Motorcyclist fatality and motorcycle sales patterns in Australia: an update

In their 2001 conference paper, Christie and Newland showed that the resurgence in on-road motorcycle numbers in Australia may have contributed to a corresponding increase in fatality for riders. Results presented in 2001 showed reductions in exposure and fatality for riders aged less than 25 years across the 1990s, but steady to rising patterns of exposure and fatality for older riders. Sales patterns also suggested that older riders were purchasing large, powerful motorcycles. This paper updates Christie and Newland's 2001 examination of relationships between Australian motorcycle rider fatality data and motorcycle sales patterns using the latest national and jurisdictional data available. Where possible, it looks for any changes in crash risk or involvement patterns together with changes in motorcycle sales by variables such as rider age, jurisdiction and type of motorcycle. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E215375.