Compass Expeditions is excited to announce that Charley Boorman has once again agreed to lead two motorcycle tours within Australia in February and March 2014.

Both tours are of 10 days in length; one ride will start in Sydney and travel via the Blue Mountains, Broken Hill, Flinders Ranges and the Great Ocean Road before culminating in Melbourne. The second ride will begin in Melbourne and cross to Tasmania before crossing back to Melbourne and riding the spectacular Victorian High Country and the Snowy Mountains.

“We are very excited to have Charley lead for both these rides” says Compass Expeditions co-founder Mick McDonald, “The 2013 rides were a spectacular success and provided clients with an extremely unique biking experience and we greatly look forward to having Charley back” continues Mick.

For more info on both rides please visit

For further info please contact 1300 887 327 (within Australia) or +61 3 5368 2113 (outside Australia)

www.compassexpeditions.com

Inexperience (86%) and overconfidence (86%) are the main reasons that new drivers are the riskiest group of road users, according to the latest poll from road safety charity IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists).  Respondents also rated peer pressure (67%), immaturity (52%) and shortfalls in the learning process (45%) as being important risk factors.

Sixty-eight per cent of respondents lack faith in the current driving test as being an adequate system to produce safe drivers.  There is a high degree of dissatisfaction with the current system for learning to drive. When asked to rate how well new drivers are taught using a scale of one to ten (1 being poor, 10 being ideal), half (57%) of respondents rated it as a 5 or below.

When asked about the idea of a minimum learning period, respondents’ opinion is split.  Thirty-one per cent believe it should be six months with thirty per cent believing it should be at least a year.

Poll results showed support for restrictions such as stricter drink-drive limits for younger drivers.  Forty-nine per cent of respondents believe that the drink-drive limit should be lower for younger drivers.

When it comes to the number of passengers younger drivers can carry, seventy-one per cent support restrictions on the in the first few months after passing the practical test.

Attitudes were more divided on night time curfews with forty-seven per cent support a nightime curfew while forty-five per cent do not want to see any curfew enforced for young people.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Our survey has shown that sixty-nine per cent of motorists lack faith in the current system which marks a clear need to review the learning process.  It is clear that motorists want to see more restrictions on younger drivers, but this will not solve the issue alone. There needs to be a lifelong learning approach to driving that starts at school and continues through experience and coaching into the higher risk early days of solo driving. The more experience of driving that young people get the safer they will be in the long run.”

Leading Helmet manufacturer Arai is the latest brand to back the inaugural Classic TT Races on the Isle of Man in 2013. Arai, which is distributed by Moto Direct in the UK, will receive a series of high profile sponsor benefits including trackside, programme, web and race guide advertising.

The company will be providing its well-established race service to the race paddock, which includes helmet servicing and replacement throughout the race fortnight. Many of the established Classic TT stars are Arai registered riders including Australian ace Cameron Donald. The company will also provide helmets to the Travelling Marshals who operate during the qualifying sessions and races.

Arai joins a number of well-established Motorcycle industry brands and blue-chip companies in supporting the inaugural Classic TT Races, which is part of the newly established Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling. Many of the leading TT Race specialists have confirmed entries and they will go 'head-to- head' against Classic Racing specialists in the three races.

This year's festival also includes two parade laps, which will feature some of the greatest names in motorcycle racing. Stars confirmed to appear include John McGuinness and Giacomo Agostini who will be recreating the 1967 Senior TT Race while World Champions Phil Read MBE, Kork Ballington, Chas Mortimer, Carlos Lavado, Freddie Spencer, Manuel Herreros, Steve Baker, Kel Carruthers and Brian Reid will join TT stars past and present in the 'Classic Racer Heroes' parade lap.

Laurence Skelly, MHK, Political Member, Isle of Man Government Department of Economic Development for Tourism and Motorsport commented: "We have a long established partnership with Arai and as the leading helmet provider we are very pleased that they will be endorsing our event. They play a really important role in providing a race service to competitors at the TT and Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling and have become an established part of the paddock."

He continued:

"We have had a great reaction to the new festival from commercial partners and fans and look forward to welcoming everyone to all the events that we've got going on including the Classic TT, The Manx Grand Prix's ninetieth anniversary, the Classic and two day trials and the VMCC's festival of Jurby in what promises to be a great celebration of Motorcycle racing."

Moto Direct's Terry Birtles, on behalf of Arai, commented: "We always say that motorcycle racing is in our DNA and it's exactly the same with the Isle of Man. The TT Mountain Course is world famous and is instrumental in the development of our helmet technology. We are delighted to extend our partnership to include the Classic TT."

One in 20 adults was involved in a road accident in 2012, according to road safety charity, Institute of Advanced Motorists.

Using information  from the National Travel Survey published by the Department for Transport it shows that 5.2% of the population admit to having been involved in an accident.

Figures also reveal that men are more likely to be involved in an accident than women.

This means that an incredible 2.4 million Brits were involved in the trauma and stress of a road crash last year, with around 800,000 actually injured.  In the vast majority of these crashes those involved were car occupants.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “The good news is that our roads have never been safer and the headline death and serious injury figures continue to fall.  But we still kill five people every day, and these government figures suggest that millions are involved in minor bumps and scrapes every year.  Car and road design have delivered a safer driving environment, but it is clear that we must all share the responsibility of reducing accidents and collisions.”