Motorcyclists & ACC look to Victoria to improve motorcycle safety

New Zealand needs to follow the lead of Victoria, Australia where the serious injury rate for registered motorcyclists has fallen 20% since a safety levy was introduced eight years ago, ACC Minister Nick Smith says.

"New Zealand 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.

Dr Smith is in Melbourne this week to hear first hand about the Victorian motorcycle safety programme. The Minister is leading a delegation that includes representatives from ACC, the Ulysses Club of New Zealand, Bikers Rights Organisation of NZ (BRONZ), the Automobile Association and Motorcycling New Zealand.

"Motorcyclists are concerned over last year's levy hikes but I am determined to find common ground in improving safety so as to reduce the road toll and the injury costs to ACC.  I am encouraged by the commitment of ACC and the lead motorcycle organisations to learn from Victoria's positive experience and make this new programme work for New Zealand motorcyclists."