Car and motorcycle crashes and falls are the most common causes of spinal cord injury in Australia, a new report shows.

And men are more likely than women to suffer serious damage to the spinal cord - the bundle of nerves that runs through the backbone.

The report, released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), shows motorcyclists are most at risk of spinal cord injury.

Report Shows mainland China Produces 50 Percent of World’s Motorcycles - Exports Topped US$1.4 Billion in First 10 Months of 2005

HONG KONG, Jan. 24, 2006 – Global Sources’ (NASDAQ: GSOL) China Sourcing Report: Motorcycles 2006 shows mainland China dominated global motorcycle production in the first 10 months of 2005 producing 50 percent of the world’s output. Exports during the period totaled US$1.4 billion – a 47 percent increase from 2004 exports.

The report covers street, scooter-style and off-road bikes with in-depth profiles of 57 China manufacturers. It includes production and pricing forecasts as well as reports on major mainland supply centers.

Tasmania's older motorcyclists making a return to two wheels are among those being targeted by a subsidised training course aiming to cut the number of motorcycle fatalities.

Last year, all seven people killed on motorcycles in Tasmania were men aged between 30 and 49, and older riders tend to be over represented in crash data.

Lack of supporting evidence and research into several claims made by the National Transport Commission (NTC) in their Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) where it is claimed that Lane Splitting is dangerous has led both the MRAA and RACV to independently question the validity of the NTC’s claims.

MAG Belgium have been promoting the motorcycle friendly crash barriers. They managed to get a slot on Belgium TV promoting this issue and now the Belgium government is planning to fix some 10 kilometres of motorcycle friendly barriers per year.
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To demonstrate the impact that making Lane Splitting explicitly Illegal and a ban more easily enforceable, as a result of the NTC’s proposed amendments to the current legislation the MRAA will conduct a Ride to Rule – Congestion Awareness Ride on Wednesday 25th January.

The purpose of this Awareness Ride will be to demonstrate just how much extra congestion will be created if Lane Splitting is not legalised. During this ride, riders will proceed at normal traffic speeds but will explicitly ride in a manner that the proposed rules require.

Motorcycle Riders Association ask Governor General’s Intercession

During an interview on Canberra Radio Station 2CC last Friday, 13th January, the MRAA called on the Governor General to knock back the recommendations put up by the NTC’s proposed changes to the Australian Road Regulations that will see Lane Splitting banned.

During the interview, MRAA spokesperson on Lane Splitting John Karmouche addressed an appeal to the Governor General As John asked that the Governor General needed to be aware that he would be signing.
a document that was a congestion and safety hazard , and that it would have the opposite effect to what was intended by the changes, since:

By Mark Russell and Dewi Cooke
January 15, 2006
The Age

INBAR Herman was tossed 60 metres into the air when she was hit by a drunken drag racer doing 120 km/h. She was killed instantly, on her 19th birthday.

Her senseless death almost two years ago, and the deaths of two other young men, prompted the State Government to act with tough new legislation aimed at ridding Melbourne's streets of dangerous hoons.

They’d have to stop for red lights and check for traffic but then could proceed
By JOHN O’CONNOR
Staff Writer

Street-level complaints sometimes inspire letters to lawmakers. But Sumter resident Billy “Reb” Richardson took his concern one step further.

He was inspired to write a law.

Richardson got tired of getting stuck at traffic lights riding around the state on his Harley-Davidson Electra Glide motorcycle. His solution: Let motorcyclists drive through a red light once they have stopped and checked for traffic.

The Motorcycle Riders Association of Australia (MRAA) today called upon the National Transport Commission to withdraw their recommendation to ban lane splitting by motorcycles.

The MRAA has identified that there is no evidence that this practice is unsafe based upon available research and statistics.

They're quick, they're convenient, they're affordable and
they're easy to operate - these are just a few reasons why
scooters are becoming increasingly popular and have boosted
motorcycle sales substantially over the past year.

The article analyzes in detail typical crashes experienced between cars, and cars with SUVs'. According to Marc Ross, Deena Patel, and Tom Wenzel, "The evidence is compelling that body-on-frame light trucks cannot safely coexist with passenger cars under existing conditions. That problem is critical because so many light trucks are used nowadays as car substitutes." They suggest some ways in which both cars and SUVs' can be redesigned to improve safety.

The Study

The Age

ALCOHOL interlock devices — now used for repeat drink-drivers — should be standard features in all cars, beginning with fleet vehicles, the Transport Accident Commission says.

It was time to look at the measure, TAC general manager David Healy said yesterday, as the commission released to The Age the 2005 road toll breakdown, which revealed alcohol-related deaths are increasing.

According to an interview with Yamaha Motor Co. President Takashi Kajikawa in the London Times, the Japanese motorcycle market has continued to shrink despite rising worldwide demand for bikes - the worldwide motorcycle market has grown 30% in the last three years.

Tasmania's Motorcycle Council and the Motor Accidents Insurance Board are joining forces to cut the number of accidents involving motorbikes on the state's roads.

The insurance board has agreed to subsidise a refresher training course for experienced riders.

Denis Napthine
Member for South West Coast


Tuesday, 13 December 2005

BRACKS TAXES MOTORCYCLES WHILE RIDERS DIE

The State Government's $53.90 motorcycle levy has been exposed as a simply another unfair tax after the number of motorcyclists killed on Victorian roads increased this year.

Member for South West Coast Denis Napthine said the Bracks Motorcycle Tax had failed spectacularly to curb the numbers of motorcycle riders being killed on the state's roads.

Immediate Release:

MRAA CONDEMNS POTENTIAL RULE CHANGES
President of the Motorcycle Riders Association of Australia, Mr Dale Maggs, today roundly condemned a proposal put forward by the Australian Road Rules Maintenance Group.

Mr Maggs stated that the proposal that it be illegal to lane split/filter regardless of whether a vehicle is moving or stationery was “totally at odds with all published research on the subject”. He stressed that in this instance he was not referring to high speed lane splitting but to filtering through lines of stationery or slowly moving traffic.

New Rules - lane splitting Illegal, no pillions under 8
Wednesday December 7, 2005


The Australian Road Rules Maintenance Group has released their recommended rule changes, among them making it illegal for lane splitting and carrying a pillion under 8 years old.

Submissions from the ACT MRA and the MCCofNSW to the Australian Road Rules Maintenance Group for their review have seemingly fallen on deaf ears.

Submit your thoughts to NTC Here or feel free to use this as a template for your own Email/Letter

Nevada prison inmates newest motorcycle manufacturers

A new program is reving up in the Sliver State. It allows prison inmates to build high priced motorcycles.

Billy Churchwell joins us in the studio to tell us more about this new program, and what it means for the inmates.

The booming popularity of scooters has put the Australian motorcycle industry on track for a big increase in annual sales in 2005.