NEWS RELEASE
Trader Classifieds (A division of ACP Magazines Ltd.) 73 Atherton Rd, Oakleigh VIC 3166
A motorcycle-friendly remake of a TAC “safety”
commercial emphasises safe, reponsible
motorcycling at MCtrader.com.au.
9 November 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TAC motorcycle ad ‘a shocking waste’
The Victorian Transport Accident Commission’s
latest shock motorcycle ‘safety’ TV commercial
has been condemned as “a shocking waste of
resources” by a leading motorcycle journalist and
automotive engineer.
Motorcycle Trader magazine Editor Rob
Blackbourn said the ad achieved the direct
opposite of what was intended.
“The TAC ad is a failure,” he said. “And it’s a
failure at huge expense to riders and other
taxpayers.”
Blackbourn, an experienced automotive engineer, said the commercial was technically
flawed and confirmed all the worst prejudices of other motorists.
“It depicts riders as suicidal, disenfranchising the very people it was supposed to be
targeting, and the final crash scene defies the laws of physics. How does this help anyone?
“On one hand the vast majority of riders see it as an over-dramatised insult, while on the
other, it conveys a rather frightening – and quite unrepresentative – image of motorcyclists
to those who do not ride.”
Rather than just sit back and criticise, Blackbourn and an in-house video production crew
went out and shot their own version, with a positive message.
“Our version reminds people to slow down and wear the right gear – a positive message
which riders can understand and heed,” he said.
Trader Classifieds (A division of ACP Magazines Ltd.) 73 Atherton Rd, Oakleigh VIC 3166
“By contrast, the TAC has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to alienate the very people
you target, while putting them at greater risk.”
Blackbourn says his magazine’s version of the commercial gives more useful information to
the audience, with a reward for good behavior, instead of an apocalyptic outcome.
It can be viewed online at MCtrader.com.au – look for the ice-cream scene at the end.
(ends)
Media information
Motorcycle Trader is an influential national magazine produced in Melbourne. Its audience
ranges from young riders on off-road machines through to seniors on big touring bikes.
Rob Blackbourn is a motorcyclist with 40-plus years of road and competition experience. He
has enjoyed a long career as a qualified automotive engineer, including stints with Ford and
General Motors, while maintaining his membership of the Society of Automotive Engineers.
Contact:
Rob Blackbourn
0419 393 435
rob.blackbourn@traderclassifieds.com.au
A high-definition version of the Motorcycle Trader ad, plus stills, can be supplied.
NEWS 
