Today, South Australia Police are launching a new road safety campaign in an attempt to reduce the number of motorcyclists who lose their lives and are seriously injured on South Australian roads.
Created to reduce speeding amongst motorcycle riders, the new campaign asks motorcyclists on thrill seeking rides to "Back Off" before their thrills turn to grief.
The overall message primarily targets 20-29 year-old male motorcycle riders who comprise the highest numbers of serious injuries between 2018 and 2022.
Specifically the campaign is aimed at riders who speed for fun anywhere on SA roads, but with a particular focus on regional roads and the Adelaide Hills region, often losing control of their bike and hitting a fixed object such as a tree.
The Officer in Charge of Traffic Services Branch, Superintendent Darren Fielke said riding a motorcycle is one of the most dangerous forms of transport and there is a much higher chance of being involved in a collision.
"Riders are aware of the dangers associated with riding but sadly that is not enough to stop them from making poor decisions and taking extreme risks which too often result in catastrophic outcomes," Superintendent Fielke said.
The campaign was researched thoroughly in one-on-one interviews with motorcyclists, which helped shape the messages.
"Motorcyclists we spoke to highlight the sense of freedom, their connection to the outside world and the heightened sensory experience that riding gives them. Rather than argue with that, we embraced it to show them what the dark side of those feelings could look like."
This new campaign takes the language and phrases used by motorcyclists about why they love riding, and connects them with confronting imagery.
Riders from the market research said they found the idea extremely relatable with a clear message about motorcycle safety from an unexpected angle.
Minister for Police Joe Szakacs said:
"We know through research conducting this confronting new safety campaign that motorcyclists thrive off the sense of danger."
"With the State's road toll continuing to climb this year, this new campaign will be a timely slap in the face to motorcyclists who push their limits and remind them to ride to return."
More than half of motorcycle crashes (55%) between 2018 and 2021 that resulted in a life lost or a serious injury only involved the motorcycle. Most of these crashes (87%) were run-off-road crashes and around half occurred on a curved section of the road.
In 2022, 13 motorcyclists lost their lives, representing 18% of all lives lost on SA roads that year. 149 motorcycle riders and passengers were seriously injured, accounting for 21% of all serious injuries on our roads that year. To provide further context, only 2.9% of all vehicle registrations were for motorcycles.
So far in 2023, nine motorcyclists have lost their lives on South Australian roads, of which five were lost in metro areas, and all of which were male riders. In addition there have been 71 serious injuries to motorcyclists, 68 males and three females, while 38 of the crashes occurred in rural areas and 36 crashes in the metropolitan area.
The new campaign will air on TV, digital channels and billboards, and will be in market until the end of June 2023.
