In the run-up to the usual Christmas crackdown on motorists, Queensland Police have released this video compilation of the stupid things some motorists do.
We’ve edited down the bodycam vision a bit as it gets boring.
However, it includes a rider doing 160km/h in a 60km/h zones, stupid drivers holding mobile phones, not wearing seatbelts and a drunk driver spinning his 4WD out of control on a damp corner when it hits white lines — all riders would know about that one!
Interestingly, bike cops were involved in several incidents including the detection of a driver at night on his mobile phone.
Queensland police are today launching Operation Romeo Sleigh to focus on road safety from this Friday (13 December 2019) and running until January 31.
“The Queensland Police Service is releasing this vision as a reminder to all motorists using our roads during this busy holiday period, to do safely,” they say.
There will be a similar crackdown on motorists in all states, with higher police patrols and speed camera deployments.
Australian safety and comfort ratings system for motorcycle clothing, MotoCAP, has won a Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) road safety award.
The award, presented this morning (2 December 2019) in Monaco along with 40 other recipients, has been applauded by Australian Motorcycle Council chair Guy Stanford.
“We are very pleased with the FIM award which demonstrates the value of the MotoCAP program worldwide,” he says.
“Clothing manufacturers’ advertising is not always a credible source of what is useful when a crash happens or heat fatigue arises in the Australian summer.”
MotoCAP gives clothing two separate star ratings – one for protection and one for heat management (“comfort”).
AMC Protective Clothing sub-committee chair Brian Wood also points out that MotoCAP tests the whole garment, unlike European Protective Clothing Standards which only tests samples of fabrics, fastenings and stitching.
“(It) gives the motorcycle community more information when they are making choices about the clothing they wear when riding,” he says.
MotoCAP history
MotoCAP is the outcome of almost 20 years research and consultations, led by Dr Liz de Rome, with the support of the Australian Motorcycle Council. The key milestones include:
2003 – The Motorcycle Council of NSW (MCC) obtained a grant from the Motor Accidents Authority of NSW (MAA) to investigate the features of effective motorcycle personal protective equipment (PPE).The outcome was a report and the establishment of websites for the MCC and the Accident Compensation Commission (NZ) to provide information about protective clothing and other motorcycle safety issues to riders in Australia and New Zealand.
2005 – A national PPE industry seminar was held by the MCC with the support and funding of the MAA to consider the implications of the European Standards for PPE. A proposal to establish an Australian star rating scheme for PPE was canvassed and supported by the participants.
2006 – The roads authority of Victoria (VicRoads), commissioned a report investigating the options for a star rating scheme compared to industry standards for PPE.
2007 – The National Roads and Motorists Association (NRMA) funded a survey of novice riders to establish their knowledge, information sources and usage of PPE.
2008 – Swann Motorcycle Insurance funded a study of the injury reduction benefits of the clothing worn by injured and un-injured riders involved serious crashes. The study confirmed the potential for PPE to reduce the risk and severity of injuries, but also identified high rates of garment failure under crash conditions. The study also validated the impact risk zones framework of the European standards against clothing damage and rider injuries in real world crashes.
2008 – PPE researcher invited to give a presentation on protective clothing research to members at the AMC Annual Conference.
2009 – AMC successfully lobbied Federal Government for funding to publish and distribute a guide to riders on the features of effective motorcycle protective clothing ‘The Good Gear Guide’.
2010 – 2012 – The State of Victoria, Parliamentary Road Safety Committee convened a series of meetings to “inquire into, consider and report… on motorcycle safety.” The formation of a star rating scheme for motorcyclists’ apparel was supported by Recommendations 51 – 53. (Parliamentary Road safety Committee 2012)
2011–-The Australian and New Zealand Government Injury Insurance agencies commissioned industry consultations and research into the development of a model for providing riders with reliable information when buying motorcycle protective gear.
2011 – The Victorian Transport Accident Commission (TAC) organised a series of state-wide seminars – entitled “What’s Safe?” – which covered the testing and other assessments of motorcyclists’ clothing, of which riders, retailers and clothing suppliers were amongst the interested parties who attended.
2012 – The TAC conducted feasibility studies including community and industry consultations to establish support for a PPE ratings program.
Motorcycle gear tested in a thermal chamber with (from left) research assistant Liz Taylor, volunteer rider Dr Greg Peoples, Liz de Rome and Nigel Taylor.
2014 – The AMC formed a Protective Clothing Sub-Committee which developed a Position Statement on Protective Clothing from a rider’s perspective.
2014 2015, 2016 – AMC Annual Conferences invited PPE researchers to provide updates on research progress on protective clothing.
2015 – The AMC collated and listed CE approved gear available in Australia on its website to assist riders in choosing suitable gear. The AMC joined the Australian and New Zealand Working Group tasked to develop a 5 Star Rating scheme.
2015 – The Motorcycle Protective Clothing working group formed, consisting of 10 members from government agencies and motoring clubs, led by the TAC.
2015 – NSW Parliamentary Stay Safe Committee Inquiry into motorcycle safety recommended that a star rating scheme for motorcyclists protective clothing be developed (Staysafe Committee 2015).
2015 – The NSW Minister for Roads, announced the establishment of a national project to develop a consumer rating program for motorcycle protective clothing and to encourage manufacturers to provide a range of more effective protective clothing suitable for Australian conditions (NSW Government 2015).
2016 – The science program ‘Catalyst’ produced a segment on motorcycle protective clothing, this was broadcast by the national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC)
2016 – The Transport for NSW, Centre for Road Safety (CRS) assumed the lead role for the Motorcycle Protective Clothing working group and commissioned the development of test protocols for a PPE star rating scheme in consultation with industry (de Rome et al 2016). The CRS actively sought interested parties, and the consortium grew to 20 members.
2016 – Dr Liz de Rome and Dr Chris Hurren from Deakin University Institute for Frontier Materials were contracted to the consortium to develop test and rating protocols for motorcycle protective clothing.
Chris Hurren and his Honda GB400
2016 – The test protocols were distributed for comment to the motorcycle accessories industry in Australia and New Zealand including local manufacturers and importers.
2017 – Liz and C hris were contracted to trial the test protocols fr a 12-month period, allowing time for industry to respond. Product test results were released on a confidential basis to the relevant local manufacturer or importer.
2018 – The doctors were contracted to the consortium to conduct testing of motorcycle protective clothing for publication under the MotoCAP program.
2018 – The Motorcycle Clothing Assessment Program, or MotoCAP, and the accompanying website, www.motocap.com.au, were launched in September by the MotoCAP working group, with products tested at the Deakin University Institute for Frontier Materials. At launch, there were 20 products rated on the website. At the time of this submission, there were 128 products on the website, with the site frequently updated.
Under MotoCAP, the National Association of Testing Authorities-accredited laboratory at Deakin University, led by Dr Chris Hurren, tests and rates the protective performance and thermal management of a random sample of the motorcycle jackets, pants and gloves available in Australia and New Zealand.
The CRS publishes the results on the MotoCAP website on behalf of the consortium.The ratings use the same test methods as current European standards, and rather than using a simple pass/fail score, they allow products to be ranked and rated on their relative performance, allowing riders to choose the most appropriate gear for their riding conditions.
The draft test protocols have been distributed widely across the Australian and New Zealand industry, including to importers and manufacturers, to enable industry to test their own products against the MotoCAP requirements.
MotoCAP is a partnership between Transport for NSW, State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), VicRoads, Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), Lifetime Support Authority (LSA), Western Australian Police: Road Safety Commission, Department of State Growth, Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Australian Motorcycle Council and Accident Compensation Corporation in New Zealand.
While drink riding may be rare, it does happen, but not if a Taiwanese smart helmet fitted with a breathalyser becomes available.
The “Bluetooth Alcohol Detection Smart Motorcycle Helmet” was designed by Taipei City University of Science and Technology and has won best invention at the recent Seoul International Invention Fair.
It includes a breathalyser to test the blood alcohol content of the rider’s breath when they put on the helmet.
The helmet is also connected via Bluetooth to the motorcycle and prevents it starting if it detects alcohol on the rider’s breath.
Obviously the bike would be set up to only start in the presence of the helmet, but that doesn’t stop a rider having it as a spare or the pillion wearing it!
Drink driving and riding
This helmet is similar to the Saab-invented Alcohol Interlock which requires a driver to blow into a tube to activate the ignition.
Mind you, that didn’t stop him winning the 2019 Kenneth A Stonex road safety award after advocating wire rope barriers, lower speed limits, mandatory hi-vis rider vests and mandatory electronic rider aids.
Honda smart helmet
It’s not just Taiwanese science students who think this helmet tech is the answer.
If you head into roadworks, get ready to rumble over new temporary yellow rumble strips that have been deemed a safe for motorcycles.
The temporary portable rumble strips have been trialled in NSW for the past two years and have been used in other states including Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland for a few years.
Now the bright yellow 20mm high strips are being formally introduced into NSW.
Rumble safely
Temporary rumble strips are used throughout the world
We asked SafeWork NSW if the strips would pose a slip hazard for riders, but they claim they “are safe for vehicles to drive over, including motorcyclists”.
We suggest riders approach the strips slowly and at right angles so the front wheel doesn’t slip along the leading edge.
They will be installed along with road signs and warnings on selected roadwork sites where the speed limit is 60km/h or less.
These rumble strips do exactly that … they “rumble” or vibrate when you ride over them.
They may also cause a slight bump in your bike’s steering.
Roadworks crashes
Waiting at roadworks lights
SafeWork NSW Executive Director Operations, Tony Williams, says the temporary strips are a response to crashes at roadworks.
“With the current amount of roadwork projects and investment in NSW the more workers we have out there developing our infrastructure, the more we need to address the risks associated with construction work,” he says.
“Many workers are seriously injured or killed when hit by moving plant, or in on-site vehicle collisions.
“Last month a worker sustained multiple fractures after he was struck by a vehicle when collecting warning signs at a Hornsby roadwork site.
“Rumble strips are a simple way to remind drivers and motorists that they are in a higher risk area.
“Other essential safe work systems include separating workers from moving plant and vehicles wherever possible, with physical barricades, exclusion zones and segregated work processes.”
Riders travelling through regional NSW this weekend not only need to be on the lookout for bushfires and road closures, but also police.
NSW Police have launched Operation Chrome which they say will be “focusing on reducing rural road trauma this weekend”.
Operation Chrome is being conducted in the Northern, Southern and Western regions tomorrow (Friday 29 November 2019) and Saturday (30 November 2019).
Here is the full police press release:
The operation will utilise police from all districts within each region, working alongside officers from the Traffic & Highway Patrol Command to provide a coordinated effort to reducing rural road trauma.
Police will be targeting poor driving behaviours on rural roads – including speeding, drink and drug-driving, not wearing seatbelts, using a mobile phone behind the wheel and fatigue.
Drivers and riders should expect to see more police on rural roads and highways over the weekend.
Northern Region Commander, Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell APM, said reducing rural road trauma is a top priority for the regional NSW.
“So far in 2019, 234 people have lost their lives on regional roads – that’s 19 more than this time last year.
“Operation Chrome is designed to not only target the main highways, but the back roads and suburban streets. Expect to see us in numbers this weekend. It won’t just be officers from the Traffic & Highway Patrol that will be tasked with keeping everyone safe on our roads.
“If you are on the road and doing something wrong, you will be stopped by police in an unmarked car, general duties police, or one of our highway patrol officers.
“Our main aim is to stop fatal crashes before they happen. Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. It’s that simple,” Assistant Commissioner Mitchell said.
Now don’t say you haven’t been given a decent warning!
MotoCAP has added eight more jackets and two more pairs of pants to its safety and thermal comfort ratings, bringing the total to 160.
The world’s first safety and comfort ratings system for motorcycle clothing began in August last year.
It has now rated 160 items of clothing, including 43 pairs of pants, 47 pairs of gloves and 70 jackets.
This release adds a third well-performing women’s jacket to the range of dedicated female gear rated on their website.
The DriRider Paris leather jacket (pictured above) scored three out of five stars for protection, and two out of five stars for thermal comfort, matching the rating of the current highest performing ladies jacket, the Dainese Mike.
Dainese Mike Lady jacket
Ratings system
While some claim the ratings system is flawed, it at least now has a decent amount of clothing rated and provides a guide for buyers.
MotoCAP is a partnership between Transport for NSW, State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), VicRoads, Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), Lifetime Support Authority (LSA), Western Australian Police: Road Safety Commission, Department of State Growth, Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Australian Motorcycle Council and Accident Compensation Corporation in New Zealand.
Passing long trucks can be easy for motorcycles with their rapid rate of acceleration, but there are several dangers you can encounter when you overtake a truck.
Here are our four safety tips for passing a truck.
1 Beware the blind spots
Goldwing Facebook page warning photo
When passing a truck, you need to be aware that they have a lot of blind spots that can swallow a small motorcycle.
The Goldwing World Facebook page published the photograph above warning of the extent of these blind spots claiming that all the bikes in the photo are in the truck’s blind spots.
Note that the photo is American, so the positions are reversed for left-hand-drive countries.
Remember, not all trucks, buses and other big vehicles are the same. Fixed vehicles such as vans and buses/coaches have different blind spots to B doubles or prime movers with trailers. There are also extra blind spots for trucks with hoods (eg Mack) rather than cab-over trucks (eg Hino) with flat fronts.
For fixed vehicles, the worst blind spot is close on the inside (left in RHD countries and right for LHD countries) of the vehicle. Most heavy vehicles have blind-spot mirrors, but fast-accelerating bikes can zoom into view so quickly on a slow-moving vehicle, the driver may not have had a chance to see them.
Prime movers also have the problem that when they turn, their mirrors, which are fixed to the prime mover, show only a view of the trailer on one side and a wide view on the other, creating a massive blind spot area.
For trucks like Mack with a big bonnet, almost everywhere from the mirrors forward is a blind spot, especially by the inside fender. Drivers say riders can slip into the gap in front of a truck without them seeing the bike, which could result in a rear-ender as they approach a red traffic light.
2 Overtake quickly
Motorcycles accelerate quickly so passing a truck can only take a couple of seconds.
Despite it being illegal to speed, I always overtake quickly to spend as little time beside the truck as possible.
The above video was recorded in 2016 on the Logan Motorway in Brisbane, but it could happen anywhere.
Just look at the amount of truck tyre debris on our roads. Any one of those tyre blowouts could easily have claimed the life of a rider.
When passing a truck, it’s probably better to risk a speeding fine and ride by quickly than to sit alongside, or if a truck decides to overtake you on a multi-lane road, either speed up or slow down.
Also, take a wide berth by moving into the furthest wheel track of the adjacent lane.
Be aware that the rear trailer on a road train can suddenly wag sideways by a couple of metres.
Way too close!
3 Prepare for the blast
Trucks have a lot of wind resistance creating “dirty air” or turbulence that can unsettle a small motorcycle at highway speed.
The worst are not the closed-in trailers, but open trailers such as car carriers and livestock trailers. (Another tip: Don’t follow livestock trailers too closely unless you want to be showered in sh*t!)
Closed-in trailers tend to create “still air” as you pass, then you suddenly get hit by a blast of wind.
So be prepared as you pass, lean forward, hold on tight and power through.
Riders steer clear of trucks
4 Don’t cut in
Don’t cut into the truck’s lane as soon as you pass.
For a start they may not see you and drive right over the top of you at the next set of traffic lights.
Also, if you have to brake suddenly, the truck will have a lot less stopping power than you and will simply drive straight over the top of your motorcycle.
5 Show courtesy
They are bigger than you and they deserve respect.
Also, if you show a little courtesy, truckies will show some back. Many even flash their indicators to show you when it is safe to pass.
That’s handy as they have a high view and can see a lot further ahead.
A world-first online motorcycle-specific hazard perception test has identified a scenario where a SMIDSY crash was the rider’s fault.
The Western Australian Department of Transport (DoT) adopted the computer video tests developed by Austroads last year as part of the assessment process for obtaining a motorcycle licence. In that time, almost 2000 riders have completed the test.
It shows three scenarios:
Riding down a suburban street at night with a vehicle coming from a side street on the left;
Approaching gravel on a country road; and
Making a right turn at traffic lights.
The participant is supposed to hit a button at an appropriate time to: slow down as you approach the vehicle coming from the side street; slow down before hitting the gravel; and turn right after all vehicles, including a motorcycle, have cleared the intersection.
Rider perception
While riders may think all SMIDSY (Sorry Mate, I Didn’t See You) crashes are the other motorist’s fault, the first scenario identifies that the rider is at fault.
The driver could easily come out of the side street as they could not see the rider who is masked by a car that is turning into that street.
The rider should have slowed when the masking vehicle put on its left turn indicator.
It’s a typical SMIDSY situation where the rider should have anticipated that the driver couldn’t see them.
The last scenario is also a possible SMIDSY where the rider could turn after an approaching car turns in front of them only to run into an approaching rider that was hidden.
One of the biggest problems with the development of autonomous cars is the detection of small and vulnerable motorcyclists in traffic.
So the San Francisco chapter of the Iron Order Motorcycle Club recently volunteered the services of seven members to help develop Aurora Driver technology.
They spent a day riding around with cars driven in manual mode by testers from Californian autonomous vehicle company Aurora.
Some of the unique situations tested were detecting riders who were lane splitting, which is only legal in California in the USA, and stopping in an offset position, rather than right in front of a car.
The bikes included four Harley-Davidsons, a KTM, an Indian and a Yamaha cruiser.
Volunteers (Images: Aurora)
Autonomous cars
Detecting motorcycles is a bit of a headache for autonomous cars development.
In one incident in San Francisco last year a lane filtering rider was hit by a Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle being driven in autonomous mode.
Electric car company Tesla has launched its Version 9 software update to Autopilot 2.0+ hardware that has a more advanced “neural net” to detect smaller and faster-moving objects around the vehicle.
That is supposed to include lane-filtering motorcycles.
However, Tesla Model 3 owner Scott Kubo shot this video to show the difficulties it has detecting motorcycles.
There are several examples of lane-splitting riders in LA travelling at much higher speeds than the 30km/h lane filtering maximum in Australia.
The system struggles at times to detect them both day and night.
Tesla detects lane filtering rider in video, but not on the sidescreen graphic.
In some cases it mistakes a bike for a car and in others the bike is in the next lane and passing right through cars!
Scott says drivers also use their ears to detect motorcycles and suggests an audio sensor to help the camera and radar sensors.
Riding age varies throughout the world with Kosovo allowing riders and drivers on the road from the age of 12!
Lower licence age?
While that might seem extreme, several countries have restricted licences for riders aged in their mid teens.
The notion is that if they can ride a bicycle on the road without a licence, why not let them ride a low-powered moped, scooter or motorcycle?
That way they would learn valuable road craft lessons before graduating to a higher-powered motorcycle or other vehicle.
The German move from 16 to 15 follows a six-year trial.
They argue that since it is legal to work from 15, young people should be allowed access to a vehicle to get to work, especially in rural communities with little or no public transport.
Germany also plans to allow any person with a full car licence to ride a motorcycle that can travel no faster than 100km/h (62mph).
It is a little more generous than moped laws in Queensland and WA where car drivers can ride a bike up to 50cc without having to pass a special test.
Car licence first?
Australians and New Zealanders can get a motorcycle learner’s licence from the age of 16 (15 years 9 months in the ACT), except Queensland where you need a car licence for a year first.
While Queensland requires learner riders to first hold a provisional, P1, P2 or open car licence for a year, South Australia also suggests that riders must have a learner plate for a year.
It runs contrary to practices in some countries where 15-year-olds can first ride a two-wheeler up to 50cc before getting a car or motorcycle licence.
Moped and restricted motorcycle licence ages in Europe are: 14 in Latvia and Estonia; 15 in France, Czech Republic, Spain; and 16 in Portugal, Romania.
Licence age in most of Europe is 17 or 18 years.
In the USA, South Dakota allows 14-year-olds to get a learner’s permit and their full licence sixmonths later. However, there are restrictions on engine sizes.
In most American states 15-year-olds can get a learner’s permit, a restricted licence at 16 and six months to a year later they can get a licence.
Iowa and Kansas allow 14-year-olds to get a learner’s permit but they have a two-year wait to get a restricted licence.
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MotoCAP is the outcome of almost 20 years research and consultations, led by Dr Liz de Rome, with the support of the Australian Motorcycle Council. The key milestones include: 
