Most bike crashes caused by drivers

Two-thirds of motorcycle accidents are caused by other road users, according to leading bike insurer Carole Nash.

The firm has called for the driving test to be updated to include more motorcycle awareness training in the wake of its findings.

The Carole Nash Motorcycle Accident Survey reported that ‘over 66% of motorcycle accidents were caused not by the insured biker but other road users’.

The findings were based on analysis of all accidents claims received from the firm’s 230,000 motorcycle insurance customers last year.

The survey also found that riders on low-power machines including scooter and moped riders were most at risk.

The firm said in a statement: “Among key findings were that younger bikers, inexperienced riders, those with zero no-claims bonus and those riding scooters or mopeds were at highest risk.” 

The news follows calls from road safety groups for Government to downsize motorcycles by limiting power, weight and speed. A letter from eight influential groups to MPs claimed that ‘Hundreds of deaths and thousands of serious casualties could be saved in quite a short time’ by the move.

Dave Bowcock, Carole Nash’s operations director, said: “This year, whilst our survey has analysed a much wider range of risk factors than previously, the biggest concern remains that it is drivers not bikers that are causing most motorcycle accidents.

“We have highlighted this fact for many years now during which time the driver-to-biker fault rate has remained horribly consistent.

“It’s time action was taken to ensure much greater emphasis is placed on motorcycle awareness in the driver training and testing regime.”

Read more on the survey’s findings here.