New police scheme aims to improve safety for motorcyclists

Bikers of all ages and skillsets are being encouraged to refresh and improve their road safety with additional training as part of a new national police-backed plan.

The initiative comes in response to latest figures that show a disproportionate number of bikers killed or seriously injured on the road and includes a range of measures including raising awareness, encouraging extra training and tips for safer riding.

The scheme is part of a new ‘Vulnerable Road Users Operation’ instigated by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) which involves forces nationwide.

Sergeant Shaun Bridle, Regional BikeSafe Coordinator for the Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership, said: “Whilst motorcycles make up approximately 3% of all traffic, in Warwickshire from 2018-2021, almost a quarter (22.88%) of people killed or seriously injured on our roads were bikers.

“This is really disproportionate to the number of motorcycles on the roads, and we are looking at everything we can do to help bring these numbers down.”

Among the measures are extra ‘THINK BIKE’ signs on challenging routes popular with riders, reminding drivers to look out for bikes and encouraging motorcyclists to take more responsibility for their own safety by taking fewer risks and improving their skills.

The scheme also highlights the availability of free online BikeSafe motorcycle skills training, regional BikeSafe courses where riders are observed by police riders to get individual feedback and the free, three-hour Biker Down courses that give riders an awareness of what to do if you are first at the scene of a motorcycle collision.

It also reminds people that post-test motorcycle training is also available via IAM, RoSPA and the DVSA Enhanced Rider Scheme.

Other activities include raising awareness of the Government-backed Ridefree free online training course for riders before taking their compulsory basic training (CBT), visits to student events to engage with young riders and a range of tips for improving rider safety.