Riders are being urged to slow down this Christmas with the state’s motorcycle road toll on the rise.
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Tasmania Police says it will target motorcyclists during the holiday season after 11 riders died on the state’s road this year – one more than this time last year.
The 2017 motorcycle road toll is also 67 per cent higher than the five-year average of 6.6 deaths.
Senior Sergeant Ian Mathewson said it was “unacceptable”.
“People need to take responsibility for their actions on our roads,” he said.
“We’re calling on riders to protect themselves and other road users by riding responsibly, ensuring they’re licensed and their motorbike is registered and roadworthy, and by wearing appropriate safety gear. It’s for their own safety.”
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The message comes less than a week after a 36-year-old Southern Tasmanian man died when his motorcycle veered off the road and crashed.
Police say the bike came off the road while its rider was entering a right-hand corner on the Channel Highway on Saturday night.
Last month, a Summerhill man died when he crossed onto the wrong side of the road and hit a car head-on.
The 41-year-old was speeding up a hill when he crashed.
The safety push also comes after a rider was caught travelling at nearly double the speed limit on the Southern Outlet last week.
The 35-year-old man was travelling at at 158km/h in an 80km/h zone near the Summerleas Road exit ramp on Friday night.
He was arrested, charged and bailed to appear in the Hobart Court of Petty Sessions at a later date.
Senior Sergeant Mathewson said “if you are detected by police riding dangerously, there’s a high probability your bike will be seized”.
“Our message for all road users, both motorcyclists and motorists, is to slow down and share the road … it’s for everyone’s safety,” he said.