2019 is nearly over and it does not look like a good year in terms of motorcycle accidents and fatalities. Across most states the number of fatal motorcycle accidents has increased. This is despite a decline in the number of motorcycle sales, which continues from previous years.
Fatal Motorcycle Accidents – State by State
We are only days away from the 2019-2020 Festive Season, the season which traditionally sees an increase in road fatalities. The year is not yet over and we already have 203 motorcycle fatalities in Australia. This tragic number is an increase from 187 in 2018.
NSW
NSW had the largest number of motorcycle fatalities in 2019: 63 riders and pillion passengers were killed in NSW this year up to 16-Dec-2019. An increase of 27% from 54 fatalities during the same period in 2018.
Source: Transport for NSW
Victoria
44 riders and pillion passengers were killed in Victoria this year up to 17-Dec-2019. An increase of 16% from 38 during the same period in 2018.
Source: Transport Accident Commission
Queensland
43 riders and pillion passengers were killed in Queensland this year up to 15-Dec-2019. An increase of 7.5% from 40 during the same period in 2018.
Source: Queensland Government
South Australia
South Australia had the biggest increase in motorcycle fatalities in 2019: 17 riders were killed in SA this year up to 17-Dec-2019. This is an increase of 89% from 9 fatalities during the same period in 2018.
No pillion passengers were killed in SA during 2019.
Source: South Australia Department of Planning Transport and Infrastructure
Western Australia
31 riders and pillion passengers were killed in Western Australia this year up to 2-Dec-2019. An increase of 7% from 29 during the entire year in 2018.
Source: WA Road Safety Commission
Tasmania
Tasmania was one of the only two states with reduction in motorcycle fatalities. Up to 30th-Sept Tassie had a drop of 57% from 7 fatalities in 2018 to 3 in 2019.
It also had a drop of 4.8% in serious injuries, down from 52 in 2018 to 49 in 2019
Source: Department of State Growth
Northern Territory
The NT was the other state with a reduction in motorcycle fatalities in 2019. Up to 30-Nov-2019 two riders were killed in the Northern Territory. This is compared with 8 during the same period in 2018.
Source: NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services
ACT
There were no motorcycle fatalities in the ACT in 2019 (up to 30-Nov).
Let’s Reduce this Toll
This increase in motorcycle fatalities in 2019 is very alarming and we need to reduce this number.
It is a fact that many motorcycle accidents can be avoided or prevented. We, the riders, have the ultimate responsibility for our lives and we need to do everything we can to avoid a crash. Maintaining our buffer, expecting the unexpected, avoiding riding on the edge, riding at a speed that allows us to respond to any unexpected situation. All these are part of a riding strategy we need to follow, one that relies on a clear set of survival rules.
But it is not just up to us, the riders. Others have their responsibilities too, including other drivers and the authorities.
Other drivers and road users need to be more motorcycle aware and look out for motorcycles. They must look twice when pulling out from a side street and when they merge. They need to avoid looking at their phones and they need to be aware of the safety of lane filtering.
Governments have a responsibility too. Prioritising the removal of hazards (potholes, loose surface, gravel and grooves, slippery markings) will prevent some accidents. Driver education, driver training and motorcycle awareness campaigns will increase awareness. We need to remind everyone that motorcycles are not the problem, but rather, part of the solution.
In addition, state governments need to work closer with the riding community when it comes to safety issues. Issues such as safety barriers, accessible advanced rider training, laws regarding safety gear. These are only a few of the issues in which riders should have their input.
Together we can reduce this tragic toll.
Be safe. Enjoy the ride.
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The actual causes of these fatalities needs to be looked at before there is any debate. Is it speed , is it lack of rider experience . Is it road conditions, is it overpowered motorcycles, is it driver error or rider error. Is it the roadworthy condition of their equipment. Is it lack of protective riding gear. As a rider of 55 yrs I’ve noticed many instances where riders take too many risks on our roads, usually it’s speed or blatant rule braking such as overtaking on unbroken lines.
Indeed, many accidents could have been avoided and many are rider’s fault. In my view we all need to do our bit in order to reduce the number of fatalities. Regardless of the cause.
The Australian Government Transport bureau known as http://www.bitre.gov.au has all the data you need.
I recommend the following links….
https://www.bitre.gov.au/statistics/safety
https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiMTU1MjFmMWEtNWI2Yy00Mjc2LTg1NzQtZmUwOGE0MTE0MTVhIiwidCI6ImFhMjFiNjQwLWJhYzItNDU2ZC04NTA1LWYyY2MwN2Y1MTc4NCJ9
The 2nd link is where the good stuff exists. It’s a Business Intelligence page which allows you to drill down on anything you’re interested in. I strongly recmommend Page 3 of 5 because it gives a rolling year on year total which ends at the month of the last known data to be uploaded. You can also focus on Page 4 of 5, but that page won’t be complete until data for December is uploaded in mid January.
Some key figures are as follows…. as at the end of November 2019 the overall road toll for the previous 12 months was 1,183 lives lost. This is the 3rd lowest number since 2010 (and also the 3rd lowest number since 1970). However, if you drill down on “single vehicle motorcycling fatalities” the trend line swims against the overall downward trend. For the same timeframe the number was 97, the 2nd highest number ever recorded.
If we then focus on motorcycle deaths in multiple vehicle incidents, the overall trend line for that subset of data is falling with 109 being the 4th lowest number recorded since 2010.
The conclusion to take away from this data is motorcyclists are increasingly killing themselves in single vehicle accidents through their own misadventure. Yes, it’s easy to look at distracted driving as the single greatest danger to the modern motorcyclist – but it isn’t true. The single biggest danger to the modern motorcyclists IS the mordern motorcyclist, as evidenced by the shocking number who are increasingly dying from single vehicle accidents.
I see you’re at it again, Ivan. Same misleading victim blaming tactics that you employ against people who ride push bikes.
People will make mistakes, that’s a inevitable part of the human condition. What happens next is a result of the system.
All road fatalities need proper analysation before a course of action to rectify it can be found. For too long we have said it is just speed and thought draconian Policing is the answer. In NSW we have gone to the point of strict policing in areas where motorcyclists ride clearly hasn’t worked either made the state cash but not fixed the problem.
If anything it just made people dislike the police more which isn’t an answer.
We all know the answer is education. Rather than booking everyone to the point they sell their motorbikes we encourage eduction as the penalty.
Most riders have accidents prior to being in fatalities, if you have an accident maybe instead of being issued a fine you are made to attend a skills course. If you’re a habitual speeder maybe put them on a 12 month big bike ban, make them ride lams for a year.
Clearly their methodology of double points, fines and a draconian highway patrol doesn’t work.
I’m a believer that the government and riders/drivers can make better solutions but it means getting away from cameras and fines and moving towards education. This will mean the re education of not only drivers but of the highway patrol that police them.
Agree with most of the comments above and thank you Ivan for the links. I’m not looking to lessen the message here, too many motorcyclists are dying and clearly a significant number of these are single vehicle incidents where it could be argued that rider error is the cause. (It would be informative to have a clear classification of this but perhaps it can’t always be determined). Anyway, my point is that comparing data across years needs to be done with careful consideration of volumes. What’s being shown is the numerator, the number of incidents in the same time period (a year) but the denominator is not being considered. What was the total number of registered motorcycles that year, or better still, the aggregate kilometres traveled or riding time. You must standardise the data appropriately if you want to compare yearly numbers. (I do this for a living). Say we had miserable weather where it rained every day in 2020, and the number of motorcyclists out on the roads dropped dramatically. That the number of incidents also drops is obviously not indicative of improved riding/driving behaviors.
Having said that, the fact that the trend is downward for muti-vehicle incidents but slightly upward for single does say something, I agree.