Australia - Hysteria surrounding anti-bikie laws has led to NSW motorcyclists feeling more vulnerable on the road, with young motorists in particular having little respect for their safety, the NSW Motorcycle Council says.
Legislation designed to shut down motorcycle gangs was rushed through parliament in April following a surge of violent incidents involving gangs in NSW, including a fatal brawl between gang members at Sydney Airport in March.
"About that time we were receiving reports from riders saying they had been bullied at service stations by people shouting at them, and accusing them of being criminals because they rode motorcycles," Motorcycle Council of NSW chairman Guy Stanford told AAP on Sunday.
He believes young motorists aged between 18 and 24 in particular are unwilling to recognise motorcyclists as individuals.
"If you have a full face helmet on, they can't see the face, and so, people tend to think of them as targets in a computer game," he said.
"All road users, especially those new to our roads, have to realise that motorcyclists are from all walks of life, and the next rider you see could be your father, sister, boss or partner."
Despite his concerns, Mr Stanford said roads were safer for motorcyclists than they were nine years ago, when other motorists caused half the number of crashes they were involved in.
Now that figure is 38 per cent, Mr Stanford said.
The number of motorcyclists on NSW roads has increased by 50 per cent in the past five years, Mr Stanford said, with casualty rates increasing by only about 3 per cent.
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