The Travelsafe Committee of the 51st Parliament was motivated to commence the inquiry into the Q-RIDE rider training program by the growing number of motorcycle1 crashes in Queensland and concerns that Q-RIDE may be a contributing factor. The committee subsequently resolved to investigate whether Q-RIDE was adequately training riders to be skilled and safety conscious prior to licensing and whether, as a rider training program, it helped prevent rider crashes, or was contributing to the increasing number of rider crashes in Queensland. Clearly, motorcyclists are more exposed to the risk of injury and death from crashes than other road users. Queensland Transport (QT) attributes riders’ increased vulnerability to serious injury to the lack of protection provided by motorcycles and the unforgiving nature of road surfaces. The significance of motorcycle trauma to the Queensland road toll has grown in recent years with the resurgence of interest in motorcycling and greater numbers of riders taking to the road. During the period January 2002 to March 2006, the number of motorcycles registered in Australia grew from 370,982 to 463,057, an increase of 24.8 per cent. Between 2001 and 2006, Queensland recorded the largest state/territory increase in motorcycle registrations (48.7 per cent). (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting