Rider benefits
Victoria’s road safety strategy aims to prevent crashes and reduce injury severity. The special projects funded by the levy will provide riders with safer road conditions at known motorcycle crash sites and improve rider skills. Many projects will also inform how to best target and plan future motorcycle safety programs and the effectiveness of different initiatives.
The treatment of road hazards provides an immediate improvement in rider safety.
Risks of riders losing control will be reduced by:
- clearer delineation
- warning and advisory signs
- removal of obstructions to rider visibility
- smoother road surfaces
- improved edge lines
- removal of debris.
The severity of injuries will be reduced by:
- treatments such as the removal of dangerous roadside obstacles
- replacing roadside objects with products that are more forgiving.
The benefits from these treatments are expected to exceed the costs many times over.
Influencing the way some riders think about safety and changing behaviour on the road are more difficult tasks and significant gains will take time to achieve. Riding on winding mountain roads and along Victoria’s coastline has increased in popularity. As well as the fun and excitement, it involves many dangers. A number of special projects aim to increase rider understanding of the risks involved and to develop more safety conscious and skilled riders.
Increasing the awareness of drivers to the difficulties experienced by motorcyclists (eg at intersections) will reduce the likelihood of conflicts and help prevent collisions.
