2020 Automotive Awards

Nov20596 Best Motorcycle Safety Education Platform - Australia Riding a motorcycle is a lot different to learning to ride a bicycle, and can be infinitely more dangerous. Riding one of these requires skill, awareness, and care. Seeking to instil these attributes in every rider across Australia and the wider world is Stephen McDowall, founder and owner of the Best Motorcycle Safety Education Platform – Australia, Motorcycle Life. Join us as we find out more about Stephen’s journey and the work his firm does now. “My first ever motorcycle ride was terrifying, and in hindsight - seriously dangerous. I’d never ridden a motorcycle in my life, but I’d bought a bike from a dealership in Sydney and had to get it home. I knew nothing, the sales guy even had to show me how the clutch and gearbox worked. I figured if I could ride a pushbike and drive a manual car it shouldn’t be too hard. What could possibly go wrong?” “The system at that time didn’t prepare riders very well for the road. I was able to get a learners permit to ride unsupervised on public roads with absolutely no skills or experience. So I had no idea how to move that bike once I’d stalled it and jammed it in third gear, blocking peak hour traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.” From that first experience in 1983, Stephen McDowall has become one of the most highly regarded motorcycle rider trainers and road safety advocates in Australia. Acknowledging that he needed help, Stephen looked for someone who could teach him the essential skills he needed to ride safely on our roads. He found that help with two former New South Wales Police rider trainers - Warwick Schuberg and Max Withers. As time went on, Stephen realised the system was letting riders down and there was a great need for better motorcycle rider education across the board. In Australia, like many countries around the world, motorcyclists are massively over-represented in road trauma statistics. Motorcycles represent only 5% of Australia’s registered road fleet, yet motorcyclists are around 20% of all road fatalities. For every fatality, there are another thirteen riders or passengers hospitalised with serious, often life threatening, injuries. Not to mention the fact that road trauma costs the Australian economy in excess of $34 billion per year. Whilst the conversation around road safety is both complex and controversial, there are many contributing factors to motorcycle safety that can be addressed with better training for both riders and drivers. In response to a series of spikes in motorcycle incidents, Stephen launched his own business - Motorcycle Life - in 2014. The initial focus was to create a platform to share trustworthy information and advice to riders in the hope that it could continue the work of a previously successful road safety initiative he’d been involved with. But by 2015, the numbers had risen even further and over 45% of road deaths in Stephen’s local area were motorcyclists. Armed with a cash injection from a government grant, Stephen teamed up with fellow rider trainer and friend Mike Roberts to create the training program that is now known as SMART Rider. Despite dramatic improvements in the training and licensing system since their own early days of riding, the pair recognised that there were still many gaps in the knowledge and skills riders were being given, particularly in the area of road craft. There were also many riders out there who were never given any training at all when they first started riding, and research data showed that they are among the most vulnerable. SMART Rider is unique in its approach, and is designed to teach motorcycle riders the skills to firstly identify risks on the road, and then to give them simple strategies they can use to avoid becoming yet another statistic. There is a big focus on the necessary mental skills, not just motorcycle control techniques. SMART Rider took Motorcycle Life to a whole new level. Whilst primarily operating in south-east Queensland, Stephen and the team of five instructors have had requests for training courses right up and down the east coast of Australia and from as far away as the UK. Ultimately, Stephen’s success is incredibly clear, and the necessity for it is even more so. His closing thoughts perhaps sum it up best. “People ask me - was all this effort worth it? My attitude is that if we can save just one life, prevent one life changing injury, then all of this work is worth it. And in business - live your passion, find good mentors, and believe in yourself.” Company: Motorcycle Life Contact: Stephen McDowall Website: www.motorcyclelife.com.au The initial focus was to create a platform to share trustworthy information and advice to riders in the hope that it could continue the work of a previously successful road safety initiative he’d been involved with.