Minister launches shock-horror campaign
Sensationalist media release launches crash reportThe Federal Minister for Transport, MP Anthony Albanese, recently launched an Australian Transport Safety Bureau report on motorcycle crashes using a remarkably sensationalist media release.
It said:
- "Motorcyclists now account for almost 15 per cent of all road deaths despite making up only 4.5 per cent of registered vehicles in Australia, according to new official statistics.
The Australian Motorcycle Council has refuted the Minister's release - see separate story here.
OPINION
While some of the advice in the media release may be legitimate, Bikepoint notes the Minister failed to mention that the market and usage has risen by a staggering amount over the same time (far quicker than the car market) and, if anything, the per capita casualty rate has dropped.
Most unhelpful is the 'statistic' that riders are 23 times more likely to die. While it was happily parroted in general media, it doesn't say on what basis. Per crash, per distance traveled, per head...?
If it's per crash, then thanks for nothing. That we're more vulnerable in a collision is hardly earth-shattering news.
It also fails to draw any distinction in the types of use -- whether on the road or in a paddock somewhere -- which in turn raises a question over the validity of the comparison with car road deaths.
Potentially, it's like claiming a fall in your bathroom as a pedestrian casualty.
It may have grabbed some headlines, but at the same time has damaged the Minister's credibility.
(Pic: Parliament of Australia)
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