Between 2003 - 2007, 42% of motorcycle crashes in NSW were single vehicle crashes compared to 23% of car crashes.

The contribution of road factors to motorcycle crashes is not widely understood by road authorities. This lack of understanding is perpetuated partially because the role of road factors is not systematically investigated in motorcycle crashes even where the information is available.

Road surface hazards were recorded by police as a contributing factor in 21% of single vehicle motorcycle crashes compared to only 6% of the single vehicle car crashes between 2001-2005 in NSW (de Rome et al, 2007).

In a MCC survey, riders in NSW reported that loss of traction due to road surface condition had been a factor in 43% of their single vehicle crashes (de Rome & Brandon, 2007).

A Victorian study of 222 motorcycle crashes found that road surface features likely to impair traction were present at 53% of crash sites and directly contributed to 15% of the crashes (Haworth, 1999).