As the weather gets warmer and the evenings longer, drivers across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire are being reminded to be motorbike cautious and to be mindful of motorcyclists’ vulnerability on the roads.
Chief Inspector Richard Hann, of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit says “Motorcyclists are 35 times more likely than car occupants to be killed per mile they ride. I would urge motorcyclists to be extra vigilant when heading out this year and to ensure that they ride defensively and remain alert when manoeuvring. I would also highlight to drivers the importance of watching out for bikers and to always look carefully when pulling out of junctions, manoeuvring and changing lanes”.
In 2013, 16 motorcyclists were killed on the roads across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire which accounts for 20% of all the road deaths last year across the three counties. Bikers are being encouraged to make the most out of further training and assessments available to assist them in their defensive riding skills and to help improve their performance.
Bedfordshire motorcyclists can register interest in the FREE RideSafe assessment scheme which is a police led initiative by logging onto www.motorcyclingmatters.org and looking within the RideSafe area.
For further information and safety advice go to the Motorcyclists: Think website http://think.direct.gov.uk/motorcycles.html
For simple bike maintenance visit http://think.direct.gov.uk/assets/pdf/dg_195267.pdf