Motorcyclists less at risk in pursuits - police

File photo / NZH

Motorcyclists appear to be at less risk of crashing than other vehicles during a police pursuit, despite a perception to the contrary, police say.

A report released today cleared police of any blame over two separate pursuits involving three deaths, including a motorcyclist and his passenger, earlier this year.

But the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) reiterated a recommendation made last year that police track motorcycles separately, to ascertain whether they were at greater risk during pursuits.

Steven John Gorrie and his pillion passenger Makoto Izumi died after the 1200cc motorcycle they were travelling on hit an oncoming car on April 4 in Dome Valley, near Warkworth, north of Auckland.

Acting road policing manager Rob Morgan told NZPA that police started tracking all vehicle types involved in pursuits after the IPCA's recommendation last year, discovering that motorcyclists were at less risk of crashing during a pursuit than other vehicles.

"That came out as a result of probably a perception that chasing motorbikes is more risky than chasing other vehicles, but that's not actually really showing up in the statistics."

He said 9.7 per cent of motorcycles crashed during a pursuit, compared to 15.8 per cent of all pursuits.

"We're basically saying that it doesn't indicate a different way to treat motorcycles."

Already, police did not use spikes in motorcycle pursuits, as they did for cars, for the safety of riders. "That would really raise their risk of falling off."

The new tracking system meant police could be alert to any trends that showed up relating to pursuits.

The IPCA found last year that motorcyclists were involved in a disproportionate number of road crashes, but did not have enough information to determine whether it was more dangerous to pursue a motorcycle than another vehicle.

Authority chairwoman Justice Lowell Goddard said today that in the two 2010 cases it reviewed, all decisions, acts and conduct of the police officers were lawful, reasonable and justified.

Ricky Allan Forbes died after a Subaru Impreza driven by his cousin crashed into a tree near Murchison, south of Nelson in February. They were being pursued for dangerous driving and failing to stop.

Mr Forbes' cousin, Danny Forbes, later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to four years imprisonment.

The authority again found the police officer was justified in starting the pursuit, and complied with policy throughout.

- NZPA