Road to Zero - oh really?

The NZ Ministry of Transport has recently released a working document for reducing the national road toll.  This is the publicity video:

Admirable sentiments, but let's dig a little deeper.  In the name of consultation, questionnaires are available on line for the public to make submissions.  Here's one such "tick the box" questionaire:

You'll note that at the top of the list is "Unsafe speeds", whatever they may be.  Seeing this is hardly surprising as every road safety campaign in recent memory is based on the "Speed Kills" mantra.  Sure it does, but it's only one part of the total picture. No-one would argue that enforcement of speed limits is an important tool in any safety campaign but punitive measures are "ambulance at the bottom of the cliff" and taken in isolation, they don't address the root cause.  As a respected Kiwi police officer involved with road safety said a few years ago, "Speed doesn't kill, stupidity kills".  Presumably, that didn't go down well with his political masters.

I'm trying not to be negative about the latest initiative as it does try to take a holistic approach with one notable (and critical) exception.  Regular readers might remember that I was involved with two government departments looking at motorcycle safety on a well-known motorcycling route called the Coromandel Loop.  That post is here: HERE .  You can read it for yourself but in summary, the government departments were a joy to work with and recommendations for roading improvements, signage, sightlines etc were accepted and swiftly implemented.  Since then, there has been a significant reduction in serious harm incidents involving motorcyclists.  There's a significant distinction here between effective public servants and politicians.

An integrated approach to raising motorcycle skills has also been implemented.  It's now much tougher to get a motorcycle licence and applicants have to go through a higher level of training and competence tests before they are granted a full licence.  Post-licence training hasn't been forgotten either with the introduction of the Ride Forever programme.  As you might expect, returning riders pose a particular risk and Ride Forever has achieved a 23% reduction in accidents compared with riders who haven't undertaken post-licence training.  I posted a summary of the programme HERE .  Above that, there's IAM training based on police roadcraft plus numerous commercial programmes.

A dodgy bunch of NZ Central North Island IAM Observers and Examiners

Going back to Road to Zero, can you see an apparent omission in the questionnaire (and detailed material on official websites)?  There is no specific mention of driver or rider upskilling, despite the undeniable success of the initiatives mentioned above.  Why might that be?

Call me cynical but I reckon that any genuine moves covering all road users (as opposed to targeted good initiatives by public service departments - examples above) would be seen as political suicide by whatever government was in power.  Imagine the public outcry if testing standards were raised, or retesting was reintroduced every 5 or 10 years for example.  Perhaps if you accrue a certain number of demerit points for driving offences, you have to attend some form of retraining at your cost?  Hardly likely to win a government votes but until raising skills becomes a visible priority across the board, accident levels (and all the knock-on effects) are unlikely to have a significant dent made in them.

I try not to get too frustrated by trying to ride to the best of my ability and giving time to help others who want to learn through the IAM programme but seeing a lot of public money largely wasted through sheer politics grinds my gears.  I'd imagine that it's even worse for the public servants like those mentioned above who do have a good record with effective initiatives.

Rant over - summer's coming and I'll be out riding rather than hammering out my frustrations on the keyboard!

Rewarding safe riding

The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) is a New Zealand Crown entity responsible for administering the country's universal no-fault accidental injury scheme.  Due to the scheme's no-fault basis, litigation is avoided apart from claims for exemplary damages.  ACC works with partners and communities on initiatives to prevent injuries.

As far as motorcycling goes because of the higher rate of serious harm and medical costs compared with cars etc, ACC introduced a training scheme called Ride Forever. (website HERE).  It covers written resources but the most visible initiative is a highly subsidised tiered on-road training programme which progressively increases rider skills in a structured manner.  Details can be found HERE .  Private contractors who have acknowledged high delivery skills are used to deliver the training and must meet auditable standards.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Silver and Gold levels are based on elements of the UK Police Roadcraft system which IAM uses as the basis of its advanced rider training.

A number of insurers give discounts in addition to no-claims bonuses for having attended these courses and statistics indicate that those who attend are currently 23% less likely to submit an injury claim.  Interestingly, upskilling or re-skilling for riders used to be viewed as "not macho" among a sizeable percentage of the NZ motorcycling population but judging from recent comments on bike forums and other media, this attitude seems to be softening which is great news.  Post-licence training is still regarded as uncool by a minority but that minority seems to be shrinking.

In addition to this proactive stance by ACC, they are in the process of introducing a pilot scheme whereby targeted riders will receive $100 off their annual bike registration fee for attending Ride Forever.  Early days but kudos to a government department that's attempting to address the root cause of accidents as opposed to the normal "ambulance at the bottom of the cliff" approach of punitive legislative measures.  This is the link to the proposals HERE .

One requirement of the pilot scheme is that the riders must have held a full license for at least 10 years.  This is quite deliberate as "mature" returning riders are over-represented in accident statistics.  Who knows, if it's a success, it may well spread.  Younger riders are safer than they used to be because in the last few years, getting a licence is far more stringent than previously.

Looking at the responses on the ACC website, there is an overwhelmingly positive response to the initiative.  I guess it's inevitable that there will be detractors for a whole load of reasons but the important point is that ACC are offering tangible rewards for completing one of their subsidised courses which has demonstrated its effectiveness.  If someone doesn't want to attend, it's their choice.  Wishing ACC every success for taking a proactive stance.

As a final comment, an increasing number of riders who have completed the Ride Forever programme clearly see the value of on-going training in improving their safety and enjoyment and are now choosing to join IAM to continue raising their skills.  That "learning for life" mindset shift has got to be good for everyone, hasn't it?  

The photo below was taken last week when one of the IAM Trainee Observers (mentors) had just passed his demanding full theory and practical tests to become a fully qualified Observer.  The chap on the left is Neil, who is an Examiner.  Chris, in the centre, is our newly-qualified Observer.  Pete, on the right, is the "newbie" who is in the process of joining IAM and whom Chris was assessing as part of his test.  The interesting thing is that Pete is the chief highway patrol cop for our province and a social rider.  If a highly trained cop believes there is value in on-going upskilling, that speaks volumes!

Neil, Chris and Pete - IAM Central North Island region