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The Motorcycle Riders' Association of South Australia |
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| Archived Articles for 2020 | |
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Welcome to the site of the Motorcycle Riders' Association of South Australia. This page is an archive of selected articles from our home page during 2020. | |
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| MRASA Adelaide Toy Run 2020 | |
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The MRASA is pleased to announce that the Annual TOY RUN will be held on Sunday December 13th 2020.
Here is our Toy Run Media Release. ★ Due to SA Health's Covid-19 restrictions there will be:
★ All riders are invited to come to Victoria Park on the day for a Drop and Go, and then go for a ride with your mates. To comply with requirements Covid Marshals will be present. Collection points will have hand sanitiser available and we encourage social distancing. If you stop at Victoria Park, you are required to record your name and phone number on our Covid-19 register. ★ Coast FM Outside Broadcast unit on site. We are working on the following:
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| South Australia's Road Safety Strategy to 2031 - Public Consultation | |
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The Government is developing a new Road Safety Strategy in the hope to reduce lives lost and serious injuries on our roads.
The strategy will guide decisions and investment, with a focus on the safe movement of people throughout the State.
Whether you drive, ride, are a pedestrian or passenger, you have the opportunity to shape the actions needed to
enable us to travel and interact safely on our roads. Community consultation is now open. Every road user in South Australia has an opportunity to provide input by telling the Government what is important to you when it comes to road safety. As a road safety stakeholder and a member of the road safety working group, the MRASA has attended meetings and represented riders in the online community consultation sessions. We will be making a written submission. We welcome your views as members and riders, please contact us via our contacts page and let us know your thoughts. The consultation closes 5pm Monday 2 November 2020. If you wish to contribute directly, there is an online survey you can complete here. | |
| Ridden-On Ride - 11 Oct 2020 | |
| This years Ridden-On Ride will be held on Sunday 11 October starting from the Victoria Hotel, O'Halloran Hill. Meet from 8.30am for a 10.00am departure for the usual run to Second Valley. Further details on the Ridden-On page, and the Samrats flyer on the up-coming rides page. | |
| The 13th International Motorcycle Conference of the ifz | |
The Institut fur Zweiradsicherheit (ifz) is holding the 13th International Motorcycle Conference from the 1st September to the 6th October.
This conference will be held online, with 9 sessions planned that are spread across the month duration. The first session is on rider equipment
which has input from Brian Wood from the Australian Motorcycle Council. Brian has contributed information on Australia's Motocap, a 5-star
motorcycle clothing assessment program. What a great way to open the conference. Information on the conference can be found on the
conference webpage. Session timetable is as follows: Session 1 - 1 Sept - Rider Equipment Session 2 - 3 Sept - Electric Mobility Session 3 - 7 Sept - ARAS 1 (Advanced Rider Assistance Systems) Session 4 - 9 Sept - Accident Session 5 - 11 Sept - Safety and Technology Session 6 - 15 Sept - Rider Training Session 7 - 17 Sept - ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) Session 8 - 22 Sept - Rider / Traffic Session 9 - 29 Sept - ARAS 2 (Advanced Rider Assistance Systems) Finale - 6 Oct - Online Live Event, round table discussion, Q&A | |
| The Great Escape Rally | |
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We are pleased to announce that the Great Escape Rally will be going ahead. This will be held on the 25-27th September
2020. We have been in isolation long enough for your fuel to go off in the tank. We need an escape, and here it is. Come and join us at the usual Marrabel site to catch up with friends and family. Note that current SA restrictions will need to be observed but that won't stop us from enjoying a campfire and the usual motorcycling banter. 
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| The Red Centre Nats - 4 to 6 September 2020 | |
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Alice is only just over the border, why not join them for the Red Centre Nats. This event will be held at Blatherskite
Park, Alice Springs from 4th to the 6th September. This is an automotive celebration in the heart of Australia. As well as
the show and shine, there are other events and awards. There are several social cruises you can do with your mates including
Standley Chasm in Hugh, Ross River Resort in Hale (two ride lengths), Hermannsburg and Tylers Pass Mount Zeil.
Tickets and event information is available from the CentreNats Website. Posted with permission of Doc Robinson, Heavy Duty Magazine. 
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| SA Motocross Marshalling - scheduled for 29/30 August | |
| The MRASA is committed to promote motorcycling and to help clubs and motorcycling groups. We have agreed to provide marshals and gate keepers for local motocross events. If you have a half or full day to donate your time we would gratefully have you on board to assist the motorcycling community. The first event is scheduled for Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August. The volunteer tasks are pretty simple, and you will be given training on the day for what is required. We are looking for volunteers who will stand by their commitment to come out rain, hail or shine. If you think you can handle it, please contact Harald on 0421 289 714. | |
| Donating Blood, Convalescent Plasma - May 2020 | |
| For the first time in Australia The Australian Red Cross is collecting convalescent plasma in a bid to help the fight against COVID-19. Convalescent plasma is the liquid part of blood that contains antibodies. Once someone has recovered from COVID-19, the virus antibodies stay in their plasma. Convalescent plasma donations from someone who has recovered from COVID-19 may help boost the immunity of patients still battling the disease. Some criteria need to be met but this represents a real opportunity for people to become part of a potential solution. For more information and how to book a donation please visit the Australian Red Cross website. | |
| Fatality Free Friday - 29 May 2020 | |
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Fatality Free Friday continues to resonate with the Australian community and the efforts of this year's
campaign has reflected this. As we know road safety is a complex issue and it is impossible to find one
single key to reduce road trauma. Take the pledge to drive safely by promising:
The Federal Assistant Minister for Road Safety & Freight Transport The Hon Scott Buchholz MP has published a media release for all Australians for Fatality Free Friday in 2020. | |
| COVID-19 Information - 21 July 2020 | |
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We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our core industries of hospitality, tourism,
recreation and sport. We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to those who have been adversely impacted during
this difficult time. We thank you for your understanding with the decisions we have made regarding our meetings, rallies and ride groups. Each committee meeting we review the current restrictions and dates for events.
For health information for South Australians visit the website www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/COVID2019 The current SAMRATS ride calendar is available, refer to the SAMRATS page for details. | |
| MotoCAP test report review - 08 April 2020 | |
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Hopefully you are aware of the MotoCAP website, which the MRASA has been promoting and advocating for many years.
The Motorcycle Clothing Assessment Program (MotoCAP) has been established by a consortium of government and
private organisations across Australia and New Zealand, including the Australian Motorcycle Council, of
which the MRASA is an active member. MotoCAP's aim is to empower motorcyclists to choose
the right gear that provides them with the best protection and comfort for their ride. The website allows
riders to view and compare the performance of rider apparel available today. There is a fresh look coming to the MotoCAP website after conducting a rider workshop. MotoCAP would also like to update the test report to go with this new look. Each product review includes a five-page test report that provides all the test results used to put together the ratings on the website. The current format was developed by Dr Christopher Hurren and Dr Liz de Rome and whilst it contains pertinent information it may not always be in a format that is easily digestible by riders. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to have your say on how and what gets published on these reports. Please provide your feedback. Here is a link to the sample report (Alpinestars SPX Airflow Jacket) showing the current layout of a report. What would you like changed, added or enhanced to help you make an informed decision on what garment will be best for you? Chris is specifically after recommendations on the content and formats but is open to any feedback. Please send your comments and feedback directly to Chris Hurren at christopher.hurren@deakin.edu.au to arrive no later than the 17th April 2020. You can use a pen to mark-up the original document by hand, or digitally using a PDF mark-up tool, and attach these to the email. | |
| Minister Wingard Proposing GLS changes - 18 Jan 2020 | |
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Today Minister Wingard announced a new Bill to be drafted by the State Government. The Minister said the proposal
was designed to increase the maturity and road experience of potential riders before they even get on their bikes.
The proposed changes include increasing the minimum age for qualifying for a motorbike licence to be 18 years old.
A midnight to 5am curfew is also proposed for learner riders under 25 years old. Regional riders can apply for
exemptions under specific circumstances. During our meetings with the Minister in early 2019 we were able to confirm
the Minister was acutely aware of the issues raising the minimum age would bring to regional areas. He was carefully
considering his revised GLS and looking at ways to make this fairer for farmers and their families. This is not the first time Minister Wingard has threatened to increase the age limit of applying for a motorcycle licence. The previous suggestion on the 18th April 2019 was to require 12 months on a car licence before being able to apply for a motorcycle licence. This was quickly dismissed as the QLD model that included this was not showing a reduction in fatalities. This suggestion triggered an interview on 5AA where Minister Wingard did acknowledge there was a need for improved training which had not yet been delivered. While a significant number of the motorcyclist fatalities in 2017 were of under 25 year olds, recently the age of motorcycle fatalities feature predominantly in the higher age brackets, and were not learner or returning riders. This may be the reason the Minister has not announced GLS changes in the last 12 months. On 9 November 2019 a 16 year old rider died after losing control of his motorcycle in Adelaide's north, and may have contributed to his decision to propose legislation changes. The MRASA has been advocating for better training and education for a long time, and so far this has fallen on deaf ears. At the ONLY Motorcycle Reference Group meeting for 2019 the general consensus from the motorcycling community was to review and reform the licencing and training aspect for learner and returning riders. Since then there has been little action or public consultation hence it is no wonder leaders in the motorcycling community are feeling their expertise is ignored. Mr Lee Odenwalder MP introduced a private members bill into Parliament mid-2019 which outlined many key areas to improve the licencing, learning and training for motorcyclists in South Australia. The bill targeted safer riders and better attitudes to motorcycling. The Government has failed to act on this to date. The MRASA do not support increasing the minimum age to 18. This has been the case in Victoria for some time now, and it certainly feels like the Minister is 'following suit'. This change is simple to implement for the Government and penalises riders rather than providing improved training and support. Riders starting at 18 may have existing on-road experience in a car, giving them a dangerous level of confidence. Over confidence often contributes to accidents. The MRASA would like to see parity for car and motorcycle learners. The minister wants to increase the maturity and road experience. Increasing the age is not the answer. The statistics in QLD and Victoria show this does not work. Effective maturity comes with training and education, radically improved peer support and a change in attitudes to riding. Empower learners with ongoing learning and access to resources to keep good riding attitudes top of mind for every ride. | |
| 41st MRASA Toy Run - 8 December 2019 | |
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The MRASA would like to thank all the public, supporters, volunteers and members who together made the 2019 MRASA Toy Run
another great success. St Vincent de Paul were delighted with the number of riders and the amount of toys. An amazing
effort and contribution by the riders and public of South Australia to participate on such a hot day. Our thoughts
are with the children that are able to celebrate Christmas this year because of the kind donations. The aim of the community event is to celebrate motorcycling with a strong focus on assisting the children of families in need during the festive season. We have traditionally chosen St Vincent de Paul as a beneficiary of the thousands of toys and gifts which are distributed to families in need. Thanks to all who joined in the spectacle that is the Toy Run and thank you for the generous donations. | |
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