Scooter News You said what! Scooters termed the new "Menace" by a survey carried out by insurance company.
Allen Drysdale We have seen a recent spate of publicity across the nation
Due to a survey published by AAMI nationally a number of publications being press, TV and radio have run with a story with little regard to research.
In country areas the story focused on Motorcycles while in major CBD centres the focus changed to scooters. Scooters were labeled the new “Menace”.
The general thing between them was that they all used motorcycle statistics to back up the claims even when arguing the case against scooters.
With a survey group of just over 2000 people AAMI came to the conclusion that scooterists are the new menace on the road and even more so then their two wheeled motorcycle cousins.
Whilst everybody would be in agreement that if you are on a motorcycle or a scooter you have less protection the overall conclusion needed to be reached that a scooter is a far different animal to a motorcycle.
The biggest concern overall was the total neglect for what a scooter is and why it is of value.Listen to the recordings on radio of a senior Victorian police figure and radio presenter or a prominent celebrity on TV and you soon get the picture that a whole lot more needs to be achieved on what is a scooter. Let alone what are the benefits of riding one.
A scooter is not a toy and it’s also not a high powered geared monster. A scooter is an alternative that holds the answer too many a CBD’s transportation solution.
Cheap to run, easy to park, low fuel and running costs, a scooter brings convenience and value to ones life.
In summary I wonder how many of the people surveyed sit in vehicles jammed up one by one trying to get to the next destination whilst the scooter or motorcycle rider is already there. It’s easy to see how peak hour traffic can cause the blame.
Nobody would dispute the fact that it is a whole lot more dangerous on two wheels rather then four. But the need for a full understanding of what a scooter can be is required.
Scooters can be so beneficial for all the before mentioned reasons not to mention the environmental picture which the world is now facing.
So far from letting this one just drive by, a scooter is not just about looking cool; a scooter can also provide a solution to our heavily populated congested cities.
Here is an example extract that copied itself across papers and internet sites nationwide.
Motor scooters 'new menace' on roads July 18, 2007
AS motorcycle and scooter sales soar, more than one third of NSW drivers say scooters are the "new menace" on Sydney roads.
Scooter sales for the six months to April were 20 per cent higher than the same period last year, while motorcycle sales enjoyed an even bigger jump - of 36 per cent - in the same period, insurance company AAMI said.
But it said motor scooters, usually with automatic transmission and simpler to ride, are still seen as a worse hazard than their more powerful two-wheeled counterparts on major city roads.
Quoting figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, AAMI said almost half of the 120,827 scooters and motorcycles registered in NSW last year are located in Sydney.
"Motorcycle and scooter sales have soared over the past 12 months - possibly because of rising fuel costs, road traffic and congestion and people's frustration with crowded public transport," AAMI NSW corporate affairs manager Selina O'Connor said.
"However, according to the latest AAMI research, many drivers are annoyed with the increased presence of motor scooters on major city roads, with one-third of NSW drivers calling them the `new menace'."
The research also showed 78 per cent of NSW car drivers in the survey said they had seen motorcyclists breaking the law and taking unnecessary risks on the roads.
"This isn't to say that car drivers are any safer or less erratic than motorcyclists, but it does suggest they need to be more vigilant and not take dangerous risks like ducking and weaving in and out of traffic," Ms O'Connor said.
"The unfortunate and often tragic reality is that the motorcycle or scooter rider will come off second best in an accident involving a car, regardless of who is at fault."
Mr O'Connor said a 2004 RTA study had shown in the event of a crash, motorcycle riders were 20 times more likely to be killed than drivers.
published 20/07/2007 |