Govt joins initiative for motorcycle safety

Accident Compensation Corporation Minister Nick Smith says the one-a-week fatality rate for motorcyclists is unacceptable. Photo / APN

The Government has moved to defuse motorcyclists' anger at the $30-a-year safety charge levied on them last year with a $2 million a year programme to reduce accident rates.

The initiative in partnership with motorcycling advocacy groups will be targeted largely at middle-aged recreational riders returning to the road on large powerful bikes after years out of the saddle, a group celebrated in the 2007 Hollywood film Wild Hogs.

The new Motorcycle Safety Levy Advisory Council, which will oversee the application of the money, has just met for the first time.

It is chaired by prominent motorcyclist, fund manager and philanthropist Gareth Morgan and includes representatives from the mature bikers organisation the Ulysses Club, women's bikers and scooter riders' groups.

The growing popularity of motorcycling in the past decade has seen a rapid increase in the number of fatalities among bikers - from 30 in 2000 to 50 last year during which time the overall road toll fell by 24 per cent. Over the same period ACC motorcycle-related claims rose from 1072 to 4110.

Accident Compensation Corporation Minister Nick Smith said the one-a-week fatality rate was unacceptable.

He said the initiative was partly driven by the anger of motorcyclists at having to pay the levy.

"A silver lining out of that dispute has been a real commitment from motorcyclist groups to work with government to improve safety."

Dr Morgan said motorcyclists didn't want to pay the levy, "and the Government doesn't want us to have accidents".

The increase in accident rates was largely down to the trend in recent years of "old buggers coming back into motorcycling who have been out since their youth".

"They're getting on bikes that are too big for them with a lot of weight, a lot of momentum and a lot of speed."

They tended to be on higher salaries, "so for the taxpayer to have to fund their salary when they're out of commission is a very expensive proposition".

Dr Smith said the rise in accidents was also down to busier roads which increased the challenges for motorcyclists.

The council is to develop a strategic plan - involving education for bikers and motorists and road improvements - by the middle of the year with the first practical steps taken before the year's end. He said the levy would be reduced if accident numbers fell, but would be increased if accidents kept increasing.