Motorcyclists make up a quarter of fatalities

Motorcyclists are being urged to slow down, ride to conditions and always wear protective gear as Victoria Police prioritise motorcycle safety.
With two deaths already recorded on local roads this year, motorists also are urged to be extra vigilant and on the lookout for motorcyclists, particularly when changing lanes or giving way.
"Motorcyclists are one of our most vulnerable road users and have little to protect them if they're involved in a collision, " state highway patrol solo unit senior sergeant John Papas said. "We must all do everything we can to protect riders".
Motorcyclists make up more than a quarter of fatalities recorded on Victorian roads this year, with 12 riders killed. They were all men, aged from 23 to 82-years-old.
Also concerning to police, three quarters of the motorcyclists killed were travelling on regional roads.
Local statistics have included a 68-year-old Longwarry man on Westernport Rd at Ripplebrook on January 1 and a man in his 70s on Tyers-Walhalla Rd at Jacob Creek on January 18.
Provisional analysis indicated both excessive and inappropriate speed, unauthorised riding and failing to give way were the most common factors in fatal motorcycle collisions across Victoria this year.