Campaign to tackle biker deaths

Tuesday 17th March 2009, 8:59AM GMT.

accident_sign4Fourteen motorcyclists have lost their lives in crashes on Shropshire roads over the last three years, new figures have revealed.

Highways chiefs at Shropshire County Council have released the data as they launch a campaign in a bid to cut down the number of deaths of motorcyclists and their passengers.

The figures show that there has been a total of 316 motorbike casualties in the county council area between 2006 and 2008.

For the same three-year period there were also 227 vehicle or pillion passenger casualties including one fatality in 2007.

The casualties cover fatal, serious and slight injuries and are not representative of the number of incidents on the county’s roads.

Members of SCC’s road safety team have launched the “Before you throttle up” campaign with Beacon Radio.

As Easter approaches and the weather becomes milder, there is an increase in the number of motorcycles on Shropshire roads.

The three-week radio campaign aims to remind motorcyclists to prepare not only their bikes but also their mind before they start riding.

The campaign was launched yesterday.

John Everall, Shropshire County Council’s cabinet member for environment and sustainability, said: “Injuries to motorcyclists are far out of proportion to their presence on our roads.

“Motorcyclists are just one per cent of total road traffic, but account for 19 per cent of all Great Britain’s road user deaths. We hope this campaign will encourage motorcyclists to think about their road safety before setting out.”

Steve Chadwick, Shropshire County Council’s senior road safety officer, said he hoped the campaign would help reduce the number of accidents in the county.

He said: “The warmer weather sees the return of the biker, which is when we can see the highest number of bikers and pillion passengers killed or injured because, following the winter break, their riding and handling skills are rusty.”

By Russell Roberts


  1. 1
    Breezey

    Motor bikes speed, because they know that many of the speed cameras cannot identify them – since motorbikes do not have number plates on the front, so the head on cameras are unable to take the bike details. So when the average cameras come in how will they track motorbikes.

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  2. 2
    John Smith

    Although I am always in favour of road safety I cannot help but wonder, are just the car drivers supposed to be extra careful? Or will the motorcyclists EVER take responsibility for their actions too? I see far far too many motorcyclists taking stupid risks with their lives on the roads, yet it seems that it is always the car driver that ends up being blamed and the cyclists painted as “poor victims” when a lot of the time it is them that cause the accidents. As Breezey above states, they seem to think they are above the law and somehow superhuman.

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  3. 3
    Keith

    When will the “campaigners” get out of our lives. Ban hunting, ban smoking, ban speeding and they want to reduce drinking etc. All this does not save one life or increase the quality of life. The only threat to life caused by motorcycles is to their riders, why have some people got to seek to control other people lives in every sphere of life. About two thousand people die every day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, in the UK. What is it about road deaths of ten a day that causes such manic reactions from “campaigners”.

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  4. 4
    Brian

    Speed cameras generally take the photo of the rear of the vehicle not the front.
    One thing that wasn’t metioned in that report was the fact that there was “NO” deaths last year.
    Another thing a lot of motorcycle accidents are not caused by speed but by people who fail to see the motorcycle because they are too busy chatting on their mobile phones, brushing their hair, messing with their in car entertaiment or screaming at their kids

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  5. 5
    me

    i think rather than spend stupid ammounts of money on campaigns like this how about they repair all pot holes and uneven roads which cause many an accident to bikers!

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  6. 6
    Chris

    Which county was Brian living in last year to say there were no motorcyclist deaths in Shropshire last year?!
    I can think of at least three or four I remember reading about in spring/summer, including one on the A41 at Tern Hill.
    You can “educate” and try and make people “think” all you want, but ultimately a huge change in mindset is needed from both car drivers and motorcyclists to make any real difference.
    And from someone who commutes every day along the A53 to be frequently overtaken by both other car drivers and motorcyclists, despite me driving at the speed limit, I can’t see it happening any time soon.

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  7. 7
    cleensheets

    Speaking as someone who has passed the Direct Access motorcycle test (and is thus qualified to ride any bike, regardless of size or engine capacity) I can tell you now that said test is far more technical, and focuses far more stringently on road awareness, road positioning, lane discipline, and all-round vision than a car driving test.

    If more elements of the motorcycle test were incorporated into the that for cars, then driving standards would improve.

    The fact of the matter remains that motorcycles are inherently unstable, and always potentially dangerous. Have a small front-end slide in a car, and it’ll sort itself out either through driver input or electronic intervention. Either way, the car driver will proceed on his or her way. Have a front end slide on a bike, then more often than not the rider will have a painful body / hedge interaction. But that is the trade-off for the unbridled freedom that biking can offer.

    It’s all about assessing risks, and biking is riskier than most things. Which is why Mrs Sheets disallows me from owning one. Oh, she has total confidence in my riding ability. She knows how observant I am of my road surroundings. But, as she said, “I’m just worried about some idiot driver crashing into you”.

    She has a point.

    Inept, feckless, and useless drivers are much more of a menace on our roads than the small contingent of motorcyclists. Driving 25,000 miles a year shows me this.

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  8. 8
    Diane

    ‘Campaigners’ are usually those agencies that have a responsbility for road safety; Police, Fire Service, Highways etc. These are also those agencies who have to pick up the pieces (literally sometimes). Several above entries have given realistic reasons for motorcycle deaths. If the campaigners manage to save even one death then surely it has to be ‘worth it’ – what cost is a life? Such campaigns have to be worth it – and how can you measure or value how many people you have persuaded to ride a little slower/safer/carefully/visibly etc. Equally how can you measure the numbers of drivers to be more vigilant for motorcylists – yes, you can compare statistics but this can only go so far to accurately indicate how safe motorcylists are on our roads as it also depends on the weather and day of the week etc. I have personally seen the carnage and despair of motorcylist deaths – not only from the point of view of the greaving families but of the driver of the car who had no chance of avoiding the collision. Any campaign to make people just take notice or think differently has to be worth it, surely??

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  9. 9
    Monkey

    I would have more sympathy for bikers if they used the road as they are supposed to. Hardly a day goes by on my daily commute that I’m speedily taken over by a motorbike. They lurk in drivers blind spots, overtake on the left, weave in and out traffic. Rather than sit in a queue at lights like other road users, they feel it’s ok to freewheel to the front.

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  10. 10
    Andy

    From personal experience I would wholeheartedly support a complete ban on motorbikes.

    if they are 20 times more dangerous than a car, surely there is justification for just banning them…

    And all you bikers who will start moaning, maybe if you looked after your own mess, and stopped racing each other all over the county roads everytime we get an hour’s sunshine on a Sunday, then there wouldnt be so many road users in favour of seeing your “freedoms” curbed.

    And as for Keith with “The only threat to life caused by motorcycles is to their riders” – you shouldn’t be allowed to ride a bike for that comment alone.

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  11. 11
    Y Mab Darogan

    I agree if motorbikes are this dangerous they should be banned. We do not allow F1 track cars on the road why should motorbikes be allowed on the road if they are a danger the drivers and other road users?

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  12. 12
    ShropshireBiker

    I’ll bet Monkey and Andy dont walk on the cracks in the pavement.

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  13. 13
    StaffordBiker

    As a mature rider who has not had an accident in over 35years riding I find some of the comments from the “ban ‘em” brigade worrying. These narrow minded, busy bodies are happy to dictate about things that they do not affect them, but lo and behold if it was something that affects them and all hell breaks loose about “their freedoms”, what a bunch of hypocrites. Yes I ride to the front of the queue because I know it annoys you whinging drivers, live with it, otherwise get yourself a bike so you can do it as well….

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  14. 14
    Andy

    Stafford biker:

    Oh we can live with it, its you guys that cant when you end up under the wheels…

    And yes, it does affect us, cos every time a dangerous biker, (and I use that term to refer to the nutters hairing around corners on the wrong side of the road, weaving between traffic, etc etc and not at you personally), dies then we all have to put up with the speed cameras, traffic calming, etc that inevitably follows.

    There is absolutely no need for any of these superbikes that are on the road now… they are nothing more than death traps ridden by people wanting to show how “daredevil” or “btuch” they are…

    And you dont have the “freedom” to ignore the rules of the road, you do so at your own peril and when, inevitably, it ends in tragedy you expect sympathy and support…

    So I will wave when I see you in an accident having weaved between stationary traffic… I might even give a beep and a cheer, cos “I know it winds you whinging riders up”.

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  15. 15
    cleensheets

    Y Mab, no. They are not a danger to other drivers and road users. If a biker crashes into a car, then more often than not the biker is the one with massive injuries. The car driver just climbs out of a bouncy castle full of air bags.

    As for Monkey and Andy, I had heard rumours of people who wear tin foil hats and it seems that the rumours are, indeed, true, and that there are people out there who would enforce a ban on anything that remotely resembles mild peril. If these people entered the corridors of power, then we would all be eating crackerbreads and pomegranate juice (maybe a glass of ginger wine on Christmas Day), driving at 30mph everywhere, prevented from surfing youtube as it contains footage of dangerous stuff that should be banned, wearing factor 50 sunblock in fair weather, listening to Radio 4 or Eric Smith, and reading the Daily Mail or Guardian.

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  16. 16
    cleensheets

    And another thing. Who thought up the tag-line, “Before you Throttle Up”?????

    The ONLY time I have ever heard the term “throttle up” is when the space shuttle is 30 seconds after lift off!

    Do SCC members REALLY think that drivers and bikers use such a phrase?

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  17. 17
    j peters

    long over due – lets save some lives – well done – too many bikers come to shropshire to go fast on our windy lanes – we need to enforce speed limits more and get them to wear high viz vests more

    i pray you success

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  18. 18
    Mr S Lambert

    Bikers do go at speeds far in excess of the limit. There are dodgy car drivers about but the majority of bikers think they can handle high speeds. I saw a biker the other day overtake on a stretch of road that had double lines on and he had a young lad on the back. One thing that unnerves me is when bikers travel in packs.

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  19. 19
    DANNY BOY

    im glad something is being done, its a real tragic thing, motorcyclists are a fraction of road users yet make up the majority of serious accidents, most motorcyclists are good drivers, but a few need retraining, the real problem is educating car drivers to look out for them and give them plenty of space, i agree with jp that it should be mandatory for them to wear luminous orange not black leather outfits which are harder to see

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  20. 20
    dan de marco

    get the bikers to slow down, they are the problem

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  21. 21
    geoff

    i agree its the bikers who are the problem

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  22. 22
    Susan

    Good luck with this. Another motorcylist has died on our roads I notice (and this is followed by one the other week?). How can bikers be offended by this campaign as its aimed to save their lives??

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  23. 23
    Keith

    What all the “campaigners” fail to understand is that motorcyclists, parachutists, mountain climbers, private pilots, horse riders, etc do not want their lives to be “saved” by removing their pleasure in life. You cannot save someones life only extend it, I for one would rather enjoy life now than live longer in a society that removes any risk from life. I have ridden bicycles and motorcycles and driven cars for over forty years without injury. I would never jump out of an aircraft or go rock climbing but I would not dream of restricting those that desire to do so. The same goes for hunting with dogs, using and owning guns, fishing, etc.

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