EVALUATION OF THE 1982 AUSTRALIA POST MOTORCYCLE RIDER TRAINING SCHEME

This study reports an evaluation of a behaviourally oriented accident reduction programme for motorcycle riders. During 1982 Australia Post organised rider safety training programmes for its telegram delivery staff in response to a need to reduce the number of injuries to motorcycle riders. The programmes detected no statistically significant training effect over the period observed. However, this is seen as being partly due to the process by which course attenders were selected and trained, and partly due to unexpectedly low numbers of trainees undertaking the training programme. In relation to the first point, it appears that those who actually attended the programme were a safer sub-group before training than those either not attending or in the control group, despite selection of certain zones for training and others as controls. In relation to the second point, the number of riders involved in the training programme was too few to enable statistical detection of the training effect. Subsequently changed organisational conditions within Australia Post have resulted in the implementation of an improved programme. It is recommended that this improved programme should be evluated. (Author/TRRL)