About the Motorcycle Safety Levy
The Motorcycle Safety Levy is used to improve safety for all motorcycle riders in Victoria.
The Motorcycle Safety Levy (MSL) - currently $81.40 (incl GST) - is included in your registration fees for any motorcycle with an engine 126cc or larger.
The MSL is collected as part of the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) registration premium and used specifically for motorcycle safety projects. These projects are led by the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning (DTP).
If you ride a motorcycle that is registered in Victoria, you’ve paid the MSL and it’s being used to make your ride safer.
Since the MSL was introduced in 2002, more than $100 million has been spent on a range of safety initiatives across the following areas:
- road safety infrastructure for motorcyclists
- technology and intelligent transport solutions (ITS)
- education and research
- motorcycle policy and law
Infrastructure improvements that make your ride safer are the biggest area of spending from the MSL. This includes improved curve alignment signage and delineation, protection systems at the base of roadside barriers, bell-mouth sealing, post cushions, and road surface improvements.
Examples of projects in the other safety areas that have been funded by the SML include:
- motorcycle lane filtering legislation (motorcycle policy and law)
- motorcycle graduated licensing scheme (education and research)
- motorcycle anti-lock braking technology promotion (technology and ITS).
Details of current projects being funded by the MSL can be found here, reported by financial year.
For projects completed in financial years before 2020-21, visit the completed MSL projects page.
Making roads motorcycle friendly guide
The making roads motorcycle friendly guide (PDF) informs the design and maintenance of Victorian roads to better provide for the safety needs of motorcyclists.
It guides those who work who plan, design, construct, operate and maintain Victorian roads.
Road treatments funded by the MSL are typically based on the best-practice approaches outlined in the guide. For an overview of such treatments, visit the motorcycle safety road treatments page.
Governance
The levy is collected as part of the TAC premium on motorcycle registration. DTP delivers projects funded by the MSL.
A memorandum of understanding between the TAC and DTP governs the development and approval of MSL projects.
Many of these projects are also discussed with the motorcycling community engagement panel, which provides a forum for exchange of information between the motorcycling community, other stakeholders, the Victorian Government and the Minister for Roads and Road Safety.
Find out more about the motorcycling community engagement panel and how you can contribute to the conversation about riding safety in Victoria.
A strategic guide for the expenditure of the MSL was developed by the Monash University Accident Research Centre in consultation with road safety professionals and the former Victorian Motorcycle Expert Advisory Council.
The guide outlines the conditions for a project to be approved. These include:
- It must significantly improve safety by addressing key rider safety issues.
- The expected benefits to riders must exceed the cost of the program.
- The project would not be funded from other road safety budgets.
Evaluation of MSL's impact
In 2015, DTP (as VicRoads) commissioned the Australian Road Research Board to conduct an evaluation of the motorcycle blackspot program funded through the MSL.
It aimed to determine if the blackspot program was reducing motorcycle crashes and identify any economic benefits.
The main conclusions were:
- The program has been successful in significantly reducing motorcycle casualty crashes (by 27%) and fatal and serious injury crashes (by 31%).
- The program also showed good economic returns.
- The roadside barrier protection program has been particularly effective in reducing fatal and serious injury crashes (by 74%) and shows the best economic returns.
- The long route treatments and the loss-of-control treatments have both been successful in reducing crashes and show good economic returns. In both cases, sufficient numbers of sites have received the treatments to allow confidence in the results.
- The intersection treatments also showed good reductions in motorcycle crashes, but the number of sites is small; trials at more sites are needed before full confidence can be placed in it.