Motorcycle Safety 101
On average, 58 motorcyclists are injured every month on our roads – that’s almost 2 a day. It’s clear motorcyclists are vulnerable road users, so let’s all do our part to reduce rider injury and fatalities in SA.
Last year, motorcycles only made up about 4% of South Australia’s registered vehicles, yet riders accounted for almost a quarter of the fatalities and 35% of the serious injuries on our roads.
Motorcyclist Harald Lindemann has 45 years’ experience riding under his belt, and has witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly on his bike. He was sideswiped by a truck while
riding in India and has experienced his fair share of near misses on city streets here in Adelaide.
“I’ve had a couple of crashes,” Harald says. His confrontation with the truck in India ended with a crushed foot that prevented him from riding for about 6 months. Another crash closer to home saw him come off his bike.
“I was riding in the rain once [in Adelaide] and went through a set of lights. On the other side, a car braked quickly.
“I hit my brakes and the front end lost it. The bike slid across the road and came to stop at a parked car.”
Fortunately, Harald was okay on this occasion and didn’t suffer any major injuries. But he says near misses occur almost every time he rides on the road.
“A driver might pull out in front of you or brake hard, so you have to take evasive action to make sure you don’t hit them,” he says.
Crashes resulting in injuries are unfortunately a reality for many motorcyclists whether they’re travelling on country or suburban roads. Since 2017 there have been more than 2000 casualty motorcycle crashes in South Australia in which the rider has needed medical attention.
Over that same period, about 600 motorcyclists have been seriously injured on our roads.
Harald says the crashes he’s had, both overseas and here in Adelaide, in the past, have impacted the way he rides today.
“I think [the crashes] have made me more aware of what’s going on around me and how my bike handles,” he says.
“On a motorcycle, there’s always an element of risk. It’s important you know how your bike reacts in different situations, whether it’s on sand, bitumen or gravel.”
So, what’s causing motorcycle crashes on SA roads?
A study published last year by the Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR) at the University of Adelaide found riders had a higher risk of serious injury if they crashed, compared to occupants of other types of vehicle.
The study, which compared motorcycle crashes to other vehicle collisions resulting in hospitalisations, discovered that motorcyclists were most likely to be involved in single-vehicle crashes where they’d rolled over, left the road or hit an animal. Most crashes occurred on the weekend, during the day, on winding roads.
Images: RAA, Wil Stevens
Harald Lindemann
