THINK! radio motorcycle safety campaign launched
Bikers 55 times more likely than car drivers to be killed or seriously hurt in an accident
A THINK! radio campaign has been launched to encourage drivers to take longer to look for motorcyclists.
According to Road Safety Minister Robert Goodwill, figures reveal that 30 bikers are killed or injured every day at junctions.
The ‘Didn’t see’ campaign will run for four weeks on national radio and feature three chilling audio clips of a son, daughter, and husband’s death due to inattentive driving.
Robert Goodwill said: ‘Every day more than 30 motorcycle riders die or are injured in accidents at road junctions. Often, though, not always, this is because a driver has pulled out in front of a rider.
‘More than two people lose their lives every week in this way and this is something we are determined to change - if all drivers and riders took a bit more care at junctions we could bring this figure down significantly.’
Research undertaken by THINK! shows that drivers believe the majority of motorcycle accidents happen because of bikers speeding. However, statistics show that half of motorcyclist accidents, where the rider is killed or seriously hurt, occur at junctions, with drivers failing to look properly being the most common cause.
Despite making up just 1% of traffic on the road, motorcyclists account for 19% of all fatalities.
To further help improve road safety, THINK! will be launching a new campaign this summer encouraging motorcyclists to undertake further training and ride more defensively.
