ACC says becasue of an increase in motorcycle injury claims, it wants to increase levies on motorcycles of all sizes.
Owners of petrol-driven motorcycles now pay ACC $252.69 in their registration fees. This will rise to $511.43 for mid-sized bikes and $745.77 for those over 600cc. Mopeds will go from $58.97 to $257.58.
Auckland University Motorcycle Club president Stephen Dodge told the NZ Herald that some motorcyclists would risk the $400 fine for riding an unregistered bike, as getting caught twice a year would be about equal to the cost of registration.
Dodge accepts larger bikes are over-represented in crash statistics, but doesn't believe that's because they have larger-capacity engines.
"A 650cc bike of mine produces less power and torque than several 400cc and even some 250cc bikes."
ACC says the new levies reflect the fact that motorcycle riders are 16 times more likely to be involved in a road crash than any other road users and are far more likely to be seriously injured. In 2008/09 ACC paid more than $62 million for motorcycle riders but collected only $12.3 million in levies from them.
ACC Minister Nick Smith and board chairman John Judge outlined the proposed changes yesterday, saying the package is designed to address a crisis at ACC, brought on by rapidly increasing claim numbers, health costs and the effects of the recession.
Smith has said ACC made a $4.8 billion loss in the last financial year on top of a $2.4 billion loss the year before.
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