The AA is supporting the 2015 motorcycle safety campaign by 95 Alive, North Yorkshire’s road safety partnership, which launched on the 18th March.
The new initiative challenges motorcyclists to question “Are you as safe as you think?” as figures from 95 Alive show that while the number of deaths and serious injuries involving motorcyclists dropped last year (from 139 in 2013, to 130 in 2014), the overall number of casualties across the county increased (from 338 in 2013, to 352 in 2014).*
According to 95 Alive, although many bikers believe that car drivers are responsible for most biker injuries, its research shows that in fact motorcyclist error is the main factor in more than 70 per cent of accidents on rural roads, rather than other road users or road surface conditions.
AA support
The UK’s biggest motoring organisation was represented at the launch by AA patrol Tony Rich, who devised small stickers to remind drivers to do a ‘double-take’ for those on two wheels.
The ‘Think Bikes’ campaign, which started out as a legacy to a family friend of Tony who was tragically killed in a motorbike accident, is now being rolled out globally by the FIA, the world motoring body.
Tony Rich says: “We are delighted to be supporting 95 Alive’s motorcycle safety campaign. As our AA motorbike patrols in Yorkshire will attest, you are neither too old nor experienced to benefit from a refresher and best practice.
“Unfortunately, motorcyclists are disproportionately represented in casualty statistics so we would encourage all riders to keep their skills up to date with advanced courses like BikeSafe – they are interesting and might just save your life.
“But all road users, not just motorcyclists, have a duty to ensure their skills are kept refreshed and up to date – and to ‘Think Bikes’ at all times!”
Post-test training
Tim Madgwick, Chairman of 95 Alive, and Deputy Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police, explained: “No one likes to have their skills challenged but the fact is that some riders do overrate their abilities on a bike, and the mindset that ‘nothing will ever happen to me’ can, and does, lead to accidents – particularly on bends, when overtaking or when braking.
“We’re encouraging motorcyclists to really question how they ride, and to sign up for post-test training to hone their skills, improve their biking experience, and reduce the risk of rider error on the roads.”
95 Alive campaign activity
For this year’s campaign, 95 Alive will be attending major events in the county to provide motorcyclists with information about danger ‘blackspots’ on the county’s roads. The materials can also be downloaded from www.roadwise.co.uk/bikers
North Yorkshire Police is also promoting its summer programme of BikeSafe sessions at York and Thirsk. As part of these sessions, bikers take part in an observed ride, where highly-trained police motorcyclists give feedback on the rider’s strengths and weaknesses and offer tips to improve biking skills. Sessions can be booked at www.bikesafe.co.uk