The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) is urging drivers and motorcyclists to look out for each other and share the road safely, with the number of riders being killed and injured still concerningly high.
As Motorcyclist Awareness Month (MAM) begins in Victoria, 47 riders have lost their lives on the state’s roads – a reduction on the 49 at the same time in 2024, but significantly above the five-year average of 36.
Led by Victoria’s Motorcycle Community Engagement Panel, with support from the TAC, Victoria Police and the Department of Transport and Planning, the initiative focuses on rider safety, highlighting the importance of motorists safely sharing the roads with riders, and motorcyclists playing their role in keeping themselves safe.
Motorcycle riders make up around three per cent of registered vehicles in Victoria, however account for around 17 per cent of road deaths and around 23 per cent of very serious injuries.
In the past five years, around 60 per cent of motorcycle rider fatalities have involved another vehicle – with approximately half of these happening at intersections.
Intersections are highly complex environments where we often see drivers, riders, pedestrians and cyclists interacting, highlighting the need for all road users to remain vigilant and obey all road rules, signals and signs.
To kick-off the month, TAC has also joined with Ambulance Victoria to highlight the impact of road trauma on first responders and promote the importance of wearing protective gear on every ride.
The TAC has re-launched its motorcycle safety campaign, Only Protected for a Moment, to remind motorcyclists of how important it is to wear protective gear for every ride. The TAC will again be at the Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island on October 18-19, promoting rider safety gear.
Throughout MAM, Victorians will see safety messages on roadside digital signage across the state as well as widespread media advertising in metro and regional areas, and community events will pop up including ‘Blessing of the Bikes’ at Tooborac and ‘Biketoberfest’ at Leongatha.
Survivor
Ryan Leitch is the face of the Ambulance Victoria campaign.
Ryan, 21, was lucky to survive when he crashed his motorbike going around a bend on the way home from his basketball refereeing job.
He hit a ditch, launching his bike into an electrical pole and then he flew through a fence, ending up at the bottom of a tree in someone’s garden. When Ambulance Victoria (AV) paramedics arrived soon after, they weren’t sure he’d make it.
“There were bits of motorbike smashed all over the grass in front of the property and a big hole in the fence. Ryan was five or 10 metres into the property under a tree, not in a good way,” paramedic Robert Van Der Toorren said.
Ryan suffered injuries including multiple complex fractures to his pelvis and right arm; further fractures to his skull, eye socket, face, ribs, femur and hip; major right lung contusions; a pneumothorax (collapsed lung); significant internal bleeding, including a mild bleed on the brain; and fluid surrounding his heart.
At the scene, he received critical, life-saving care from specialist mobile intensive care ambulance (MICA) and advanced life support (ALS) paramedics.
MICA paramedics gave Ryan a trauma-specific medication to stop internal bleeding and manage his blood pressure, oxygen therapy and significant pain relief medication. They also applied a pelvic splint, multiple limb splints and spinal immobilisation.
Ryan had given himself the best chance of survival, by wearing protective gear including a helmet and full body leathers.
“Wearing all his protective gear saved his life,” Robert said.
“While the crash broke his bones, his gear saved his brain and his skin.
“I’ve been to plenty of motorcycle incidents where people haven’t worn protective gear and they definitely come off second best,” Robert said.
“You’re always more vulnerable on a bike, so doing everything you can to protect yourself is the single best thing you can do, regardless of length of journey or the weather.”
A bit over a year on from his crash, Ryan is back at work after relearning how to walk, to co-ordinate his body mechanics and to use his right arm. Learning how to manage and live with his pain, his brain injury and psychological consequences of the crash continues.
“I treated my recovery like it was life or death for pretty much 12 months,” he said.
“Cognitively, my brain is healing and I’m trying to find myself a bit, and work out my priorities in life.
“I want to get back on a motorbike eventually. It’s never going to be as a form of transport again and not as often, but I want to ride at least one more time.”
He urged other motorbike riders to ride safely, not only for their sake but for those around them.
“Consider the value of your relationships before you ride, because you are always taking a risk going out on a bike,” Ryan said.
“Adjust your behaviour to do everything you can to make sure you come home safely to your loved ones.
“If you take a high risk, you’re not really the only one taking it. It will impact everyone around you if something goes wrong.”
TAC CEO Tracey Slatter said tragically, motorcycle riders are overrepresented in road trauma.
“Motorcyclists face significantly higher risks when incidents occur on the roads, so it is essential that both drivers and riders take shared responsibility for road safety and play their part in protecting one another,” she said.
Learn more about staying safe on a motorbike on the TAC website