Cutting bike deaths

This is in response to the disproportionate number of road accidents involving motorcycles. Thirty-four motorbike riders have died on Victorian roads this year, 12 more than the same period last year. Under the new licensing conditions, stricter testing, training and skills assessment will make it harder to gain a motorcycle licence.

Proposals include a requirement for learner riders to obtain a minimum number of supervised on road hours - either 25, 50 or 120 hours. Learner plates for new bikers riding learner-approved motorcycles would be increased from one to three years, while assessment of practical skills would also increase.

Riders currently sit a basic skills test lasting a few minutes before they go onto roads unsupervised. Motorcyclists make up only 3.7 per cent of road users in Victoria, yet account for 14 per cent of fatalities and serious injuries.

Source: JUST BIKES, October 2010, Issue #256