular use which I will continue to practice included emergency braking, steering with your eyes and using peripheral vision.MotoDNA training

“I also plan on experimenting with my position on the bike; gripping the tank with my knees while keeping core engaged and arms relaxed while shifting my weight on the bike to increase turning efficiency.”

Riders Academy by motoDNA’s street skills course teaches cornering lines, emergency braking, hazard avoidance, slow speed control, scanning for hazards and body position.

Here’s a video showing the street skills course in action at Lakeside.

While the emphasis is on safety, it’s also fun and the skills learnt can be taken to their trackSKILLS days.

Mark says their training business ground to a halt under the pandemic, but since coming back in June, they have been busier than ever.

So click here to book early to avoid disappointment.

Riders Academy by motoDNA has a range of street and track skills courses in Sydney and Brisbane.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Reporting potholes pays off

Reporting potholes and other road damage to relevant authorities can pay off, says a long-time advocate for better road maintenance to save the lives of riders.

Rodney Brown says he reported a massive pothole on McGeorge Road, South Gisbourne, to Victorian Roads Minister Ben Carroll and was surprised to find it had then been fixed.

He says the Minister passed the information on to the Macedon Rangers Shire Council who quickly remedied the dangerous road surface.

They also relied to Rod and said “I hope I have educated our road safety decision-makers to promptly fix our roads, especially for motorcyclists”.

Rod says the design of motorcycles and scooters means they have unique dynamic stability characteristics that make them more “sensitive to changes in the shape, texture or skid resistance of the road surface, including the presence of water, potholes, ruts, poor road matching or debris on the road”.

“Too many motorcyclists are dying on our roads throughout Victoria due to road damage not being considered,” Rod says.

Rodney Brown Rider's call for ute tarps rejected bike lanes
Rodney Brown

In fact, a 2018 British Automobile Association survey found that riders are three times more likely to be involved in crashes caused by potholes and poor road surfaces than any other vehicle type.

It found that while potholes cause damage to cars, they are a greater injury threat to riders as they have to swerve to avoid potholes which can also cause crashes.

Also, a World Health Organization Global status report on road safety 2018 found that the motorcycle road toll could be reduced by improving roads along with other issues such as better speed and alcohol/drug use enforcement, safer motorbikes and mandatory helmet laws.

Maritha Keyser Cyclist rule endangers motorcyclists

Rod says road authorities are expected to establish reasonable standards for road construction, inspection, maintenance and prompt repairs so that roads are suitable for all vehicles, including motorcyclists. 

Maintenance contractors have an obligation to ensure that where works are carried out on the road, these are done in a manner that ensures the safety of all road users, and that the road surface is correctly reinstated or altered.”

However, it is also important for riders to be involved by reporting road damage to relevant authorities.

If the issue is not fixed, at least a rider who crashes as a result the damage may be able to sue council since it had been alerted to the issue.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Impact pads would make garments safer

Australia’s internationally awarded MotoCAP motorcycle gear safety ratings service has added ratings on safety and comfort for eight jackets and eight pants to its growing list of tested products.

The new ratings brings the total number of items of clothing to 297, comprised of 125 jackets, 80 pairs of pants and 92 pairs of gloves.

Draggin Holsehot jeans top-scored on safety with four out of fives, followed by the Klim Artemis with twi stars.

Only one safety star was awarded to Merlin Route One Hardy, BME Waterproof Herren, Melbourne’s Saint Unbreakable Straight, Bull-It Easy Tactical Cargo, Triumph Urban Jeans and Macna Club.

While the Holeshot jeans performed well, MotoCAP says it could have done better if the knee and hip impact protectors were better quality.

Many of the others did not feature both sets of armour, marking them down on impact protection.

It was a similar situation in the jackets.

The new ratings for jackets can be viewed here. The new ratings for pants can be viewed here.

Deakin Uni Institute for Frontier Materials Senior Research Fellow and Honda GB400 rider Chris Hurren says there is a need for a holistic approach to safety.

MotoCAP senior researcher Dr Chris Hurren
Dr Chris Hurren

He says rider jackets and pants should include proper impact protection, as well as high abrasion resistance.

Chris says many garments don’t come with impact protectors or only a few protectors.

“Some of the garments could be five star if they just had a full set of certified protectors,” he says.

“Then it’s the rider’s choice if they want to throw them away if they don’t want to wear them.”

MotoCAP is a partnership between Transport for NSW, State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), VicRoads, Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), Lifetime Support Authority (LSA), the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, Western Australian Police: Road Safety Commission, Department of State Growth, Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Australian Motorcycle Council and Accident Compensation Corporation in New Zealand.

Testing is carried out by the Deakin University Institute for Frontier Materials on behalf of the MotoCAP partners.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com