Only one in 20 Qld vehicles are motorcycles. Yet they account for one-third of fatalities

One-third of motorists killed on Queensland roads in the first four months of 2024 were motorcyclists, despite only a small fraction of road users travelling on two wheels.

Between January and April, 94 people died in crashes on Queensland roads. Of those, 31 were motorcyclists – a 46.2 per cent increase from the previous five-year average.

A spike in fatal motorcycle crashes has contributed to 94 lives lost on Queensland roads so far this year.Credit: Rebecca Hallas

Those stark figures have prompted the RACQ, Queensland’s peak motorists’ body, to urge motorcyclists to “drop the ego, not the bike” in a new safety push to be launched on Tuesday.

“Riders account for 33 per cent of the growing road toll, yet motorcycles make up around 4 per cent of vehicles in Queensland. Motorcyclists are dying at disproportionate rates,” RACQ road safety manager Joel Tucker said.

“We estimate around 280,000 RACQ members ride motorcycles, and most would agree it’s a fun and cost-effective way to get around, but it’s a riskier mode of transport than a car.

“We are less protected on a bike, and we know it, so we need to avoid doing things that further increase that risk such as not riding to the traffic or road conditions and not riding within our skill level.”

During an Easter road safety blitz last month, Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Pilotto, from the Queensland Police Service’s road policing and regional support command, said motorcyclists continued to be “over-represented” in the state’s road toll.

“I implore you as a motorcycle rider, or a partner, friend or loved one of a motorcycle rider, speak to them, talk to them about their riding,” he said.

Tucker said most motorcyclists who had died were male, as men were prone to taking more risks.

“By taking unnecessary risks and letting our egos do the riding, we’re not only increasing our chance of an embarrassing minor drop or low speed crash, but also seriously or fatally injuring ourselves,” he said.

“This National Road Safety Week, we’re urging riders to drop the ego, not the bike.”

Australian Superbike Championship racer Michael Edwards, who ran a Yamaha dealership at North Lakes, said ego often led motorcyclists to buy vehicles with more grunt than they could handle.

“Far too often you see guys riding bikes that are too big for them and too powerful for their experience,” he said.

“...Don’t buy a motorbike just because it looks cool or it’s bigger than your mate’s bike because it won’t look cool if you come off.”

National Road Safety Week, an annual initiative from the Safer Australian Roads and Highway (SARAH) Group, runs until Sunday.

The SARAH Group was founded by Paul Frazer a month after his daughter, Sarah, was fatally hit by a truck near the NSW Southern Highlands town of Mittagong in 2012.