14 December 2006
Off-road motorcycling crashes cause almost as many hospital admissions and emergency department visits each year as on-road motorcycling crashes yet there is very little being done to reduce this toll, says a report from the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC).
Ms Erin Cassell, Director of the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit at MUARC, said there was a greater need on the part of government to be more proactive about countering off-road motorcycling injuries.
"Our analysis of motorcycling injury data shows that although more fatal and very severe motorcycling injuries occur on-road, off-road motorcycling is associated with three deaths, 1200 hospital admissions and at least the same number of emergency department presentations each year in Victoria," she said.
"Motorcycle sales figures show that off-road bike sales have outstripped on-road bike sales every year from 2000 to 2004 so we can expect off-road injuries to rise," she added.
One-third of hospitalised off-road motorcyclists are aged 10-19, whereas the peak age group for on-road motorcycling injury is 20-29 year olds. Most off-road injuries are caused by the rider being thrown off the motorcycle or crashing into a tree or other obstacle, rather than crashing into another vehicle.
The Victorian government, through the Transport Accident Commission, VicRoads and Victoria Police, is implementing a number of motorcycling safety projects through the Victorian Motorcycle Road Safety Strategy 2002 -- 2007, Ms Cassell said.
Some of these are treatment of blackspots for motorcyclist crashes, improvement to motorcycle rider training and mass-media safety campaigns.
"By contrast, almost no attention has been paid to the safety of off-road motorcycling, a burgeoning sport and leisure activity," she said.
"One major impediment to action is the lack of a government lead agency willing to take primary responsibility for reducing off-road motorcycling deaths and injuries."
Ms Cassell said it was highly unsatisfactory that responsibility and safety expertise were distributed across several government departments.
"A whole-of-government response is required with one agency designated and resourced by the Victorian government to take the lead and co-ordination role," she said.
"Development of strategies and measures to reduce off-road motorcycling injury should include, among other things, consideration of age restrictions for off-road motorcycling and a special licensing scheme, development of a rider training and mentoring scheme and encouragement of the wearing of full protective gear including a helmet."
Ms Cassell is available for interview on +61 3 9905 1857. For more information contact John Watts at Media Communications on +6 03 9905 9201 or 0448 574 148. The full report can be viewed on the MUARC website.
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