Gareth Morgan to head motorcycle safety group

Economist Gareth Morgan rode on to the Parliament forecourt in Wellington atop a 1200cc BMW motorbike today to launch a new motorcycle safety council.

The Motorcycle Safety Levy Advisory Council, headed by Dr Morgan, is to receive $2 million of funding through the ACC Motorcycle Safety Levies of $30 introduced last July.

ACC Minister Nick Smith said 50 New Zealanders were killed on motorcycles last year and road users needed to work together to reduce the motorcycle road toll.

"This new initiative is about the Government working with motorcyclists to improve safety, save lives and reduce the costs of accidents."

Dr Smith said a similar programme in Victoria, Australia, had reduced motorcycle fatalities and serious injuries by 20 percent since it was brought in, in 2002.

"If we could achieve likewise, it would save 10 motorcycle fatalities per year."

Dr Morgan, a recreational motorcyclist, said motorcyclists and the Government were in harmony on the issue of safety.

"We don't want to pay the levy, and they don't want us to have accident, well, one goes with the other," he said.

"Motorcycle rider education is very important here. If you're going to ride like a bat out of hell when you're in amongst traffic you're just putting yourself at a huge risk and there are too many good rides to enjoy to keep doing that."

Dr Smith said he expected the council's strategic plan to be in place midway through this year and for a number of programmes to be up and running.

"But it is true that it is a three- to five-year plan. If we look at the experience in Victoria, that's the sort of timeframe it took to really make a shift in those injuries and fatal accident."

Dr Smith said the motorcycle levy would be reduced or removed if the number of accidents decreased.

"The levy for motorcyclists is based on the number of accidents. If the number of motorcycle accidents continues to go up, it's inevitable that the levy will go up," Dr Smith said.

"If we can save ACC the money of motorcycle accidents, we can pass that benefit on to motorcyclists."