BUSSELTON’S Steve Andrews has been riding a motorbike for more than 40 years and said the government’s approach to road safety was a step in the right direction.
The state government has launched a new three-pronged approach to road safety following the news that Western Australia recorded its worst road toll in four years in 2014.
Last year 184 people died on WA roads - 24 more than 2013.
One hundred and two of those deaths occurred on regional roads and at least 39 were motorcycle crashes.
Road Safety Minister Liza Harvey said the response would target three major components of the road toll: speeding, motorcycle fatalities and country road crashes.
The minister said a Motorcycle Safety Review group would conduct a detailed analysis of the motorcycle fatal and serious crashes from the past five years.
“The group will look at crash types, locations and factors then look to establish clear measures to improve rider safety in the areas of roads, vehicle safety, speed and rider behaviour,” she said.
Mr Andrews said he hoped to see the safety review consult a wide range of people including the motorcycle community.
“The challenge will be implementing the findings,” he said.
He said he would like to see more training for motorcycle riders and more education for car drivers as well motorbike riders.
“Driver and rider attitude is the biggest problem in my opinion,” he said.
By teaching young people about the responsibility and consequences of driving, hopefully attitudes will change Mr Andrews said.
Sadly, Mr Andrews knows first hand what it is like to lose someone to a motorcycle crash.
In August 2014, Black Dog Ride coordinator Les James past away during the ride around WA.
“It saddens me to see any death on the road, it impacts so many people’s lives,” he said.
As the founder of Black Dog Ride Mr Andrews said the organisation did everything it could to provide safety to its riders.
However, some things were out of their control and unavoidable, Mr Andrew said.
The government’s road toll response measures and review outcomes will be funded by the Road Trauma Trust Account.
The rate of fatalities on WA's roads in 2014 exceeded the national average, prompting concern from the RAC.
