Motorcyclist death toll soars on county’s roads
TAKE more care on Hampshire's roads if you want to live. That's the message to all motorcyclists from road safety bosses and police chiefs, who are appealing to bikers to slow down. And it comes as the latest statistics show a sharp increase in fatalities involving motorcyclists on Hampshire and Isle of Wight roads.
Figures released by the police reveal that 29 riders have died on roads across the two counties since the beginning of 2007, with 11 already this year. A 25-year-old Andover man became the latest victim. He died after his machine was involved in collision with a car in the town earlier this month.
PC Mike Gear, in charge of Hampshire police's Bike Safe initiative, says riders must take more care if they are to stop the carnage. His plea comes during National Motorcycle Week, which highlights the benefits of riding scooters and motorbikes.
But at the same time, the police have renewed their campaign to persuade riders to take extra care and encourage them to participate in the force's Bike Safe workshops. Police say speed is a major factor in crashes and many happen at road junctions.
"The high number of fatalities comes despite the police regularly engaging with riders at bike meets and continuing to promote safe riding through the attendance at public events across the two counties and marketing our Bike Safe advanced rider workshops.
"All of the workshops we have run this year have been extremely successful and we are getting some positive feedback," said PC Gear.
He added: "Many collisions could be avoided if riders had followed basic riding rules, yet the motorcyclists we come into contact with following serious or fatal crashes have not read the road properly and are not weighing up the risks."
A campaign to make drivers more aware of motorcyclists was launched in the spring with "take longer to look for bikes" adverts plastered across buses on Hampshire's roads. Fareham-based commercial radio station, Ocean FM, is also carrying the bike safety message.
Hampshire County Council's road safety boss, Ernie Sage, said: "Riding a motorcycle can be exhilarating and we appreciative that Ride to Work Day is about encouraging bikers to enjoying the benefits of short journey times, saving on petrol and parking costs.
"However, riding a bike brings its own risks. Motorcyclists represent only one per cent of road traffic, but are 45 times more likely to be killed on the road than car drivers.
"Drivers don't tend to take a restricted view into account, or they misjudge the speed or distance of an approaching biker - so we want them to think and take longer for bikes."
9:21am Friday 18th July 2008
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CommentPosted by: Cllr Steve Cosier, North Baddesley on 10:11am Sat 26 Jul 08
What a fantastic idea the Bike Safe advanced rider workshops are. As a motorbike rider for the last 21 years, I have witnessed an increasing number of young male moped riders, who seem oblivious to way that they should handle themselves on the roads. Not only do they put themselves in danger by riding recklessly but cause other motorists to take evasive action in an attempt to avoid them. Personally I believe that all 16 year olds wanting to ride mopeds should have to sign-up to the workshops. Also it might be a good idea to encourage car drivers to do the same. I have been on the receiving end of a driver who didn't look when pulling out of a junction; not a nice experience!
What a fantastic idea the Bike Safe advanced rider workshops are. As a motorbike rider for the last 21 years, I have witnessed an increasing number of young male moped riders, who seem oblivious to way that they should handle themselves on the roads. Not only do they put themselves in danger by riding recklessly but cause other motorists to take evasive action in an attempt to avoid them. Personally I believe that all 16 year olds wanting to ride mopeds should have to sign-up to the workshops. Also it might be a good idea to encourage car drivers to do the same. I have been on the receiving end of a driver who didn't look when pulling out of a junction; not a nice experience!
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