I think its a good idea to keep motorcyclists safe, however why arent they targeting car drivers aswell ??? many stupid car dirvers are on their phone and they cause much more damange .

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/victoria-police-motorcycle-blitz-to-target-rogue-riders-after-horror-year-for-accidents/news-story/2250a28026cf949afda4eab8fe66eaa3#load-story-comments

IF they target riders more this week then it's a stupid policy, since cops are supposed to target speeders and whatnot anyway, no matter what the vehicle. The headline helps fill the newspaper though and, I presume, is just supposed to make riders think..

I was on the western ring road today and seen 4 cop bikes heading towards Melbourne and 4 heading towards Geelong, so they are out there pulling people over .

not that many bikes out though , other than the cops

too right Bonkerz

I think the bikes are a great way of enforcing road rules to all. Personally the amount of car drivers that are occupied with other activities on the road is amazing. Whilst there is an element of stupidity by some motorcyclists this initiative can only help us all with a greater police presence. As long as a Balanced aproach is maintained by the constabulary!

The police are blitzing riders because of the 29 rider deaths so far this year in Victoria.  

VicPol love their blitzes because it makes them feel that they are achieving something and can thump their chests in meetings and in the media.

They have turned their untrained eyes towards protective clothing, evading the real reasons for the deaths.  Here is my comment.

________________________

But what were they wearing?

A stolen bike did not kill the rider, nor did not having a licence or the unregistered bike.

No where in any of the reports on the deaths of the riders has there been mention (to my knowledge) that the cause been reported as a lack of protective clothing. It has been striking an an immovable object that has caused fatal injuries. That object has been cars, signs, trees, railing and other roadside furniture.

The reasons for the actual collisions are many and varied, whether it is single or multi vehicle.

Back to the original question. I agree that riders should wear clothing that is protective, but that is always subjective. Is the protection required from the elements - sun, rain, cold etc,; or is it from the event of losing control of the bike and hitting the ground? Once again the quality and design of clothing comes into question, depending on the requirements of the rider.

I could continue breaking down different components to the discussion but i think that I have made my point in regards to the personal choice of sensible clothing. Victoria Police have bundled the rider death in with the debate on protective clothing, once again VicPol is typically looking at numbers, not causation, resulting in media hype and public outcry.

Rider behaviour is the main cause of collisions or incidents, the next is car driver behaviour and then it goes down the list regarding road design, road quality, road side furniture, weather conditions and so forth. Rider behaviour covers a multitude of actions.

Before the knee-jerk reaction by VicPol takes on unstoppable snowball proportions regarding clothing, there needs to be an extensive investigation into rider deaths, examining the cause of the collision, actual injuries suffered and clothing worn. Only then a correlation can be drawn between fatality and protective clothing. I doubt that there ever will be such an in-depth study undertaken to truly reveal the reasons for rider collisions and outcome.

Protective clothing does not protect against the severe impact that causes death, it protects against other injuries.

Recently I saw a road safety poster stating "Dress for the slide, not the ride". It does make sense. You will never see a poster stating "Dress for the high speed impact with a tree caused by the potholes on the corner that caused loss of traction".

There is a huge difference between enforcing road rules and debating protective clothing.

G'day,

two videos here, one in Perth and one in Wales.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N1iw5Vdim8

If there were more like the Ausssie one, the national debt would be cleared in no time at all. 

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story, especially when it gives the government a reason to save us from ourselves. They'll probably be pushing new laws and fees any day now.

I thought cops always have sorta blitzed on bike riders.

Not often you hear of "Cops leave motorcyclists alone this weekend Blitz"

Do ya?