Statistics help bikers stay safe this summer

Warwickshire Police are issuing bikers with advice to help them stay safe and avoid becoming one of the growing number of motorcyclists losing their lives on the county’s roads.

Chief Superintendent, Jon Bond, said

"We want people to enjoy their motorbikes, but also to ride safely. In 2003, the number of motorcyclists killed on the county's roads doubled compared to 2002, a trend that is being repeated across the country. This is a statistic we'd like to change and one way we can do this is by looking closely at the circumstances surrounding serious bike accidents and alerting bikers to the sorts of scenarios where they may be at risk.

"For example, bikers should be particularly careful on bends. A high proportion of motorcycle casualties occur on corners, often because they misjudge the tightness of the bend, enter the corner too quickly and consequently lose control of the bike often with devastating results."

"A high proportion of serious bike accidents involve bigger more powerful bikes and 57% of serious accidents last year occurred on rural roads where speed limits are higher. Speed is a factor in many motorcycle crashes. Last year more than a third of crashes involving motorcyclists were caused purely by excessive speed so I’d appeal to riders to keep their speeds down for the safety of themselves and those around them."

Jon continued

"Motorbike accidents also typically occur at weekends during the summer when many social riders are out making the most of the good weather, meeting up with friends and enjoying the county's roads. The crashes are also most likely to happen in the afternoon, probably because by this time in the day the rider is tired and their reation times have dropped."

Many collisions are not the fault of the motorcyclist, however around a third of motorcycle crashes involve just the biker alone normally due to the rider simply losing control of their bike.

But it's not just about how you ride. The statistics also allow the police and partner agencies to build an eerie profile of the person most likely to have a serious bike accident. They are male, aged between 30 and 39 and ride a bigger bike. If this is you, this advice seems even more important.

So what can you do to make sure you don't become a victim and enjoy many more years of biking?

• Ride at an appropriate speed
• Take more care when overtaking
• Reduce your speed round bends

Research by the Department for the Transport shows that motorcycle collisions could be halved if you follow this advice.

You could also learn from the experts and not from your mistakes by having your riding skills professionally assessed on a rider skills workshop such as Bikesafe

As well as issuing this advice, as part of their Summer Speed Campaign, the Warwickshire Casualty Reduction Partnership and police are currently out and about monitoring speeds and dangerous driving at danger spots associated with motorcycle collisions.

Jon said

"The primary aim of the Summer Speed Campaign is to reduce the number of motorcyclists killed or seriously injured on Warwickshire's roads."

Driving at excessive speed can carry a penalty of up to a £1,000 fine as well as 6 penalty points. Drivers who accumulate 6 penalty points or more as a result of offences committed within two years of passing their driving test will have their license revoked. They must then reapply for a provisional license and may drive only as learners until they pass a theory and practical driving test.