Subscribe to RSSGovt Moves On Motorbike Safety
The ACC Minister is in Victoria trying to work out how that Australian state’s motorcycle safety record has so improved.
Nick Smith says the serious injury rate for registered motorcyclists there has fallen 20% since a safety levy was introduced eight years ago.
The Minister is leading a delegation that includes representatives from ACC, the Ulysses Club of New Zealand, Bikers Rights Organisation of NZ, the AA and Motorcycling NZ.
Nick Smith says NZ has a serious problem with motorcycle accidents, with fatalities, serious injuries and costs significantly increasing. Claim numbers are up from 871 in 1998 to 5044 in 2008. Deaths and serious injuries have increased 68% over the past five years.
“These increases cannot be dismissed on the basis of increased motorcycle numbers as the number of claims per registered motorcycle has also increased.
“Addressing this high injury rate is why the Government ring-fenced $30 of the moped/motorcycle levy for injury prevention. This new fund of $3 million per year will be modelled on the successful Transport Accident Commission’s programme in Victoria where since 2002 there has been a noticeable drop in the rate of injuries per motorcycle attributed to the levy and associated safety programme.”
“Our collective ambition should be to reduce motorcycle fatalities in New Zealand from 50 per year to a rate comparable with that in Victoria. This would save 16 Kiwi lives a year.”
3 Comments
So what does that mean, “ring fencing” - will they spend ACC money on black spots?
Not neccessarily against that, though any ring fencing has the ability to skew things by silo thinking.
@Karl A silly political used term which means in our language the government has put aside $30 million from motorcycle levies to spend on a road safety programmes modelled on those which have achieved successful results in Victoria, Australia, over the past several years.
Glad they’re dealing with this. I was a bit shocked when I saw the rate of motorbike accidents/hour on our roads compared to cars and (even) push bikes. It’s really high! I might disagree with the way this govt wants to solve most of our road safety problems but I am glad they are taking the issue so seriously.