This in from the police, in their own words. Ed
Hampshire Constabulary is supporting the latest week-long campaign (until September 6, 2015) led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to improve the behaviour of bikers all over the country.
Roads policing officers are reinforcing efforts to put across advice to motorcyclists and other road users about reducing the numbers of deaths and injuries from collisions.
Why the campaign?
Motorcycle users remain the road user group with the highest rate of collisions and casualties per mile travelled.
Motorcyclists make up just one per cent of total road traffic but account for 19 per cent of all road user deaths in the UK.
In the UK in 2014, 339 motorcyclists were killed on the roads, a 2.4 per cent increase from 2013.
There was also a clear increase in the number of motorcycle users who were seriously injured.
There were 5,289 seriously injured casualties in 2014, an increase of 8.7 per cent from 2013.
In Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in 2014, there were nine (9) motorcyclists killed and 264 seriously injured.
Action being taken across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
Sergeant Rob Heard from Hampshire Constabulary’s Roads Policing Unit (RPU) said:
“Our research continues to identify three high risk groups of motorcyclists: leisure riders, commuters and young scooter riders.
“This campaign week is another opportunity to focus everyone’s attention on being considerate and looking out for each other on two wheels and four, particularly at junctions where there is increased potential for collisions due to poor visibility and a lack of vigilance.
“Further research has shown that commuter riders are injured between 4pm and 7pm, Mondays to Fridays, because they are not seen by cars pulling out from junctions or because those riders are not behaving responsibly.
“We’re reminding younger riders to ensure they realise the limits of their experience, and we would encourage all riders of any age to think about further education to enhance their standards.”
More information about courses in your local area can be found on the Bike Safe website.
Safer riding advice online
In the meantime, riders can continue to look at two innovative videos recorded from a police motorcyclist’s perspective. These videos were released earlier this year by the Joint Operations Unit (JOU) that serves the Hampshire and Thames Valley region.
The films show an advanced police motorcycle trainer from the JOU on a police bike. The rider can be heard talking through what he is observing, considering and doing as part of his journey on the road, with the camera placed in different places around him so that the film comes from his viewpoint.
