STOP SMIDSY: Stop "Sorry Mate I Didn't See You"

[John Meara]

SMIDSY may have started with cyclists in the UK, and has been referenced on this Forum in various topics, but I cannot find a specific thread on the STOP SMIDSY campaign being championed by Maurice Blackburn Lawyers.  So here goes:



As riders, we all know about the threat to our safety from drivers of other vehicles being less vigilant than they need to be.  Qld Police have told me of “the fatal five”, suggesting driver distraction be added to the "fatal four" campaign.  QUT has a conference paper titled: "Driver Inattention: More Risky than the Fatal Four?"

Last year, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers initiated an Australian public/motorcycling campaign to raise the issue of driver awareness – called “Stop SMIDSY”, a common acronym – Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You, said by dopey drivers after having knocked a motorcyclist off his/her bike. 

Their focus is on education, awareness, prejudice and perceptions and legislative change and infrastructure. The short term objective is to increased awareness of motorcyclists by keeping the SMIDSY conversation in the public arena via a grassroots movement AND persuading the authorities to pledge advertising dollars to the problem.  The long term objective is to lobby for additional driver training around awareness of vulnerable road users.

The MRAQ, Ulysses Club, Motorcycling Australia and other rider groups and Forums all support this campaign and you are encouraged to tell your SMIDSY story by visiting the Facebook site: www.facebook.com/stopsmidsy.  You can also email the details to: infoqld@mauriceblackburn.com.au

For those of you who wish to know a little more about Maurice Blackburn Lawyer's commitment to motorcycling and this cause, I recommend you download their submission to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Motorcycle Safety: Submission #49.  These 10 well written pages are worth the read.

Please give your support.

Cheers

[terrydj]

Everyone jumps on the band wagon, but the ones who know and ride do good things that deliver. All done before motorcyling got trendy and people drank Latte's
A job well done by the "Motorcycle Council of New South Wales "
 

Motorcycle safety ad - What do we have to do to get noticed!

[Diesel]

Thanks Guys for this great info you've shared with us.

John, you are very well respected around these traps for your tireless efforts in promoting Motorcycle Awareness and seeking changes in council and govt. legislation for our benefit.

Thanks from all of us.

Just make sure you're not too busy to join us on the next SEQ OzSTOC ride eh?     

As far as SMIDSY goes - I take my ethos from the movie Karate Kid when Mr Miyagi was training his student about defending against Karate kicks - he said "Best Defence is NOT BE THERE!"

Always ride around cars in a way that if they suddenly jump into your lane - they'll MISS you!

Cheers, Diesel

[Brock]

Here be a faster link to Submission #49 http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/rsc/motorcycle_safety/Submissions/44-67/49_MauriceBlackburn_08092011.pdf

[alans1100]

An article in October 2011 SA polce news.

Instead of making this an ongoing project it only happened for one month.

http://www.sapolicenews.com.au/more-news/4568-too-many-motorcyclists-dying-on-sa-roads.html

[Down Under]

I'm all for any road safety campaign that raises motorists level of awareness in relation to motorcyclists, however, as the motorcycling community represents such a relatively small group of road users in Oz, I honestly believe that we'll always be fighting an up hill battle in this area and it'll be a long time coming before we see any effective change in driver training/behaviour/attitude that'll change the perception of drivers towards motorcyclists in any positive way. 

If we want to stay alive and avoid serious injury on the road we need to take more responsibility for our own safety and it amazes me how many riders don't!  Money spent in areas such as rider training and simply encouraging bike riders to wear proper protective gear would probably have a more immediate impact on reducing serious injury and fatal motorcycle accidents.

I don't want to take anything away from the "SMIDSY" campaign, in fact, I applaud their cause but I think we could do more as individuals to make motorcycling safer for ourselves rather than rely on the  work of lobby groups or governments to do that for us.   

[sac468]

I agree with you down under, while the SMIDSY campaign is brilliant (and I like the add) how many times have you been in a tin top or even on your bike and wathched some individual (ie silly F###ing idiot) do something really stupid and reckless.

I know I have, so much so you think to you're self where is officer plod when this idiot tries that again. the mojority of the time we as motorcylists are our own worst enemy, we all do it at times, get the shits with the vehicle in front and blast past, open her up just for the fun of it.

problem being joe public sees this and thinks bloody motorcycle riders or worse bloody bikies.

education is the key both them and us.

[terrydj]

worse bloody bikies.

Befor this "BIKER" crap,everyone who rode was thought of as a Bikie and short term Australian. Yeap have always preferred the word Bikie/Motorcycle enthusiast to that word used to represent "Latte" drinkers who only ride when the suns shining, its Sunday and people can see how shiny and new their bike is

[alans1100]

worse bloody bikies.

Befor this "BIKER" crap,everyone who rode was thought of as a Bikie and short term Australian. Yeap have always preferred the word Bikie/Motorcycle enthusiast to that word used to represent "Latte" drinkers who only ride when the suns shining, its Sunday and people can see how shiny and new their bike is

Biker and Trucker are American terms for our bikie and truckie.

The trouble today is that there is so much American influence on TV etc that we are losing our own ways.   

"SMIDSY" sounds ok in theory but in the end it still comes down to the individual rider, driver and pedestrian to take responsibilty for their own actions and life.

Many years ago we went to the Brickworks markets in Adelaide. Just as we got off the bike another guy pulled up beside us on either a Kawasaki or Yamaha. Apart from a beef anout a car driver parking in a designated motorcycle space he mentioned he was trading his bike in for a yellow GL1800. He believed a car driver couldn't see him with that then what else could he do.

[Streak]

Befor this "BIKER" crap,everyone who rode was thought of as a Bikie and short term Australian. Yeap have always preferred the word Bikie/Motorcycle enthusiast to that word used to represent "Latte" drinkers who only ride when the suns shining, its Sunday and people can see how shiny and new their bike is

yes, my aunt asks how my "bikie gang" is going, i then have to gently explain, that we are motorcyclists, and in reality is not not about what we ride or what we look like, it is the fact only we understand why a dog hangs its head out the window to feel the wind in its face

[John Meara]

....I honestly believe that we'll always be fighting an up hill battle in this area and it'll be a long time coming before we see any effective change in driver training/behaviour/attitude that'll change the perception of drivers towards motorcyclists in any positive way. 

If we want to stay alive and avoid serious injury on the road we need to take more responsibility for our own safety.....

This is a common view Down Under.  I believe it is about tackling all the issues and being careful with priorities and limited resources. So balance means continually lobbying for rider and driver training, but it also means addressing driver lack of vigilance. The European MAIDS study of 921 on-scene in-depth motorcycle "accident" investigations found in 37% of cases, the primary contributing factor was human error on the part of the rider. However in 50% of cases, the primary accident contributing factor was human error on the part of the other vehicle driver!  So there is plenty for riders to address to help reduce the risks created by those other vehicle drivers.

I certainly applaud efforts to improve rider training. In fact I first got seriously involved in motorcycle safety 6 years ago when I assisted Ian Mathers with a Q-Ride submission to the Qld Govt's Travelsafe Committee (I don't count No-Lights-On protest rallies as far back as 1980). Sadly Ian passed way in 2007 and a few of us here were trying hard to make a difference with our state government safetycrats; and so with some encouragement I got more involved. We've come a long way over the last 5 years, especially with the formation of various motorcycle Road Safety Committees nationally & state-based. There are still huge opportunities to tackle, and I'd like to think others out there could harness their passion to be involved in some of the rider group efforts.

I always recommend that riders undertake "advanced" training courses. Anyone who wants evidence that training improves outcomes for riders, the Australian "Defence Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Project" found that the incident rates per 1000 riders were:
0.12% per 1000 trained riders
0.33% per 1000 untrained riders (best case on estimate of 6726 Defence riders)
1.11% per 1000 untrained riders (worst case on estimate of 3636 Defence riders)

There is no doubt we as riders must look out for ourselves and take the attitude than no one else will when we are out there. There is a huge growing mass of poorly trained drivers and a deteriorating road culture meaning we will always be up against it. However, if we don't at least get in there and offer some ideas and resistance, some of the bastards we refer to a safetycrats will make it so difficult for us that motorcycling will shrink until it dies. So someone's gotta try.

[rendog]

There is no doubt we as riders must look out for ourselves and take the attitude than no one else will when we are out there.

+1

[Brock]

I may be paranoid, but that doesnt mean the Bastards arent out to get me....

[Down Under]

This is a common view Down Under.  I believe it is about tackling all the issues and being careful with priorities and limited resources. So balance means continually lobbying for rider and driver training, but it also means addressing driver lack of vigilance. The European MAIDS study of 921 on-scene in-depth motorcycle "accident" investigations found in 37% of cases, the primary contributing factor was human error on the part of the rider. However in 50% of cases, the primary accident contributing factor was human error on the part of the other vehicle driver!  So there is plenty for riders to address to help reduce the risks created by those other vehicle drivers.

John, as I mentioned I admire the good work that motorcycle lobby groups are doing in many areas, including the "SMIDSY" campaign.

However, as you stated with limited resources it is all about priorities and I couldn't agree more.  One of the biggest problems with motorcycle accident statistics is that as a minority group of road users we are hopelessly misrepresented in serious injury and fatal motor vehicle accidents. 

As long as this trend is maintained it provides the state government with all the ammunition they need to target motorcyclists, whether it be by legislative or law enforcement measures, not to mention the money that is made by insurance companies justifying the ever increasing cost of CTPI or sky rocketing comprehensive insurance because we represent such a high risk group of road users.

I think if more emphasis was placed in areas such as rider training, including a focus on wearing protective gear the effect on reducing  serious injury and fatal motor vehicle statistics would be quicker and more achievable in the short term than trying to modify driver behaviour toward bike riders.   Although I do agree that improving driver behaviour toward motorcyclists is important as an overall strategy in improving motorcycle safety I don't think it deserves the priority as opposed to rider training etc.

I'm not in a position to challenge your stats from the MAID report but I base my opinions on 25 yrs in the law enforcement game, with 23 yrs in traffic and involved in investigating mva's mainly in regional NSW.  In my experience SMIDSY is a factor in a small percentage of motorcycle accidents in my patch but unfortunately in the majority of serious injury and fatal accidents the rider was at fault.  Maybe SMIDSY as a causal factor in surburban areas is higher, particularly in the UK and other parts of Europe or even in our capital cities where population densities are greater....I don't know as I haven't read the report but I'm always suspicious of how statistics are interpreted and quoted. 

Anyway, I'm on the motorcyclists side and admire anyone who is prepared to give their own time to make our voice heard and bring about effective change in the area of motorcycle safety but we just need to make sure that we are throwing our effort in the right direction.  Keep up the good fight John!