North Yorkshire Police are supporting a campaign by colleagues in Lancashire to raise awareness of the dangers of riding a motorbike while tired.
A roads policing inspector who tragically lost his father in a motorbike collision has launched the campaign.
Insp Dave Mangan from Lancashire Constabulary has created a short film about his father Mike’s last ride which will be shown to bikers across the county as well as in Cumbria, North Yorkshire, Avon, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.
The film’s North Yorkshire premier will be on Sunday 6 April 2014 at a biker engagement and education event in Helmsley market place.
Mike Mangan, 72, from Bolton, sadly died on 11 September 2013 in Wheddon Cross, Somerset, when he was involved in a collision with an oncoming vehicle whilst overtaking. Mike, a retired electrical engineer, was on the last ten miles of a 320 mile journey and his family believes that tiredness was a contributory factor in his death.
Insp Mangan, 43, also from Bolton, was with his father at the time of the fatal collision. Mike was riding his BMW 1200RT, travelling from Lands End to Minehead.
‘Mike’s last ride’ tells the story of the day of the fatal collision and offers advice on how riders can stay safe on the roads.
Further information about the campaign can be found at www.lancashire.police.uk/mikeslastride
Insp Mangan, who oversees road policing in the county’s East Division, said: My family and I are still trying to come to terms with what happened. We miss him every day.
My Dad was a keen and experienced biker. He was a trained advanced motorcycle observer and used to teach other motorcyclists how they could stay safe on the roads.
We have decided to use this tragic incident to help educate other riders. If it reminds just one biker of the dangers faced by riding whilst tired, then it will be a success.
When bikers are making a long journey, towards the end they may start to feel tired and lose concentration. It is really important that riders recognise this and adjust their riding to the conditions.
Even experienced riders can make errors of judgment which can result in serious consequences. Please don’t make this mistake.
Officers from Lancashire Constabulary will be going to bike meets across the county to let bikers know about the campaign. The video will also be shown to bikers at these meets. North Yorkshire Police will also be using the film as part of their motorcycle safety campaign which comes after 15 bikers died on the county’s roads last year.
A series of messages will appear on Lancashire Constabulary’s Facebook and Twitter accounts with the hashtag #mikeslastride. Adverts will also appear on Facebook and leaflets will be distributed to raise awareness of the campaign.
Deputy Chief Constable Andy Rhodes from Lancashire Constabulary said: It is very courageous of Dave to use this tragic event to try to help keep other riders safe.
The risks of motorcycling are considerably greater than for other road users. Last year there were 36 fatalities on Lancashire’s roads and six of these were motorcyclists. Another 173 motorcyclists were also seriously injured.
I hope this campaign strikes a chord with riders and sends a reminder that it doesn’t matter how experienced you are – riding whilst tired can have serious or even fatal consequences.
North Yorkshire Police’s Deputy Chief Constable Tim Madgwick, chair of the “95 Alive” York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership, and the Association of Chief Police Officer’s lead for motorcycling, added: Mike’s last ride is an emotional and poignant reminder of the potential consequences of riding while tired.
North Yorkshire has 1,000s of miles of scenic and challenging roads which require skill and concentration to negotiate. When these factors are combined with tiredness they present a huge potential for tragedy.
Last year (2013)15 riders died on our roads with many of the victims travelling from other areas of the country attracted by our scenic routes. We are keen to spread the message of Mike’s last ride far and wide to help prevent more families from experiencing such loss and heartache.
A ride to Lands End from Preston in memory of Mike will commence on Wednesday 9 April. Insp Mangan will be joined by friends and colleagues as he leads the ride to promote the campaign. A minute’s silence will take place in the village of Wheddon Cross, which is about half a mile from where Mike was killed, at around 12 noon on Friday 11 April.
Insp Mangan will then attend the national BikeSafe show at Castle Combe race track on Saturday 12 April where the film will be shown to bikers.
A full inquest into Mike’s death is due to be heard on Thursday 22 May 2014.
Further information about the campaign can be found at www.lancashire.police.uk/mikeslastride
