The 95 Alive Road Safety Partnership is planning to continue last year’s fall in the number of bikers killed or injured on North Yorkshire’roads with the launch of a new motorcyclist awareness campaign.
Last year saw a 4 percent drop in the number of motorcycles ridden on the most popular routes but a 48 percent drop in the number of bikers either killed or seriously injured. It is hoped this encouraging trend will continue when the new biking season begins in March.
The Road Safety Partnership will be officially kicking off this year’s Motorcycle Safety Campaign later this month with a series of events to raise awareness among motorcyclists across the county..
As part of the campaign this year there will be a series of videos that highlight the dangers of some of North Yorkshire’s most popular motorcycle routes, along with a bikers guide to the county that highlights where and how crashes have happened, gives advice and information about improving riders skills and some useful facts about choosing helmets and other gear.
The partnership is keen to raise awareness about collision hotspots around the county, and common mistakes that riders have made that have caused fatal or serious injury accidents.
Figures show that 75 percent of accidents involving motorcyclists on North Yorkshire’s country roads are actually caused by the biker making a mistake, rather than car driver error. Many crashes are the result of overtaking on the approach to bends, late braking and harsh braking.
In 2010, 19 bikers were killed on North Yorkshire’s roads and 95 were seriously injured, and in 2011 nine were killed and 82 seriously injured.
Those bikers most likely to be involved in a collision are men aged between 30 and 59, who ride sports bikes over 500cc.
Acting Chief Constable Tim Madgwick, the chairman of the 95 Alive Partnership, said:
All of the partners were heartened by the reduction in fatal and serious injury accidents involving bikers last year.
As we approach the spring, we know that bikers will be taking to North Yorkshire roads again to enjoy the good weather and lighter evenings, so we are launching our new campaign in the hope that we can continue work with them to improve their safety on our roads.
Casualty figures, last 3 years, motorcycles over 125cc, North Yorkshire (2011 figures provisional).
Fatal
2009 – 14
2010 – 19
2011 – 9
Serious
2009 – 91
2010 – 95
2011 – 82
Top five High Risk Routes over the last 6 years:-
B1222 – Sherburn in Elmet to Stillingfleet
B1257 – Helmsley to Stokesley
A59 – Skipton to Harrogate
A170 – Thirsk to Scarborough
A65 – Ingleton to Skipton
75% of collisions were caused by rider error
Common situations where riders lose control:-
Nearly half of collisions occurred while the rider was negotiating a bend.
Nearly a quarter of collisions occurred whilst the rider was travelling straight ahead.
A quarter of collisions occurred during late braking.
Analysis of the Police “STATS19” casualty database shows the following rider profiles
The majority of riders (89%) are men
Over half of them are aged 40 to 59 years of age
Nearly half of the riders lived in North Yorkshire
Nearly a quarter of the riders lived in West Yorkshire
Nearly all collisions involved motorcycles over 500cc
Nearly half of all collisions occurred on ‘A’ roads.
Campaign summary
Throughout the Spring and Summer months the 95 Alive Team will attend various venues popular with motorcyclists. The spring schedule includes:-
18 March – Market Place, Helmsley
25 March – Squires café, Sherburn in Elmet
25 March – Pennygarth Café, Hawes
29 March – Whistle Stop café, Whitby
1 April – Scarborough Sea Front
14 April – Oliver’s Mount Races, Scarborough
Specialist staff will be on hand to:-
Distribute copies of the Bikers Guide to North Yorkshire
Discuss rider behaviours which contribute to injury collisions
Highlight the top five high risk routes
Promote rider skill development opportunities such as the national Police led Bikesafe Assessments and the DSA Enhanced Rider Scheme
Highlight the importance of correctly fitting, safety approved helmets
Information will also be disseminated via www.roadwise.co.uk, facebook, the 95 Alive YouTube channel, Motorcycle newspapers and magazines, twitter, cafes, motorcycle dealers and Approved Training Bodies.
