ALMOST 100 motorcyclists have been seriously injured in road trauma incidents in Brimbank in the past five years, prompting calls for motorists to be more aware of riders.
Statistics from the Transport Accident Commission’s crash database reveal 98 motorcyclists were involved in crashes requiring hospitalisation in the five years to August last year.
A survey of motorcyclists commissioned by Slater and Gordon found 76 per cent of riders said negative attitudes towards motorcyclists by other road users significantly decreased rider safety.
Sunshine motor vehicle accident lawyer Craig Lynch said it was extremely concerning that 45 per cent of respondents said they had been injured in a road accident.
“The serious injury statistics for Brimbank show that road trauma involving motorcyclists is a significant issue,” he said. “There is very little standing between a motorcyclist and death or serious injury in the event of an accident.
“We regularly come into contact with injured riders and one common theme among many of them is that they feel their accident could have been avoided if other road users had greater awareness of motorcyclists.”
Jonathan Baker, 52, was involved in a collision with a speeding car while riding his motorbike in Footscray in 2010, changing his life irrecoverably. After sustaining serious leg injuries, he was forced to quit his job as a forklift driver.
“The physical aspects of my job ended up being too much for me as I’m in constant pain,” he said.
Mr Baker said drivers needed to be more cautious.
“The attitude that it’s going to be OK or an accident isn’t going to happen if you just speed past needs to change.”
Brimbank’s Sergeant Rod Stein said while motorcycle crash rates were on par with most other municipalities in the west, road users needed to be vigilant.
