Around two months ago, we were contacted by partners in the 2BeSafe project for our opinion on the technical part of the 2BeSafe survey. While some of our recommendations for clarification were taken on board, our opinions criticising the purpose and scope of the survey were not.
The British Motorcyclist Federation (BMF), the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG UK) both based in Great Britain and MAG Ireland, are all members of the Federation of European Motorcyclists Federation (FEMA) who are active partners in the 2BeSafe project.
The latter two organisations (MAG UK and MAG Ireland) have now put out PR urging riders to complete the survey, “as this will make a difference to the justification used for foisting more controls upon us” and have “some reservations surrounding the survey and the way in which some of the 40 or so questions are phrased”.
We at Right To Ride have to ask why this survey was allowed to be produced and published by 2BeSafe in the first place, considering one of the riders representative organisations in the UK and another in Ireland that are FEMA members, are up in arms about it.
Ironically, FEMA’s participation in European projects was intended to be a “reality check” to ensure that any development in technology needed to be accepted, not only commercially but also philosophically by riders. That fundamental role of FEMA as the defender of riders’ rights in Europe, is, “that any technology must be developed in such a way that the rider has complete control of his or her machine”.
So why has FEMA now reported that the survey is available, encouraging riders to complete it without taking into consideration the concerns of its own members? Perhaps it is FEMA that needs a “reality check”.
While FEMA states, “The results of the survey will help with the identification of positives (sic) measures for motorcyclist safety, in the form of recommendations for traffic authorities, trainers, manufacturers, and infrastructure operators” it is our view at Right To Ride that the survey is flawed, the survey and the project is another attempt to identify motorcyclists as “bad boys” and our concerns are that any findings will effectively aim to prove this theory.
Motorcycle as a form of transport for work or leisure does not belong to any one group of society and to foist technology on motorcyclists as the solution, as outlined in the survey to reduce motorcycle casualties is not seeking positive recommendations to reduce casualties.
We asked riders to write to FEMA and the 2BeSafe project coordinators with their views (given that there was no opportunity to do so in the survey itself).
One rider – a motorcycle journalist and sidecar manufacturer – has put his “sword” to paper and has written to the 2BeSafe project manager.
Hello,
I have filled out your online survey regarding motorcycling attitudes towards safety issues etc.
I felt strongly that the whole survey is flawed. A great many of the questions are of a leading nature and in the case of the final set of questions about attitude, highly leading and insulting to motorcyclists.
If I were to propose such a questionnaire in a business environment, I would be lucky to keep my employment, in some cases I might even be prosecuted.
The assumption by the author of the survey, seems to be that all motorcyclists are adrenaline fuelled imbeciles whose only care in the world is to flout laws and ride as fast as possible with no regard for others or their own safety.
This is a very plainly incorrect and unfounded assumption.
I have been riding motorcycles all my life, (over 26 years) and am generally of the opinion these days, that drivers of cars are just as likely to display the above characteristics as motorcyclists are.
It is my considered opinion that the type of ‘safety’ systems that you are looking into should not be forced onto the motorcycling public, no amount of faux safety electronics can ever be a replacement for good rider observation and consideration of other road users by all road users.
The emphasis should be on all road users to ride / drive with consideration, but that is perhaps rather too difficult to address, it is far simpler to throw a few hundred pounds of electronics at a machine and pretend that it has now become magically safe.
Correct and reasonable prosecution of drivers and riders who flout laws and cause death or injury to others needs to be addressed along with attitudes of drivers or riders.
regards,
Rod Young
Motorcycle Sidecar Manufacturer and Motorcycle Journalist
Comments
See also comments from FIM Director of Public Affairs
“I absolutely agree with your remarks on this. I will NOT be completing this stupid survey and thereby giving it additional credibility by adding to the numbers of riders who do reply………………” Read more
View our full article on 2BeSafe – Click Here
Contact
You may want to ride your own letter highlighting your concerns.
Below are the contact details you can use.
Let us know if you receive a reply.
Stéphane Laporte, Project Manager
Stéphane Espié, Scientific Manager
Gerard Livett – President – Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Federation
Right To Ride
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