There Is NO Mandatory "hi viz" Proposed For Fully Licenced Riders
3rd July 2019
By Rob Salvatore

There is a poorly written Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) consultation document for a routine 10 yearly review of the road safety rules, which has some ambiguous wording about a demerit point infringement related to "failing to wear" hi viz.
It reads like it will be applied to all motorcyclists - THIS IS FALSE.
Since this is a RIS process, the actual words, i.e. the draft proposed regulations, that may be turned into law are available for review.
The proposed regs are one link lower than the consultation document on the DoT (Dept. of Transport - incorporating VicRoads, and others) web page for this Regulatory Impact process.
It's these words that will become law if the RIS consultation process doesn't convince the bureaucrats to modify any of the proposed laws.
So in the regs is road rule 57(2) which refers to what motorcycle learners MUST NOT do, and 57(2)(d) says:
(d) drive a motor cycle unless the driver is wearing an approved high visibility vest or jacket that is visible and is securely fitted and fastened.
This rule already exists today and currently sees a learner face a monetary fine with zero points.
On page 115 of the proposed regs however, item 36 points to the addition of a demerit point for failing to comply to 57(2)(d).
Nowhere else in the regs is there a proposal for fully licensed riders to wear hi viz and face a penalty for not doing so. Read, rinse, lather and repeat.
RIS page:
https://getinvolved.transport.vic.gov.au/driverreg2019
Link to actual proposed regs:
https://getinvolved.transport.vic.gov.au/46155/documents/107149