September 30, 2010

A New Publication from IMMA on Its Contribution to the “Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-20”

The International Motorcycle Manufacturers Association1 (IMMA) announced the publication of its HHRT—Motorcycle Safety: IMMA’s contribution to the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-20 report at a meeting of the United Nations Working Party on Road Traffic Safety (WP.1) convened yesterday in Geneva.

In recent years, the United Nations and other international agencies have adopted more vigorous approaches to the promotion of road safety. Against a backdrop of growing international concern over this issue2, IMMA’s objective in publishing its report is to promote greater understanding and compliance in regard to motorcycle (or “powered two-wheeler” vehicle) road safety specifically. An IMMA member organization, JAMA serves as chair of the IMMA Road Safety Task Force and contributed to the preparation of the report in that capacity.

The IMMA report describes the road safety promotional activities undertaken by PTW industry associations and PTW manufacturers in major countries around the world. It also proposes measures for more comprehensive accident data collection and international harmonization of that data. In addition, the report states that “IMMA’s immediate recommendation [for the international Decade of Action for Road Safety] is Headlight, Helmet, Road surface and Training, or HHRT”—the “key first elements for a PTW safety policy.”

Following the announcement of the publication of this report to WP.1, IMMA member organizations are moving to introduce its content to relevant parties in their home countries, thereby making effective use of the document in promoting safer PTW riding. In Japan, although daytime running lamps and the wearing of helmets are both mandated by law, JAMA intends to advance motorcycle road safety not only by further promoting greater public awareness of the need to fasten helmet chin straps properly, but also by lobbying for motorcycle-only road lanes and other improvements to the road environment and advancing motorcycle rider education. Click on the PDF icon below to see the entire text of this IMMA publication.

HHRT柚otorcycle Safety: IMMA痴 contribution to the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-20

1 Established in 1987, the International Motorcycle Manufacturers Association includes in its membership the Federation of Asian Motorcycle Industries (FAMI), the Motorcycle Industry in Europe (ACEM), the United States Motorcycle Manufacturers Association (USMMA), the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Australia’s Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), and Canada’s Motorcycle and Moped Industry Council (MMIC). The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) is an IMMA member through its membership in FAMI.

2 The first Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, held in Moscow in November 2009, included an initial discussion on the matter of declaring 2011-to-2020 the “Decade of Action for Road Safety.”