Think bike! Motorcycle safety campaign launched

The THINK! scheme, which is being run by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit throughout August, aims to reduce the number of road deaths by educating both bikers and motorists.

Even though motorcyclists account for just 0.21 per cent of road users, seven were killed on Hertfordshire’s roads last year out of a total of 34 road deaths.

And while this means that bikers are a very small fraction of those people using the road, they still represented a fifth of the deaths on the county’s roads in 2014, making them some of the most vulnerable people on the road.

Inspector Mark Rogers of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit, said: “Motorcyclists are 38 times more likely than car occupants to be killed per mile they ride.

“I would urge motorcyclists to be extra vigilant when heading out this summer and to ensure that they ride defensively and remain alert when manoeuvring.

“I would also highlight to drivers the importance of watching out for bikers and to always look carefully when pulling out of junctions, manoeuvring and changing lanes.”

Bikers are being encouraged to carry out further training and assessments available to assist them in their defensive riding skills and help improve their performance.

Hertfordshire motorcyclists can benefit from signing up to the BikeSafe scheme which is a national police led motorcycle project run by most police forces across the country. Go to www.bikesafe.co.uk to register interest.

For more, go to THINK!.direct.gov.uk/motorcycles.html or http://twistandride.net