Sussex Police are encouraging local bikers to sign up for free Bike Safe courses in the wake of five serious accidents involving motorcyclists that happened in just two days in mid-May.

The Bike Safe courses are organised by the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership and their goal is to help bikers avoid dangerous situations on the road.

The organisation is also urging motorcyclists to join its Biker Down emergency training workshops free of charge. These workshops are held by motorcyclists for motorcyclists and aim to educate enthusiasts on what to do if they turn out to be first at the scene of a serious crash, The Argus reports.

Last year, one in eight people involved in an accident with a fatal outcome on UK roads were bikers and close to a quarter of those suffering serious injuries as a result of a collision were also motorcyclists.

Sussex Police will be organising a number of campaigns throughout the summer and their goal will be to make biking in the region as safe as possible, commented Sergeant Stewart Goodwin.

The roads in Sussex are known among bikers as some of the nicest routes to ride on and Sussex welcomes everyone who comes to use them, Goodwin said. However, dangerous or inappropriate riding is not tolerated, nor is the use of unsafe or illegal bikes, such as those without tax, insurance or number plates or with bald tyres, he added. Patrols are deployed across the region to catch people who do not obey the legal requirements.