Huge toll of motorcycle crashes
Motorcycle riders and their passengers accounted for one-third of the catastrophically injured who made third-party insurance claims in the past four years, despite motorbikes representing just 5.5 per cent of registered vehicles in WA.
The Insurance Commission of WA has revealed its compulsory third party division paid out more than $900 million in the past decade on claims for crashes involving motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists.
Insurance Commission deputy chief executive Lew Watts - a Road Safety Council member - said those vulnerable road user crashes represented about 16 per cent of all CTP claims.
"The worst of these claims are for catastrophic injuries, and our claims history shows that vulnerable road users accounted for 35 per cent of catastrophic claims in the past 10 years," Mr Watts said.
Catastrophic injuries include spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, multiple amputations, severe burns and permanent blindness.
The Insurance Commission settled 44 catastrophic injury claims last financial year at an average cost of $5.9 million a claim.
Reducing the number and size of claims involving vulnerable road users would help prevent rises in CTP premium rates, Mr Watts said.
Almost 40 per cent of those killed on the State's roads last year were pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists.
The Office of Road Safety has revealed that the biggest reductions in road crash fatalities, both in Australia and overseas, in the past five years had been among vehicle occupants and that was mainly attributed to advances in vehicle safety.
Police Assistant Commissioner Nick Anticich said motorcyclists were more likely to be seriously injured or killed in a crash because they had no airbags, seatbelts or the other safety measures modern vehicles had.
Road Safety Council chairman Murray Lampard said it was essential for motorcyclists to follow speed limits and wear reflective and protective clothing. Dedicated paths for cyclists and pedestrians, surface improvements and better pedestrian signal timings should improve safety for other vulnerable road users, he said.
The State Government is canvassing whether WA should introduce a "no-fault" compulsory third-party insurance that would comprehensively cover motor vehicle accident victims for injury even if they were partially or solely at fault.
