Plea to motorists as biker season begins

Published Tuesday, 27th March 2018

WITH Easter almost upon us and spring weather approaching, more and more bikers will be taking to the roads, resulting in a higher risk of collisions and deaths.

Road Safety GB North East is urging bikers to take it easy when out on the roads and appealing for motorists to take a second look for bikes before pulling out of junctions or attempting to overtake.

According to recent figures, bikers are 55 times more likely to be killed in a road crash than car drivers. Between 2012 and 2016, 2,345 motorcyclists were killed or injured in the region, with 780 being seriously injured and 52 killed.

Paul Watson, Chairman of Road Safety GB North East, said the majority of motorcyclist fatalities involved bikes over 500cc, and 71% occurred on urban roads, rather than in rural areas.

“While motorbikes account for less than 1% of total miles travelled in the North East, motorcyclists account for 19% of people seriously injured or killed on the roads, which is quite a startling figure,” said Paul.

“We are delighted to see that the number of motorcycle casualties across the region has decreased by 16% since 2012, but we are still seeing a high number of fatalities, and collision figures are way off where we would like them to be.

“Failing to look properly is a factor in many road collisions, and collisions involving motorbikes are no different. It may be that the biker hasn’t looked properly or is travelling too fast or not in accordance with the conditions or road. Sometimes they simply lose control of their bike.

“However, it could also be down to drivers failing to spot a motorbike when they are pulling out of a junction, or when they go to overtake.

“Bikers are more vulnerable to serious injury, so we urge everyone to take it easy, to drive or ride sensibly, and to look out for each other. It could save a life.”

Inspector Darren Breslin, of Cleveland and Durham Special Operations Unit, said: “The figures in terms of motorcyclist casualties and fatalities speak for themselves, and particularly around bank holidays we need to raise awareness for other road users to take extra care and reinforce safety messages as there are more bikers present on the roads.

“There are precautions that need to be taken all year round, but figures show that bikers are more likely to be out on roads around bank holiday weekends. Drivers need to be aware so that extra care can be taken, particularly at junctions and when overtaking. Motorcyclists themselves also need to take extra care and drive appropriately for the road conditions. We want to prevent as many injuries as we possibly can.”

County Durham and Northumberland see the highest numbers of motorcyclist casualties. However, given the size and nature of the roads in these two authorities, this is to be expected. 

When looking at the average number of motorcyclist casualties per million miles travelled by bikers in each local authority area, County Durham and Northumberland were both much closer to the regional average, while Newcastle saw the highest casualty rate in the region.

Total motorcyclist injuries by local authority and severity, 2012 to 2016

Local Authority

Fatal

Serious

Slight

Total

County Durham

22

168

305

495

Northumberland

1

26

51

78

Newcastle upon Tyne

4

52

145

201

Sunderland

1

26

39

66

North Tyneside

1

36

75

112

Gateshead

2

60

185

247

Stockton-on-Tees

4

44

157

205

South Tyneside

7

161

207

375

Middlesbrough

5

49

33

87

Redcar and Cleveland

3

34

85

122

Darlington

0

55

78

133

Hartlepool

2

69

153

224

Total

52

780

1513

2,345

Estimated rate of motorcyclist injuries per million motorcycle miles, 2012 to 2016

Local Authority

Fatal

Serious

Slight

Total

Newcastle upon Tyne

0.35

10.48

32.30

43.12

North Tyneside

0.83

9.15

32.64

42.62

South Tyneside

1.03

11.72

29.31

42.07

Sunderland

0.36

12.53

27.79

40.69

Gateshead

0.72

9.30

25.93

35.95

County Durham

1.57

11.99

21.76

35.31

Northumberland

0.59

13.62

17.51

31.73

Hartlepool

0.47

12.20

18.29

30.96

Stockton-on-Tees

0.00

11.27

16.18

27.45

Middlesbrough

0.23

8.43

17.57

26.24

Darlington

0.31

8.13

15.95

24.40

Redcar and Cleveland

1.16

11.41

7.69

20.26

North East Average

0.75

11.28

21.90

33.93

Paul Watson added: “We appreciate that a number of people love to get out on their bikes when the weather improves – it’s a much-loved pastime. We are not suggesting that people don’t ride their bikes, but we do want people to take it easy, to look for hazards, and to make sure they have the skills and experience required for riding the larger bikes.

“We also want drivers to look out for bikes and to consider them. Just failing to look once could be catastrophic.”

For more information about Road Safety GB North East, road safety advice and campaigns, go to https://www.lookoutroadsafety.co.uk

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