A new THINK! road safety initiative to encourage motorcyclists to improve their defensive riding skills has been launched today by the Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond.
The ‘stay in control’ campaign, which has been developed with partners from the motorcycle industry, advises motorcyclists to ride defensively and seek further training to sharpen their skills.
The campaign will see posters, leaflets and other material to dealerships and retailers across the country. The campaign will run throughout the peak riding season this spring and summer, when, historically, the number of motorcyclists killed and seriously injured on the roads sees an increase.
“Motorcyclists make up just 1% of the traffic on our roads but last year accounted for 19% of deaths,” said Stephen Hammond. “So reducing the number of bikers killed on our roads is a key priority for the government. I am pleased that, in parallel with this initiative, we are also running a THINK BIKER campaign encouraging car drivers to take longer to look for motorcyclists.
“This latest campaign urges bikers to ride defensively – this includes taking a ‘lifesaver glance’ around before manoeuvring and giving yourself time to react to potential hazards. Any message that has the potential to reduce the number of tragedies on our roads involving motorcyclists and save lives is worth hammering home.”
