Media Releases
Latest Releases
September 25
1. AMC BACKS MOTORCYCLE AWARENESS EVENTS
AMC chair Shaun Lennard will join the launch of the ACT’s Motorcycle Awareness Week in early October.
Canberra’s 2025 Motorcycle Awareness Week runs from 11 – 17 October, and includes the annual Joe Rider campaign.
The MRA ACT is launching Motorcycle Awareness Week with a public Motorcycle Road Safety Forum at Exhibition Park (EPIC) in Mitchell on Saturday 11 October, commencing at 10.00am.
“I’ll be talking about the national picture. I’m looking forward to sharing some of the information from my presentation at the recent Sydney workshop hosted by the NSW Minster for Roads Jenny Aitchison. I’ll also reflect on the recent Asia-Pacific Road Safety Conference in Manila.”
Other speakers include Assoc Professor Chris Hurren from Deakin University’s MotoCAP protective clothing testing program.
ACT Motorcycle Awareness Week is supported by the ACT Government Road Safety Fund.
All of October is promoted as Motorcycle Awareness Month in a number of other jurisdictions, and this year is no exception.
The Motorcycle Council of NSW organises a range of events for Motorcycle Awareness Month. Next week (29 September to 3 October) is promoted as ‘Ride to Work Week’.
“Of course there are many who ride to work every week, but the idea of Ride to Work Week is to get more riders travelling on two wheels more regularly,” Shaun / Lennard (ED: your preference for style) said.
The NSW Jo/Joe Rider promotion is then taking place from October 7th to 10th.
For more information on NSW Motorcycle Awareness Month, head to https://mccofnsw.org.au In Victoria , it’s promoted as Motorcyclist Awareness Month. Victoria’s MAM will be launched at Queensbridge Square in Southbank on Saturday 4 October at 10.30am. All welcome, with a show and shine and giveaways.
For further details, check Motorcyclist Awareness Month on Facebook.
ENDS
Sale, Victoria
19 September 2025
For further information, call Shaun Lennard on 0417 396 835
2. AMC JOINS ROAD SAFETY FORUM FOR ASIA-PACIFIC
AMC chair Shaun Lennard has returned from participating in the recent Global Road Safety Partnership Asia-Pacific Regional Road Safety Conference, along with almost 300 delegates from across the world.
The conference was held at the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank, in Manila, Philippines, from 9-12 September.
In addition to the three-day conference, there was also the launch of the FIA Foundation’s Safe Helmets for Asia-Pacific (SHAP) initiative.
“This forum is held every two to three years, although the last time I attended was in 2015.”
“In a decade, there has been quite a shift in the recognition of motorcycles or powered-two-wheelers as the dominant form of transport in most Asian countries. This isn’t confined to South-East Asia.”
“There was virtually no negativity around motorcycles or motorcycle crashes, other than the recognition that there are serious challenges that need to be faced.”
“More than 50% of the world’s motorcycle fatalities are in Asia.”
“However, motorcycles are an integral part of the transport system, providing access to education, work, travel, recreational activities plus bringing a host of other benefits. The increase in commercial use of motorcycles in the past five years is also significant.”
“But this conference was 300 people working together to find solutions.”
As Hanoi’s Greig Craft, founder of the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, put it, “For most people in Asia, the motorcycle is the family car.”
The launch of the FIA Foundation’s SHAP initiative was another key aspect of the event.
“The majority of Asian countries now have helmet mandates, with ECE 22.05 being the most common standard.”
“However, there is lack of both consumer law and enforcement in many jurisdictions, which has opened the way for ‘illegal’ non-ECE helmets to enter the market. Online shopping has exasperated this.”
Conference speakers included former Ferrari CEO and former FIA President, Jean Todt, the UN Special Envoy for Road Safety, and the Armenian Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Kristine Ghalechyan (see attached images).
ENDS
Sale, Victoria
19 September 2025
For further information, call Shaun Lennard on 0417 396 835
Previous Releases
MOTORCYCLE LOBBY BACKS AAA DATA SAVES LIVES CAMPAIGN
The Australian Motorcycle Council (AMC) is supporting the Australian Automobile Association’s national calls for data-driven road funding and new Commonwealth-state funding arrangements, which will require state governments to report on road quality and safety performance as a condition of federal road funding.
In a perhaps slightly unique situation, the AMC is in lock-step with a broad coalition of transport, road safety and medical bodies on a road safety matter – campaigning for greater access to, and use of, road trauma data, to assist in creating more effective road safety policies and strategies.
The AMC has been frustrated by the lack of detailed crash data for close to 20 years.
“It’s amazing to us that we are still in this position,” said AMC chair, Shaun Lennard.
“At the Motorcycle and Scooter Safety Summit of 2008 – 16 years ago – the lack of accurate data was recognised as one of the key areas where urgent improvement was needed.”
“Despite stated commitments that the states and territories would work more closely with the Commonwealth over data sharing, this simply hasn’t happened.”
“There’s now a sense of urgency in this area for motorcyclists. The 2023 road toll for riders and passengers was 254 – a five-year high. After decades of continual improvement, we now appear to be going backwards. Motorcycle deaths have increased by around 5% a year for the past three years.”
“Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on building safer roads, yet the road toll is now increasing? Why is this?”
“There has to be a better way. The Australian Motorcycle Council endorses the AAA’s Data Saves Lives campaign, which calls on the Federal Government to require all states and territories to release their detailed data as a condition of receiving their share of the annual $10 billion road budget.”
“Only by examining all the data can we find policy solutions and work to save lives.”
“Australians deserve transparency so they can see whether politicians are spending their taxes on the areas of greatest need, rather than courting support in marginal seats,” Mr Lennard continued.
Mr Lennard said the safety of all Australia’s road users must be the primary concern of all governments.
“Public safety is too important to be put at risk by governments keeping data to themselves.”
Date being sought through the campaign includes:
Crash data: Age, gender, behaviour, the type of crash, vehicles involved, weather conditions, road conditions, and whether the people involved were drivers, passengers, cyclists, pedestrians, or motorcyclists.
Road data: International Road Assessment Program (iRAP) road safety ratings, based on assessments of 450,000km Australian roads. Australian states and territories have vowed to release these ratings but failed to do so.
Enforcement data: Information on the relative efficacy of random breath tests, roadside drug tests, and mobile telephone and speeding infringements.
“Data transparency and evidence-based policy are common sense. This reform will cost next to nothing. And it will save lives,” Mr Lennard added.
“Using this evidence in a transparent way to drive road safety policy will make our roads safer for all motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, including those who make their living on our roads as drivers and riders.”
“If data is not made available to the Australian Government, Commonwealth road infrastructure funding decisions will continue to be made in the backrooms of government and subject to the whims of politicians and the political cycle.’’
In addition to the Australian Motorcycle Council, the AAA’s Data Saves Lives campaign list of supporters includes: Brain Injury Australia, Australian Orthopaedic Association, ANCAP Safety, Insurance Council of Australia, Ron Finemore Transport, Australian Automotive Dealer Association, Nationwide Group, Australasian Fleet Management Association, International Road Assessment Program (iRAP), Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH), Caravan Industry Association of Australia, Pedestrian Council of Australia, Transport Australia Society (Engineers Australia) and the Australian Trucking Association.
ENDS
Melbourne, Victoria
26 February 2024
For more information about the AAA campaign: info@datasaveslives.org.au
For further information from the AMC, call Shaun Lennard on 0417 396 835