INFLUENTIAL Liberal senator Cory Bernardi wants all learner drivers to be taught how to handle a motorbike as well — even if they don’t intend to ride one.

He called for this “really important step” to teach drivers the perils of the road for bikers, usually from cars and trucks.

“I think it’s really good that they understand what motorcyclists go through on the road” Senator Bernardi told news.com.au.

“Ultimately, if car drivers are more aware of motorcyclists, it’s going to be safer for the motorcyclists and for the motor vehicle drivers themselves. I think it’s a really important step.”

Some 170 motorbike riders die each year in road accidents, and many more are seriously injured to the extent that one TV program on bikers is using the black humour title Temporary Australians.

The number of registered motorcycles in Australia has doubled in the past ten years to close on 800,000, and this figure is growing by around six per cent a year.

The chairman of the Motorcycle Council of Australia Shaun Lennard today told MPs there should be a national standard for rider training.

“In Queensland, the previous government introduced a requirement that you have to have held a car licence for a year before you can get a motorcycle learner’s permit,” Mr Lennard told a breakfast function in Parliament House.

“That’s not about motorcycle safety; it’s a measure to discourage motorcycling.”

“And the Victorian government has introduced a requirement for high-viz vests for novice riders, when there is very little in the way of evidence to support this and some that actually recommends against it.”

media_camera Cory Bernardi wants all learner drivers to be taught how to ride a motorbike.

Mr Lennard was addressing the fifth annual MPs and Senators motorcycle event which yesterday included a ride through Canberra with Senator Bernardi, Motoring Enthusiast Party’s Ricky Muir and Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm.

They and Labor MPs Bernie Ripoll and Andrew Leigh, hope to form a Friends of Motorcycling group within Parliament to lobby for biker issues and make clear most riders are law-abiding, and bikes are an answer to some transport problems.

“Congestion in our larger cities is frequently discussed, and it’s always a focus on three areas — public transport, walking and cycling,” said Mr Lennard.

“Rarely are motorcycles and scooters even mentioned as part of the transport solution.

“This overlooks the importance of personal mobility and access, particularly over distances where walking or cycling are impractical for the majority. Individuals travel from literally millions of different starting points to just as many destinations on a daily basis in this country.”

Backed by the Motorcycle Council of Australia, the Friends of Motorcyclists group’s aim is not only to improve safety on our roads, but to show that most bikers are ordinary Australians and not the criminals who feature in news reports.

Originally published as ‘Everyone should learn to ride motorbikes’