Three motorcycle crashes on Hawke s Bay roads per week on average
13 Mar, 2021 08:18 PM
3 minutes to read
The scene of a motorcycle crash on SH2, near Te Hauke, in October 2020. Photo / Warren Buckland
Close to three motorcycle crashes occur on Hawke s Bay roads on average per week – resulting in more than $17.8m in ACC compensation in five years. Between 2015 and 2019, there were 736 motorcycle crashes in Hawke s Bay. These crashes cost ACC more than $17.8m to help people recover.
In 2019 alone, there were 168 motorcycle injury claims in Hawke s Bay (3.2 per week on average) which came at a cost of $3.7m – the second highest number and cost from the five-year period.
Sergeant Peter Sowter of the Wellington serious crash unit says the figures make for poor reading. Breaks my heart in some ways when I m reading the files to see that it just needs a small adjustment in attitude, a small adjustment in speed, he says.
It s those adjustments that police say could save lives.
But with more motorcycles on our roads than ever before, safety advocates warn riders need a high level of skill. So if you ve taken time away [from riding], there s a good chance you re not going to be as good as you were when you were riding every day, ACC injury prevention leader David Keilty says.