AN average of 15 motorcyclists are seriously injured on Wyndham’s roads each year, prompting calls for motorists to be more aware of riders and for improved rider training.
Statistics from the Transport Accident Commission’s crash database reveal that 76 motorcyclists were involved in serious accidents in Wyndham between August 2007 and August 2012.
Most accidents occurred on Saturday afternoons and involved men aged 26-39. The most common accident involved a vehicle travelling in the same direction as the motorcycle, accounting for 16 of the accidents. Fifteen riders were injured after being run off the road.
Wyndham’s roads have claimed the lives of six riders in the past five years.
As reported by the Weekly, a rider was killed in September last year after his motorcycle struck a bus entering Hoppers Lane from a sports complex.
A survey of motorcyclists commissioned by Slater and Gordon found 60 per cent of riders believed other motorists were the biggest risk to their safety.
Werribee vehicle accident lawyer, Craig Lynch said road traumas involving motorcycles was a significant problem in the western suburbs.
“There is very little standing between a motorcyclist and death or serious injury in the event of an accident.”
