The FIM represents users’ voice at the first ever Latin American Motorcycling Congress.
The Motorcycling Industry in Latin America mobilises over 50 million motorcycle users and has one of the best rates of sustained growth in comparison with any other industrial sector in the region. At the present time, motorcycling accidents are the first cause of death on the job and absenteeism in Colombia, generating a major impact on company productivity. Latin America is lagging a long way behind in the adoption of international standards for motorcycling, which translates into one of the highest levels of motorcycling accidents in comparison with the European continent. High-level professionals and companies in the two-wheel sector met on 25 and 26 October in the Cartagena Convention Centre within the framework of the Latin American Congress for Motorcycling with the aim of meeting together the challenges of the sector and creating new opportunities to ensure the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the motorcycle industry. Damiano Zamana, Programmes Director of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), gave the welcome address to the event and presented motorcycling as a sector of global significance, in a situation of constant growth and development. The inaugural address was given by José María Riaño, Secretary General of the Asociación Nacional de Empresas del Sector de las Dos Ruedas de España (ANESDOR) (Spanish National Association of Companies in the Two-Wheel sector), who explained to the audience the sector’s organisational model in Spain, invited to the event as guest country. The event featured a select group of speakers including Xavi Vallejo, President of Motoescuela, the largest motorcycle training school in Spain, Gato Barbery, Dakar rider and Motorcycling Journalist with the Fox Channel, Hilda Gomez, Director of the Agencia Nacional de Seguridad Vial (National Road Safety Agency) and Pedro Marún, President of the National Tradespersons Federation FENALCO. This event, organised by the Centro de Innovación para Motociclistas (Innovation Centre for Motorcyclists), brought together the stakeholders of motorcycling around a packed academic agenda that enabled those present to update their knowledge and familiarise themselves with themes such as innovation, marketing, motorcycle working, road safety, standard-setting and motorcycle sport, among others. The main conclusions of the event include the following: 1. Motorcycling is a large sector of the economy which mobilises a third of the active working population. It should therefore no longer be seen as merely an adjunct to the automobile sector, particularly as this dependent relationship has slowed down the standard-setting and technological development of the sector and has prevented the actors of the two-wheel system from structuring themselves as a competitive cluster with global reach. 2. The motorcycle is a vector of the social economy, through which solutions to the “last mile” of the logistical processes of the commercial and services sectors among others are developed. Considering that over 79% of journeys on a motorcycle are performed for reasons of work and that currently motorcycle accidents are the first cause of death on the job and of absenteeism, it was recommended that motorcycle work be included in the list of activities considered as high risk for the worker’s health and safety. This would make it possible to formalise and professionalise millions of motorcycle workers who use their vehicles as a working tool. 3. As regards the safe vehicles axis, it came to light that there is a high degree of technical obsolescence, both in the two-wheel vehicle fleet and with regard to technologies in the area of protective equipment for motorcyclists. For that reason, organisations like the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and the National Association of Companies in the Two-Wheel Sector (ANESDOR) recommended that Latin America adopt international standards for the homologation of two- and three-wheel vehicles which should be equipped with ABS or CBS braking technologies and European Standards for certification of personal protective items for motorcyclists. 4. With regard to the human behaviour axis, it was demonstrated that the current system of licences for motorcyclists is inefficient, necessitating the adoption of international models for training and evaluating motorcyclists based on the development of competences and skills specific to the riding of two-wheel vehicles, such as the capacity to brake and avoid obstacles or particular ways of projecting one’s vision, among others. Also, the speakers at the event agreed on the need to create specialised professionalisation programmes for motorcycle workers. 5. During the event, the prize for “Successful action as a Moto-Responsible Company” was awarded to ENEL-Codensa. This organisation implemented a Programme for work-place road safety for motorcycle workers, which made it possible to reduce to ZERO the number of accidents among its motorcycle workers, thereby becoming a global example of responsible motorcyclist employment. This is one more demonstration that it IS possible to reduce drastically the rate of mortality among motorcyclists. According to German Acevedo, Director of the Innovation Centre for Motorcyclists, such professional networking spaces are necessary to boost the economy, as they provide opportunities for companies to strike deals (B2B - Business to Business) and open up new communication channels between the business sector and the government (B2G - Business to Government), which are vital to generate public policies that recognise motorcyclists as a vector of the social economy that has become a sustainable means of transport for Latin America’s emerging middle class. Congress web page: https://www.congresomotociclismo.org
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