John MacDonald: Motorcyclist ACC levies a human rights issue? Really?

Even as a scooter rider, I think these motorcyclists who are kicking up a fuss about their ACC levies going through the roof don’t have a leg to stand on. 

It’s quite possible too that the motorbike guys will think that someone who rides a 2-stroke Vespa isn’t even a real motorcyclist.  

And they’re free to think that, but even though the ACC levy is going to increase by almost 80% over the next three years, you won’t find me running off to the Human Rights Commission.  

I’m not joking there either, because that’s exactly what Motorcycle Advocacy Group New Zealand has done.   

So here are the numbers: in three years’ time the ACC levy for anyone who registers a motorbike will be $532. At the moment, it’s $297. So, yes, a truckload more money. It’s an increase of nearly 80%.  

And the motorbike people think they’re being unfairly targeted when you consider that the ACC levy for car drivers in that same three-year time period is going to go from $42 a year to $64 for drivers of petrol cars. For EV drivers, the levy will go from $42 a year to $122 a year.  

So the motorbike people have lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission, saying it isn’t fair that they’ll be paying more than $800 a year when car drivers will only be paying a maximum of $122 a year.  

They say it would be much fairer if everyone just paid a flat rate of $140, but I disagree.   

In their complaint to the Human Rights Commission, they say that as a minority group of New Zealand citizens, motorcyclists are being unfairly singled-out and the increases will particularly affect people on low incomes who rely on motorbikes as an affordable form of transport.  

Here’s a quote from their submission: “Although motorcyclists only account for only 0.26 percent of all ACC accident claims, they bear a disproportionately high financial burden.”  

So you look at that stat, and it could be very easy to think that they have a good point. If so few ACC claims are being made by motorcyclists, why are they paying way more than other people on the road? But it’s not about the number of crashes - it’s about the severity of the injuries.  

For me, it comes down to the fact that —when you’re on the road on two wheels— you are at so much more risk. And I don’t have a stat to back this up but I bet you that when a motorcyclist is involved in a crash, chances are they require a lot more medical care than someone in a car.  

That’s what ACC itself says too – it says the cost to the country of motorcycle accidents is extremely expensive.  

This is because of the kinds of injuries someone can get if they’re on a motorbike and get involved in a crash.  

And, unfortunately, a lot of the time those crashes aren’t caused by the motorcyclists themselves, they’re caused by muppets in cars and other vehicles.  

If you’ve ever ridden a motorbike or a scooter, you’ll know how key it is to make sure that other drivers have seen you. Example: when you’re heading down the road on your motorbike and there’s a car approaching an intersection on your left.  

You can never be sure they’ve seen you unless you catch their eye. I do it every time, try to make sure I catch their eye. Always have. Because, quite often, what I find is that the car driver at the intersection is actually looking beyond you.   

They’re looking out for larger vehicles and they can completely miss you.  

Not that us motorbike and scooter riders are completely innocent, either. I don’t know how many times I’ve given into the temptation —when traffic’s at a standstill— to undertake, and ride through the space to the left of the built-up traffic.  

I don’t know how many times I’ve said to myself I’m never doing that again and I have done it again.  

Nevertheless, riding a motorbike or a motor scooter is not compulsory. It is a choice. It is a choice that motorcyclists make knowing full well that riding on two-wheels is way riskier than riding on two wheels.  

And, because we acknowledge that risk, we also need to accept that if we come to grief, chances are we’re going to need more support from the health system.  

And, because of that, we have no reason to complain about paying higher ACC levies than other road users.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Morning's Podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Now I'm going to tell you, even as a even
as a motu scooter rider, I think these motorcyclists who
are kicking up a fust today about their ACC leve
is going through the roof. I don't think they've got
a lenk to stand on. Personally. It's quite possible too
that the motorbike guys and girls will think that someone
who rides a tooth trank vesper isn't even a real motorcyclist.

(00:34):
If you think that, you're more than welcome to think it.
But even though the ACC levy for those of us
who ride two wheels is going to increase by almost
eighty percent over the next three years, you won't find
me running off to the Human Rights Commission. I'm not
joking there either, you know, because that is exactly what
the outfit known as Motorcycle Advocacy Group New Zealand has done.

(00:59):
They've done it. I won't be doing it because I'm
a realist and I've got no problem paying more. I'll
tell you why to Here are the numbers and three
years time, the ACC levee for anyone who registers a
motorbike will be five hundred and thirty two dollars at
the moment, two hundred and ninety seven two ninety seven

(01:20):
to five three to two yep truckload more money. It's
an increase of nearly eighty percent. And the motorbike people,
they think they're being unfairly targeted when considered that the
acc levee for car drivers in that same three year
period is going to go from forty two dollars a
year to sixty four for drivers of petrol cars and
for ev drivers the levy will go from forty two

(01:42):
a year to one hundred and twenty to a year.
So the motorbike people, I told you, I'm not joking.
They've lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission saying
it isn't fair that they'll be paying more than eight
hundred bucks a year when car drivers will only be
paying a maximum of one hundred and twenty two a year,
and they say it would be much fairer if we

(02:04):
all paid a flat rate of one hundred. But I
completely disagree. In their complaints to the Human Rights Commission,
they say that as a minority group of new Zealand
citizens motorcyclists are being unfairly singled out and the increases
will particularly affect people on low incomes who rely on
motorbikes as an affordable form of transport. Here's a quote

(02:27):
from their submission to the Human Rights Commission. They say, quote,
although motorcyclists ownly account for only zero point two six
percent of all acc accident claims, they bear a disproportionately
high financial burden end of quote. So if you look
at that stat zero point twenty six percent, it could

(02:48):
be very easy to think that, well, you've got a
good point. If so few acc claims are being made
by motorcyclists, then why are they paying more than other
people on the road. It's not about the number of crashes.
It's about the severity of the crashes and the severity
of the injuries. And for me, it comes down to
the simple fact that when you're on the road on

(03:09):
two wheels, you are at so much more risk. And look,
I don't have a specific stamp to back this up,
but I bet you that when a motorcyclist is involved
in a crash, chances are they require a lot more
medical care than someone in a car and that's what
ACI said. Itself says as well. It says the cost
of the country of motorcycle accidents is extremely expensive because

(03:32):
the kinds of injuries that someone can get if they're
on a motorbike and get involved in a crash, well
their next level compared to someone protected in a car.
And unfortunately, I know this is unfortunate. A lot of
the time these crashes aren't caused by the motorcyclists themselves.
They're caused by the muppets and cars and other vehicles.

(03:54):
If you've ever ridden a motorbike r a scooter you're
not I'm talking about here, you'll know how key it
is to make sure that other drivers have seen you. Example,
you're heading down the road, all right, and you're on
you on your motorbike or your scooter, and there's a
car approaching an intersection on your left. Now, you can
never be sure they've seen you unless you catch their eye.

(04:16):
I do it every time, I try anyway to make
sure I catch their eye. Always have, because quite often
what I find is that the car driver at the intersection,
they're actually looking beyond you. They're looking out for larger vehicles,
and they can completely misside of you, not that us
motorbike and scooter riders are completely innocent either. I'm not

(04:36):
going to claim that today. I don't know how many
times I've given into the temptation when traffics at a standstill,
to do the old undertaking maneuver, you know, riding through
the space to the left of the built up traffic.
I don't know how many times I've seved himself, Oh,
that was dicey, and never doing that again, and I
do it again. Nevertheless, riding a motorbike or a motor

(05:00):
scooter is not compulsory. It's a choice. It is a
choice that motorcyclists make, knowing full well we all do
it motorcyclist scoter riders. We make the choice knowing full
well that riding on two wheels is way riskier than
riding on four wheels. And because we acknowledge that risk,

(05:21):
we also need to accept that if we come to grief,
chances are we're going to need more support from the
health system. And because of that, we have no reason
to complain about motorcyclists paying higher acc levies than other
road users.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
For more from Caterbory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
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