Riders at risk without the leathers (smh.com.au)

Guy Stanford/MCCNSW feature in today's Sydney Morning Herald:

Riders at risk without the leathers
Kate Benson Medical Reporter
September 13, 2008
Advertisement

SYDNEY'S love affair with scooters has a price, say doctors and
ambulance officers who are seeing a growing number of riders injured
because they don't wear protective clothing or full-face helmets.

There are more than 6200 scooters on NSW roads, including about 1870
registered last year alone, as motorists struggle to beat rising petrol
prices and Sydney's congested traffic. But experts fear riders are not
taking the dangers seriously.

"When people buy a scooter, they are in love with the image promoted
by advertisers, so you have plenty of young girls in short skirts and
heels riding around the streets," the chairman of the Motorcycle
Council of NSW, Guy Stanford, said. "Well, sorry, the crash statistics
say it's all the same, whether you're on a scooter or a motorcycle.
If you come off and you're not wearing protective gear, such as jackets
with body armour, gloves, boots and eyewear, you can find yourself ...
inconvenienced for months."

Or dead, says the Roads and Traffic Authority, which points out
motorcycle riders are 16 to 20 times more likely to be killed in
a road accident than a car occupant.

Despite that, many scooter riders wear half-face helmets, which
don't protect the chin and teeth and rarely come with visors to
protect the eyes from common dangers, including insects and burning
cigarettes thrown from cars. Only 51 per cent of riders wear leather
boots, which can prevent fractured bones piercing the skin and infections
from gravel and grease on the road. Only 38 per cent wear motorcycle
pants.

Mr Stanford, who believes half of all motorcycle injuries could be
reduced or prevented if people wore protective clothing, said cheaper
helmets, usually the half-face versions, were often heavier and put
extra stress on the neck and spine in an accident, while riders who
wore jackets without body armour were at risk of chipping bones in
their elbows or vertebrae.

The most common injuries from motorcycle falls or crashes included
fractured skulls, bruising and bleeding on the brain, compound
fractures of the leg and infections caused by gravel rash, but
some injuries were particular to fashion-conscious female scooter
riders, an emergency physician at St Vincent's Hospital, Fiona Chow,
said yesterday. "We had someone recently who was wearing a scarf
which got caught in the wheel of her scooter. She was OK, but if
it had been tied differently around her neck, she may been
strangulated," Dr Chow said.

A spokeswoman for the NSW Ambulance Service said paramedics
were seeing more injuries from riders wearing inappropriate
footwear.

<http://www.smh.com.au/news/national...t-the-leathers/2008/09/12/1220857835023.html>


GB

 

I remember there used to be a great site with statistics on motorcycle
accidents and risks including tests and statistics on different types of
gear.. any1 know what it was?

 

sydney morning herald??

 

In aus.motorcycles on 13 Sep 2008 11:52:40 +1000

And was majorly misquoted.

He's Not Happy.

Zebee

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sat, 13 Sep 2008 03:23:02 GMT

http://www.roadsafety.mccofnsw.org.au/

Zebee

 

I discovered many years ago talking to the media was dangerous, they will
always misquote you.

Boxer

 

That's the one.

Thanks

 

shit this Motorcycling thing is dangerous... I better not try it

mh

 

You know Biggus... you can be a real arsehole sometimes!
I know.. but at least someone noticed!!!

yea, wouldnt mind one, got a Carlsberg here at moment, but more of a
Red wine man, Nice reserve Shiraz from Coldstream Hills would do.

 

Anyone got the classic footage of 60mins doing the story on the GPZ900
when it first came out racin against the BMW, the car that "ONLY A
TRUE PROFESSIONAL WOULD DARE DRIVE"...

 

The "Death on Two Wheels" segment that was the last 60 minutes episode I
ever watched. I have a copy on VHS along with other choice motorcycling
goodies just waiting until I sort out the blips in the audio I get when
converting to mpg.

It also includes the Corolla street race advertisement that aired during
the segment. Bikes dragging on track. Bad. Corolla Street racing. Good.
Show sponsor? Toyota.

Bikes bad, Corollas good.

Puke.

 

October 1998: Knocked over in traffic by dual-cab Hilux changing lanes.
October 2001: Rear-ended by Series 80 LandCruiser.
May 2007: T-bone red Corolla pulling out of line of stationary traffic.
May 2008: Side-swiped by red Corolla overtaking in freeway exit lane.

**** Toyota, full stop.

 

Oh what a feeling?

 

Sounds like they're trying to return the favour - fsck you and put a
full stop against you![1]

Cheers
Goaty

1. Of course I believe that they'd set up a multinational motor vehicle
company just to wipe out one person![2]

2. Just because you're paranoid ...

--
_--_|\ John Lamp - in beautiful downtown Highton
/ \ IRC: DoD#:1906 Ulysses#:10185 Vulcan Nomad
\_.--._/ Phone: 0409 512 254
v mailto: Fax: 03 5227 2151

Hear no Evo, See no Evo, Fear no Evo

 

they don't get injured because they don't wear protective clothing,
they get injured because they fall off. Better to teach them to ride.

Strangulated? Oh my poor dictionary.

Theo

 

Better get a medical one then, because strangulated is correct. Horrible
English but technically correct.

 

Errk!
I'm happy with "strangulated bowel" or "strangulated testicle" or maybe even
"strangulated windpipe" but people are strangled!

 

You are happy with a Strangulated Testicle?

I see S & M has come a long way from the nipple clamp!

Boxer

 

Zebee Johnstone wrote...

Similar thing with John Karmouche, MRA(Vic) and an article on a new "airbag"
bike jacket in the Age newspaper. Some comments taken out of context, etc..

 

<insert applause here>